Warped Tour

The Warped Tour is a traveling rock festival that has toured the United States (sometimes including one or more stops in Canada) annually each summer since 1995. It is the largest traveling music festival in the United States, and the longest-running touring music festival in North America. The first Warped Tour took place in 1995, and the skateboard shoe manufacturer Vans became the main sponsor of the tour starting with the second tour in 1996, when it became known as the Vans Warped Tour. Although Vans has continued to be the main sponsor and lend its name to the festival, other sponsors have also participated, with stages or other aspects of the festival sometimes being named after them.

Warped Tour was conceived in 1995 as an eclectic alternative rock festival, but in 1996 began focusing on punk rock music. Although it has continued to be known primarily as a punk rock festival, it has included acts of diverse genres over the years, including hip hop artists starting in 1999.

Warped Tour 1996

Warped Tour 1996 was the 2nd edition of the Vans Warped Tour, and the first Warped Tour to be sponsored by Vans. The 24-date tour began on July 4, 1996 in Phoenix, Arizona and ended August 8, 1996 in Panama City, Florida.

The tour featured a main stage and a second stage, on which bands alternated so that as one band finished playing, the band on the other stage would begin. The band lineups and running orders on the two stages differed between dates. Some shows also featured a third stage with additional bands. The tour headliners included Fishbone, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, NOFX, Pennywise, and Rocket from the Crypt.

This was the first Warped Tour for The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, NOFX, Pennywise, and Blink-182, all of which played on multiple future Warped Tours. According to tour founder Kevin Lyman, the addition of punk bands such as NOFX and Pennywise helped establish the tour as a "credible" punk festival, thus making it more successful than the first year's eclectic lineup. A 2011 Warped Tour retrospective article in the Dallas Observer deemed the 1996 lineup one of the four best ever Warped Tour lineups in its 17-year history up to that point.

Warped Tour 1997

Warped Tour 1997 is the 3rd edition of the Vans Warped Tour. The 26 date tour began on July 2, 1997 in San Diego California and ended August 5, 1997 in Atlanta, Georgia. The tour featured one main stage, a side stage, and a "Locals Only" stage sponsored by ASCAP/Ernie Ball on each date. The tour headliners included: Blink-182, Descendents, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Pennywise, Reel Big Fish, Royal Crown Revue, Sick of it All, and Social Distortion.

Bands

All bands performed on the entire tour unless otherwise noted

Warped Tour 1998

Warped Tour 1998 was the 4th edition of the Vans Warped Tour. The 34-date North American tour began on in Phoenix, Arizona, and ended August 9, 1998 in Austin, Texas. Four concerts were held in Canada, with the rest in United States locations. After the North American tour ended, Warped Tour traveled overseas for the first time, with a modified lineup appearing in Europe, Australia and Japan.

The tour featured four stages — two main and two side — and included a "World Warped Stage" sponsored by ASCAP/ Ernie Ball that showcased local bands. The band lineups and running orders on the stages differed between dates. The tour headliners included Bad Religion, Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Deftones, NOFX, Rancid, Reverend Horton Heat, and The Specials. A 2011 Warped Tour retrospective article in the Dallas Observer deemed the 1998 lineup one of the four best ever Warped Tour lineups in its 17-year history up to that point. Other attractions featured on the tour included skateboarding demonstrations by pros such as Steve Caballero, Neal Hendrix, Andy Macdonald, Mike Frazier, and Jen O'Brien. A tour documentary, Punk Rock Summer Camp, was released on VHS in 1999 and on DVD in 2003.