It’s summertime. Which means: epic concert tours! The original music-tour-as-juggernaut is the Vans Warped Tour, which first hit the road in 1995 (if you want a case of vertigo, check out this spreadsheet of bands who have played it over the past quarter century). However, founder Kevin Lyman has stated that this year’s tour would be the last, and while there’s a plethora of tours and festivals around to keep us entertained in the meantime, it really does feel like the end of an era.
In St. Louis, it was a hot and humid day for the Warped Tour’s final cross-country run. But that didn’t stop droves of people from attending; a lot of these fans of hard rock, metal, punk, ska, and rock ‘n’ roll have been going to these shows every year since the tour started. One of the big draws is the chance to meet artists in person, since every band has a booth and a meet-and-greet scheduled.
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The Warped Tour is also big on community, and that was apparent at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre on Tuesday. Dozens of nonprofit tents lined the walkways, and many of the bands asked their fans if they were feeling happy and good about themselves. The festival seemed to go off without a hitch, which is a huge coup to the organizers. (“One of my biggest goals post-Warped Tour will be to help move these fantastic nonprofits missions forward,” Lyman has said. “Warped has always been a balance of music and philanthropy, sometimes I wish we had touted this a bit more.”)
The crowdsurfing started early in the day, and continued throughout into the evening. The bands were there to entertain, and while the crowds might have been melting, the musicians all brought their A-games to the stage.
Reel Big Fish
Showing some fancy, coordinated moves and generally having a good time. Known for their 1997 “Sell Out” song, this band might be one of the older bands on this year’s tour.
Real Friends
Hailed as “pop punk.”
Ice Nine Kills
Experimental metalcore.
Crown the Empire
Straight up rock, with an edge.
As It Is
Rock/pop-punk. Hails from Brighton, England.
Kaiser Solzie
Frontman James Jackson is proof that when life knocks you down and seemingly leaves you in the gutter, that you can get back up and turn it around.
Tonight Alive
If you haven’t heard of Tonight Alive yet, do yourself a favor and take a listen now.
Issues
A blend of “metalcore, pop, electronic and R&B,” AKA “nu metal.”
Twiztid
Hip Hop group out of Detroit. Sporting FEND ware to bring attention to the opioid crisis across the U.S.
Waterparks
This rock band also played St. Louis last summer during the Young Renegade Tour.
Simple Plan
Straight outta Montreal, this band is not easily pinned down to one category, which isn’t a bad thing. We put them in the fun category.
The Used
The Used win the tour as best entrance, with two brightly colored hand-held smoke stacks to kick off their dynamic set.
Story of the Year
As the only St. Louis-band at the festival, the crowd went wild, for Story of the Year’s special appearance. And the band did not disappoint.
YungBlud
St. Louis was this band’s first day out with Vans Warped Tour Soon to be 20, lead singer of YungBlud, Dominic Harrison, was full of energy and some serious jumps. We predict a quick rise popularity in the near future for this band. Here’s Harrison on being psyched about the first day of the tour:
The Maine
Clad in all red, rock-band The Maine played in the soft glow of the setting sun. Singer John O’Callaghan commented on the large number of crowd surfers before nightfall.
