With incredibly heavy hearts Kevin Lyman (Vans Warped Tour founder and all around good guy) announced that the Vans Warped Tour will be making it's last full country run next year. The music festival has been happening every summer since 1995 and is the largest touring music festival in North America.
For many, this announcement marks the end of an era. The punk and scenester millennials are especially feeling the blow of this announcement, most having attended the festival since their childhood and really discovered their music taste through the bands that have played over the years. Infamous acts such as Katy Perry, No Doubt, Eminem, and Fall Out Boy have graced the stages of Warped Tour as well as much smaller known acts that have had their careers flourish from playing the festival. There is no denying that this is a heartbreaking moment for so many in our music community, but let us choose to remember all of the fond times we shared over the years through Vans Warped Tour and the friends and moments made that will last with us forever.
"Though the tour and the world have changed since ’95, the same feeling of having the ‘best summer ever’ will live on through the bands, the production teams, and the fans that come through at every stop.
The enduring spirit of the Vans Warped Tour remains as bright as ever, continuing to inspire creativity and ambition in new and exciting ways as we prepare for a 25th anniversary celebration in 2019.
I truly look forward to seeing as many of you as possible during this final cross country run, and getting to thank you for your support on this wild adventure. Until then, take care and be safe.” – Kevin Lyman (Founder of the Vans Warped Tour)
We here at Kill The Music encourage you all to pack up your cars full of sunscreen, food, and friends and make your way to as many dates of the festival as you can this year. Take in every ounce of music and memories that Vans Warped Tour has to offer you because we truly don't know when we will get a touring festival as special as this one ever again.