After 24 summers of coming together to hear their favorite punk-rock bands and mosh out in pits, fans were sad to say goodbye to the Vans Warped Tour when Founder Kevin Lyman announced that the last tour would be in 2018. But fans held out hope that there would be one more chance to experience the tour’s energy when a 25th anniversary celebration was promised.
Now, Lyman has taken to social media to give fans more clues as to how the celebration will unfold. Lyman has announced that there will be one Cleveland, Ohio show on June 8, two festival dates on the East Coast for June 29–30 and two festival dates on the West Coast from July 20–21. At this time there are no more details as to what other cities the tour will hit.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Plans are coming together for <a href="https://twitter.com/VansWarpedTour?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VansWarpedTour</a> 25th only thing I can say for now since many need to hold vacations dates are June 8 Cleveland, June 29-30 eastcoast, July 20-21 westcoast.</p>— KevinLyman (@KevinLyman) <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinLyman/status/1074711162254614528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Lyman tweeted that plans for the tour are coming together, but the dates and the location information he provided were the "only thing I can say for now."
The tour site has no further information, only that: "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."
Created in 1995, the tour, which helped bands like GRAMMY winners No Doubt and GRAMMY-nominated act Paramore reach more audiences, was originally meant to "to feel like that backyard party that anyone can go to," Lyman has said.
READ: Doll Skin To Amity Affliction: Inside Day 1 Of Warped Tour 2018
The tour began with punk-rock bands, but grew to also embrace additional genres like emo and metalcore. For many bands it was a major milestone in their career to be a part of the tour.
At last summer’s Pomona, Calif., tour date, the Used's Bert McCracken said playing the Warped Tour meant success to him and the band.
"Our first couple of Warped Tour shows, I remember standing on the main stage and watching New Found Glory play and in my mind that was like, that was it. That was the 'It'" he told the Recording Academy. "This band has made it. Seeing that many people jumping up and down, I'm like, 'You know what? This is it.' If we have shows like this then we've made it."
Stay tuned for more as more details surface about the Warped Tour's 25th anniversary celebration.
