Photos by Aaron Birkshire & Braina Bonilla
If you’ve ever attended the Vans Warped Tour, there’s a very good chance you’ve accumulated some sort of life-long memory. Be it positive or negative, it’s difficult to walk through Kevin Lyman’s world-renowned punk rock summer camp and not take away something memorable.
Like most of you reading this at home, the bands who have graced the Warped Tour stages throughout its illustrious 25-year career have also garnered some pretty special memories as well.
Talking with some Warped Tour alum like members of Bad Religion, The Used, Thrice, August Burns Red and more at their recent stop at the last-ever Mountian View appearance, we were able to gather some pretty interesting Warped stories – like riding motorcycles backstage, avoiding life-threatening storms and more.
To read what the seasoned musicians had to say about their unforgettable summers on the Warped Tour plus their heartfelt goodbye to Lyman’s influential and iconic festival, be sure to see below. For more Warped Tour coverage, head here.
Brian Baker - Bad Religion
Favorite Warped Memory
‘98 Warped Tour, Montreal. Something was wrong with our gear and Greg [Graffin, vocalist] started singing “Generator” a cappella - it sounded like every single person in Quebec was singing with him! Whatever was broken got fixed just in time for the band to come in right at the first chorus - a bit of accidental showmanship that was so cool we did it on purpose after that for many years.
Least Favorite Warped Memory
Somewhere in the Midwest, 2004 Warped Tour. Riding my Honda 50 drunk at night at top speed into a chain stretched across the road right about chest high. Ouch.
Who was the first band you remember being starstruck by or just excited to be spending the summer with on Warped Tour?
I’m not sure what year it was but when The Damned came on for some dates I went straight fanboy and would even hang out near their bus hoping to strike up a conversation. Best punk band ever.
Final Words To Warped Tour
So long and thanks for all the shoes!
Jeph Howard - The Used
Favorite Warped Memory
I have a shit memory, it’s so bad, and every kind of tour blurs together. Like, I barely remember anything other than backstages or like, the friends that were on that tour or something like that. But you know, maybe my favorite memory might be – we’ve had a lot of good times on Warped Tour. We’ve met a lot of good people. We toured with a lot of cool bands. Like, we’re friends with all the people and production. We’re friends with everybody, you know? They kind of saw us come up in that sense. So I’ll go and hang with people in production. This is a long story, I guess.
So it’s cool to reconnect and come back every year and say hi to these friends. That’s kind of my favorite memory of Warped Tour as a whole. I know that’s not picking a specific time period, which if I could go back to like the first Warped Tour, [that] would maybe be my favorite only because it was so exciting and different and new and we didn’t really know it was going on. And all of a sudden, playing Warped Tour, people are watching us play. Because nobody really gave a shit, you know, like we had some songs [but] nobody was coming to watch. And it was chill, but playing Warped Tour, it was like it was almost spreading us out there and helping us get out. Which is the same case with all these other bands that are kind of starting out from the ground.
Least Favorite Warped Memory
Warped Tour is long and it’s hot and it’s sweaty. We live on a bus, it’s hard to shower, it’s hard to live. You have a toilet you can pee in and that’s about it. It’s not easy to be on a tour like Warped tour but that’s what you put up with, that’s what you do in order to get what you want. Warped Tour is so much fun because of the camaraderie of all the bands together. It’s like a family vibe and that’s really exciting but there are some downfalls.
Most Brutal Warped Tour Memory
One time on Warped Tour, AFI just played and we were walking to the stage. You have a small time in between [sets] – I think it’s like 15 minutes in between bands or something. So in between those 15 minutes from our bus to the stage, the sky turned black and all of a sudden tents started getting ripped up out of the ground right in front of us. Like it was that quick and it went from someone playing to like, craziness. On our way to the stage, they canceled the whole show and then it just started pouring rain for the rest of the day. Just like swamp water. We were supposed to stay on the bus I think because it was pretty much tornado weather. It happened a couple of times.
Who was the first band you remember being starstruck by or just excited to be spending the summer with on Warped Tour?
You know, I didn’t really pay attention. I don’t do well, I’m doing better now, but I didn’t use to do very well around people. I got stressed out by them. But now, I’ve kind of figured out my ways around human beings. No offense to you guys if you’re human at all. But I’ve kind of figured my own thing out and coming up on tours back then when I was younger, I was just kind of stressed out all the time. Like, I was still good at being friends, well trying to be friends with people. You know, I was kind of an idiot – which is the case for anybody at that kind of time period. You live and learn. You do stupid stuff to learn not to do stupid stuff.
Final Words To Warped Tour
See you next time. They’ll do a 30th [year anniversary], they’ll do a 35th [year anniversary], I’m guessing. You know, it is cool though because I get it. That last Warped Tour, that was the last Warped Tour. These two shows they did, they’re not part of Warped Tour. This is an anniversary to celebrate what Warped Tour was. Totally cool. I’m all about that. You know, do it [again] in five years. That’s totally chill. 26th [year anniversary] and 27th [year anniversary] might be weird, but 25 is totally cool.
Yungblud
Favorite Warped Memory
Probably going out with Good Charlotte to sing [“Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous”] in Maryland. And then also going out with Simple Plan that night as well. They were just like, “Yo, we love your shit, you wanna come on stage?” And I was like, “Yes.”
Least Favorite Warped Memory
Our bus toilet flooded and there was piss all over the floor.
Most Brutal Warped Tour Memory
I saw someone get dropped kicked in a mosh pit. I think it was Twiztid. I can’t remember though.
Who was the first band you remember being starstruck by or just excited to be spending the summer with on Warped Tour?
Good Charlotte. It was mad. I [was] like, “Shit. Wow!”
Final Words To Warped Tour
I gotta say, man, the legacy will live on. This scene is not dead. It’s just been sleeping for a bit but I can see it waking up really soon.
Cody Carson - Set It Off
Favorite Warped Memory
I’m gonna have to do two; one as playing, one as a spectator. My favorite Warped Tour memory as playing was probably, we were playing in Orlando when it was the official last Warped Tour full coast to coast. So we were playing Orlando, which we’re all from Florida, and we were the last band to play that night. So playing as the sun was setting for all the crowd and knowing that we were the last band, and we used to go to those Warped Tours, was just a really monumental moment for us. So I think that was just really crazy. That was my favorite for sure. But as a spectator, I’d have to say my first mosh pit. In the early 2000s, Avenged Sevenfold was on [Warped] and they played the song “Chapter Four.” I got pushed into the mosh pit, I got my phone knocked out of my pocket, almost got attacked by a guy who had a lightsaber [laughs]. That was another really great, fond memory. So many great times at Warped Tour.
Least Favorite Warped Memory
As a spectator, it’s bittersweet. I was in the front row for My Chemical Romance and I remember being in the front row for like, Fall Out Boy [too]. The crowd was crazy. You’re packed in, you can’t use your arms and you move like a wave of sardines. So I didn’t make it through Fall Out Boy long before I had to crowd surf and get the fuck out. So for MCR, I was going to stick around. I made it about 4-5 songs in, they played “Thank You For The Venom” and everything went crazy. So I had to get out of that and I remember having a crazy panic attack, but that’s not my worst. It was just like a moment of absolute fright but it was incredible at the same time.
Most Brutal Warped Tour Memory
When I think of that, I think of injury. And when I think of injury, I think of my worst injury I had on Warped Tour which was, it’s so lame how it happened. So I get kind of pushy with people if they’re not moving [in the crowd]. I’m like, “I want you to move, I want you to jump.” I saw one girl that was the front row obviously not there for us, arms crossed like, “I’m not jumping.” So I was like, “I want to fuck with this person.” So I came down, I jump from the stage down to the barricade, which is about like an eight-foot drop. Totally fine. And then I walked up to the barricade, which has like this one-foot step, and I grabbed her hand and I started jumping with her. She was not having it. She was not a fan at that point. But I did my best. I jumped off the one-foot step and I land wrong and I roll my ankle. I sprained the fuck out of it [laughs]. It happened during the second song and I had to hobble around the rest that set. [My ankle] was like super black, but that also made me think of a storm. So we were playing in New Orleans, I think a couple days after [my injury], and there was this crazy thunderstorm. Everyone was terrified, but I’m from like Clearwater, Florida, and we’re just used to that shit. So I was like, “eh, it’s a Thursday.“
Who was the first band you remember being starstruck by or just excited to be spending the summer with on Warped Tour?
I remember the first one to me was Fall Out Boy because I got in line with a white t-shirt to have them sign it. But to play with? Oh goodness. Weirdly enough, Less Than Jake. [I’m a] huge ska fan. I remember, we were on tour and I saw their singer and I just was a total nerd and was like, “Hey I just wanted you to know that I really love your band.” And you could tell he was being very polite and he was like, “Thank you so much.” And I was like, “I totally just weirded that guy out.” But JR, he’s a saxophone player. I’m a woodwind player myself, so I got to nerd out with him. But I’m a huge Less Than Jake fan. So I think that was the first one I got really nervous for.
Final Words To Warped Tour
God, that’s sad to say. My final farewell words are thank you for the culture you’ve cultivated, for the community you’ve created and the overall home that you allowed us to walk into for all of us outcasts that needed a place to vent. It will be missed sorely. Hopefully, this isn’t the actual last time.
JB Brubaker - August Burns Red
Favorite Warped Memory
This is hard because I probably have a few. One Warped Tour memory that is one of the best for me is the end of Warped Tour 2013. We were playing in Houston and we were the last band to go on the main stage. So we closed out the final day of Warped Tour and I thought that was really cool and a special moment. I just felt proud that my band got to play last at Warped Tour. In 2008, we did Warped Tour for the very first time and that was an incredibly fun experience for us because it was our very first time on a bus. We were so excited to be on Warped Tour [because] it was such a special tour for us that we had always wanted to do and we couldn’t believe we were on it. It was just non-stop hangs and partying and it was one of the most fun tours of my life [even though] we only got to play on the first 12 shows. I remember we were just like begging to stay on the tour. We didn’t get to stay on unfortunately but I remember just having the time of my life in 2008.
Least Favorite Warped Memory
Some of my worst memories on Warped Tour were standing in the catering line in like Bonner Springs, Missouri in 95-degree weather while it was just super humid and hot. That was pretty miserable. Like, the dog days of Warped, you know? I mean, when just the weather’s hot and you’re in the thick of it standing in line for catering is definitely like the worst part of Warped Tour. That takes its toll.
Most Epic Warped Tour Memory
My most epic Warped Tour moment I believe was in 2015. We were playing in Orlando, Florida and a massive thunderstorm blew in right as our set was kind of finishing up. We got to finish our set but like right after we ended, the festival got shut down for a bit. Our photographer Ray Duker took this crazy photo of us of [with] like this ominous dark sky and just a mob of people. It was just like a cool photo. It looks sick. That’s probably our most epic moment that I can think of off the top of my head.
Who was the first band you remember being starstruck by or just excited to be spending the summer with on Warped Tour?
In 2002, I was a senior in high school. I went to Warped Tour in Camden, New Jersey and I met Matt Skiba from Alkaline Trio who was like a hero of mine at the time and they’re one of my favorite bands. I got him to sign my CD and then I asked them if they were gonna play “Radio.” And he said, “Do you want us to play it?” And I’m like, “Yeah, I’d love that.” He’s like, “Yeah, we’ll play it for you.” And then they played it. Now, I don’t know if they were going to play it regardless but it was still really cool the way he framed it and made me feel special. So that’s something I’ll never forget. And then I also met Geoff [Rickly], the singer of Thursday, also in 2002. I got him to sign my CD. Full Collapse was like a huge album for me at the time and he wrote on it, “Thanks for caring” which I thought was awesome. That kind of stayed with me and I’ve written it out on a lot of CDs I’ve signed over the years and that kind of left a lasting impression on me. That was a cool memory. I have way more good memories than bad.
Final Words To Warped Tour
Man, Warped Tour’s been huge for my band. Huge for a ton of bands. Huge for me as a fan coming up. It’s sad that this is really the end. It’s sad. I feel like they should just keep rolling out like a couple cities per year and just keep it going. I don’t know if that’s the case or not but if this is the last one ever, thanks for the memories. It’s been awesome.
Garrett Russell - Silent Planet
Favorite Warped Memory
My best Warped Tour memory is the last Warped show I actually played, which was the last day of the 2017 Warped Tour in Pomona, California. A lot of friends we’re there, the show was crazy and then it was just such a relief to be done with the tour. So that was definitely the best.
Least Favorite Warped Memory
The worst was probably playing a handful of shows in 2016 and we did not have [air conditioning]. So we were not sleeping at all and we were just sweating a bunch. We were super miserable. We made the best of it but I definitely lost my voice. It was rough.
Most Brutal Warped Tour Memory
In North Carolina in 2016, the storm was so bad that like 20 people lost their tents. Like, they just literally flew up into the sky. We were holding [our tent] down with like six other people we found and it felt like we were in like a 300 battle scene.
Final Words To Warped Tour
Warped Tour: You’re very hot and I met a lot of sketchy dudes with tattoos but the mission that Kevin Lyman has and all the work that he does to partner with a charity and nonprofits is incredibly admirable. Definitely what this music scene should be about.
Riley Breckenridge - Thrice
Favorite Warped Memory
I think our first Warped Tour we did was in 2001 and we were in a van and trailer. It’s a rough tour to do in that manner and we were exhausted. I think one of the last shows on the tour was in Denver and we were pretty young in our touring career and didn’t really know like, where people cared about us or didn’t care about us. We played one of the later sets in the day on like a side stage in 2001 and the crowd was just insane. The turnout was great and we honestly expected to play to nobody because you got the main stage bands that are finishing the day out. So to experience that at that time in our career was super encouraging and that kind of set the tone for Denver as a place for us to go in the future. Like, we’ve never had a crappy show in Denver. It’s always been cool. That’s probably my earliest and most favorite memory. But I mean, playing hometown shows on Warped was always awesome [too]. Being a part of these two twenty-fifth anniversary things have been awesome. There’s never a downside to playing to thousands and thousands of people, you know?
Least Favorite Warped Memory
I have a few. If there’s like a constant bad memory, it’s just like trying to find a place to go to the bathroom. I mean [with] porta-potties, try to hit ‘em early. If you don’t hit ‘em early, you got to deal with whatever everybody else has been offering for the day – or the weekend, in this case. My worst memory, personally, in 2003 I hurt my back really bad. I had an old skateboarding injury where I screwed up something in my back, didn’t have health insurance at the time, was young and naive and was like, “It’ll just get better” ‘cause that’s how you get better when you’re young. So I screwed my back up pretty bad and it went away. But it was bothering me when I was playing drums and bothering me in my everyday life. And we were playing the Gorge in Washington in 2003 and I went into one of the bays on the bus to grab my suitcase and I yanked it out and I felt something pop in my back. I was like, “Oh man, that’s not good.” This is pre-set. And so we play our set that night and I was in pain the entire set. The next day we played in Oregon, I could barely get through the set. Like, I could barely move my legs, my arms felt weird, my neck felt weird. I just felt awful.
So then after that show, we had like a 12-13 hour bus ride from Oregon back home for I think a day off and then we were playing like Orange County and Ventura or something like that. I woke up in the middle of the night to pee. I got up out of my bunk and I felt like the same shooting pain [in my back]. I walked into the front lounge and I immediately crumbled to the floor and I had to lay on one of the couches in the front lounge. I could not get up, could not move. It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life.
I ended up going straight from the bus to a chiropractor who worked on me for like five or six hours, massages and all this stuff. He couldn’t get me to a place where I was able to play those hometown shows so the guys had to play acoustic, which ended up being a really special moment for the band as that was a different way of presenting our songs. But being laid up at home or being in a therapist’s office and trying to get better to a point where I could play knowing my buddies are out playing in front of thousands of people having these cool moments and I wasn’t there to help them or give the fans a normal show was really tough. Thankfully, I had a magical chiropractor who got me back into semi-working order in like three or four days and then I joined the tour again three or four days later and finished it out. Since then my back’s been manageable but not great. I just have to take care of it. But missing those home town shows when the band was at the peak of its popularity was really hard. [The chiropractor] is a wizard. His name’s Dr. G. He works on all these pro skaters, surfers, MMA guys. He had worked on a bunch of drummers like Travis Barker. Thankfully he’s local, I still go see him pretty regularly.
Most Brutal Warped Tour Memory
There was a crazy storm one year in, I want to say Buffalo. It could have been on that 2003 tour or it might have been on like 2005 or 2006, the other year we did it. The sky looked ominous all day and right as we started playing, it started pouring. I think either a stage or something close to the stage got hit by lightning so our set got cut short. Merch areas were flooding, it was just chaos. Like you’ve got however many people coming to these shows depending on the market and it was just pandemonium. Like, people trying to relocate and [do] damage control [because] they don’t want anybody to get hit by lightning or you got people like trampling people to get out of the way. It was chaotic. They pulled us off stage. I think we were hiding on the bus or something. I can’t recall if we finished the set later, or how they resolved that, but you can’t control the weather.
Who was the first band you remember being starstruck by or just excited to be spending the summer with on Warped Tour?
Bad Religion, no question, NOFX [too]. Like, I was steeped in the Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph bands of the early 90s and mid-90s. So any band that was on that label I was starstruck by. But Bad Religion and NOFX were like the kings of that. Like Bad Religion is Epitaph and NOFX is Fat. So just to be around those dudes and see them play, they’re so inspiring and so cool. We’ve had a few interactions with the NOFX camp. Not so much with Bad Religion, aside from being on Brett’s label now. But I mean, those are the bands that made me want to be in a band. So being around and being able to watch them play is super cool, especially at that early point in [our] band’s career. To get that kind of push and that kind of excitement, it’s invaluable.
Final Words To Warped Tour
Oh, man. To put it simply, just thank you. Early on in our career, there was really no better way for us to get our music out to more people than to play Warped Tour. I’ve been going since it was called like, Bored in Orange County back in maybe ‘91 or ‘92 and it was early in my drumming career before Thrice was even a thought. Going to those shows, I was like, “Man, I want to do this someday” and then I remember going, I think it was probably like mid-90s three or four years before Thrice formed. I went to Warped Tour at the Anaheim Pond where the Ducks play and [I rememeber] watching the show and being like, “I want to do this, I want this to happen for whatever band I’m playing in.” And it ended up happening and it’s great. I mean, going back to the Denver show that I talked about, or the stuff in 2003 when stuff was really going crazy for us, even this stuff now. We’re playing to people that have never seen us before. Like, they’re Dance Gavin Dance fans or you know, whoever else that have never seen us or never thought about checking us out because there’s so much music out there right now. And then maybe you’re walking by a stage one day and you hear something you like, “Whoa, what is this?” Like, “Oh, I never heard of these guys.” So just getting a chance to play in front of more people than you would hopping on some support tour or doing our own tour is so valuable to our longevity as a band and it’s something we’re super grateful for.
