The Vans Warped Tour

When it was launched in 1995, the Warped Tour was one of many multiband bashes — from H.O.R.D.E. to Lilith Fair — that emerged in the wake of the influential, highly successful Lollapalooza festival. So why, seven years later, are virtually all of these allegedly annual events, including Lollapalooza, either...

By Michael Roberts

June 27, 2002

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When it was launched in 1995, the Warped Tour was one of many multiband bashes — from H.O.R.D.E. to Lilith Fair — that emerged in the wake of the influential, highly successful Lollapalooza festival. So why, seven years later, are virtually all of these allegedly annual events, including Lollapalooza, either defunct or on hiatus, while the Warped Tour is still shredding eardrums nationwide? Scale, scope and focus have a lot to do with it. From the beginning, Warped has been less interested in big bucks and generalized greed than in showcasing the newest, freshest punk, ska and youth-culture mayhem for a reasonable price — and that hasn't changed. This year's attendees will hear veteran acts such as Bad Religion and NOFX alongside younger outfits like Pistol Grip and Quarashi, for whom Warped isn't a passing fad but a way of life. Take that, Perry Farrell.

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Michael Roberts has written for Westword since October 1990, serving stints as music editor and media columnist. He currently oversees Westword's news blog.

Contact: Michael Roberts

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