Van's Warped Tour Winding Down

The "tour that won't die," the rambling flotilla of punk, Van's Warped Tour is now a venerable institution, in the final 10 days of its 11th year. I vividly remember broadcasting for Cleveland's WENZ (The End) from the first and second installments of the tour, the sun beating on the blacktop of Nautica, bodies dropping off the rock wall, band after band playing fast and hard as the skaters ramped and flew.

This ragtag extravaganza, a self-professed "all-day punk rock summer camp featuring the best in underground, independent and free-minded music and action sports," has become what Rolling Stone calls "America’s most successful festival."

The following cornucopia of bands are hitched to the wagon:

The Offspring
Transplants
Fall Out Boy
My Chemical Romance
Strung Out
Thrice
Dropkick Murphys
No Use For A Name
The Starting Line
Senses Fail
Hawthorne Heights
MXPX
All-American Rejects
Avenged Sevenfold
Matchbook Romance
Atreyu
Silverstein
The Unseen
Bedouin Soundclash
Tsunami Bomb
The Bled
Strike Anywhere
The Explosion
Underoath
Another Damn Disappointment
Valient Thorr
Riverboat Gamblers
The Matches
Hidden in Plain View
Plain White T's
Stutterfly
The Twenty Twos
From First to Last
The Actual
Dead Poetic
Seventh Echo
My Finest Hour
The Uncertain 5
The Culling Song
Abrasive Wheels
Open Hand
Roses Are Red
Bedlight for Blue Eyes
I Voted for Kodos
Emery
Boys Night Out
Hopesfall
Yesterday's Rising
Gatsby's American Dream
Armor For Sleep
Between Home and Serenity
Greeley Estates
So They Say
The Receiving End of Sirens
Scary Kids Scaring Kids
My American Heart
Big D & The Kids Table
Bleed The Dream
The Feds
Opiate For the Masses
Bad Fathers
Breathless
Eternia
Dark Starz
Arcane
Greans
Natives of the New Dawn
Hangar 18
Glue

and these dates remain:

Aug-5 St. Petersburg, FL Vinoy Waterfront Park
Aug-6 Pompano Beach, FL Pompano Beach Amphitheatre Lot
Aug-7 Orlando, FL Tinker Field
Aug-8 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Lot
Aug-9 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Lot
Aug-10 Washington, D.C. Nissan Pavillion Lot
Aug-11 Scranton, PA Montage Mountain
Aug-12 Camden, NJ Tweeter Center
Aug-13 New York City, NY Randall's Island
Aug-14 Englishtown, NJ Old Bridge Township Raceway
Aug-15 Northampton, MA Northampton Fairgrounds

But the tour is more than just music and skinned knees, there is a bonanza of attractions, activities and charities traveling with the tour:

ATTRACTIONS & ACTIVITIES

Cingular/Samsung Deliver Big Warped Perks: Samsung and Cingular Wireless will host the following exclusives for VWT fans:

Show Me Your Cingular: At the Cingular Lounge, just whip out your Cingular phones for "ultra" exclusive access (for you and a friend) at the Cingular Lounge where you can chill and enjoy free beverages courtesy of Monster Energy Drinks!

“Skip the Line” Gate: Look for the “SKIP THE LINE” banner, flash your Samsung or Cingular phone, and go straight into the concert without having to wait in line.

Special Updates and Promotions via Text Message: One of the unique aspects of the VWT is the rotating performance schedule and daily activities. To help fans get the most bang for their buck, Samsung and Cingular will provide performance and autograph session schedules and special promotions, such as the scavenger hunt for prizes and last-minute VIP seating on stage, via special text messages. To opt-in, concert-goers can simply sign up for their particular city at warpedtour.com, www.rucingular.com or receive the text code once at the concert venue.

Samsung/Cingular Signing Stage: Fans can meet their favorite bands and get autographs on limited edition VWT credentials and posters designed by renowned rock-poster artist Brian Ewing. Participating bands include Dropkick Murphys, Hawthorne Heights, MxPx, Thrice and All American Rejects.

Article Author: Eric Olsen

Career media professional Eric Olsen is honored to be the founder and publisher of Blogcritics.org, which, quite frankly, rules - as do his wife and four children.

Visit Eric Olsen's author page — Eric Olsen's Blog