10 BANDS WARPED TOUR SHOULDN’T LEAVE OUT OF THE LINEUP
It’s no secret that the revival of Warped Tour has everyone in the alternative scene buzzing right now. Selling out before a single band is even announced has become a straight-up guessing game on the internet about who will be announced next. Who will cut this year?! The rollout of announcements so far has been nothing short of entertaining and creative, with each band/act delivering some sort of video skit. So, who are we going to see next? Who do we pray will be the next skit on our social media home page every night?
Here’s a dream line-up of 10 acts that I think would be criminal to leave out:
Avril Lavigne
….obviously. Whether you’re aware of it or not, underneath anyone who was an alt preteen/teenager in the 2000s is this queen—the ultimate nostalgia. ’Nough said.
The Story So Far
TSSF was my revival of pop-punk as an adult. I remember working at Hot Topic and folding shirts to the album “What You Don’t See” on repeat and experiencing euphoric relief that we are SOOOOOOO back! These legends ARE summers on a melting blacktop. (Not having them on this lineup feels illegal.)
Tigers Jaw
One of the OG pop punk/alternative indie acts with a SUPER loyal fanbase. Deep-rooted lore is on the side of this scene, which is my favorite. I’m sure they created the whole pop-punk —> pizza pipeline with their self-titled album. Thank you, Tigers Jaw. A staple. A necessity. They are a cool band.
Bring Me the Horizon
Oli Sykes had a choke hold on any alt-presenting Myspace user. Don’t even lie. Aside from nostalgia and how their influence helped curate this scene, BMTH has been a band we can trust to grow alongside us while staying true to its roots. Each release we get from them steadily pushes the boundaries of the box they helped create. They have one of the coolest live shows I’ve ever seen.
Balance and Composure
It’s time to stop playing around. B&C has steadily given us perfect album after perfect album of the most incredible blend of shoegaze, emo, and grunge. I would LOVE to see them bring their fans to Warped Tour because the crossover fans would LOSE their MINDS in excitement…speaking from experience here.
The Millionaires
The Millionaires WERE Myspace. I saw them at Warped Tour in ’09, and I saw them last year at When We Were Young. They have somehow only gotten MORE fun with time. Their set is the ultimate life of the party, and they NEED a spot on this lineup - it would simply not be the same festival without them.
My Chemical Romance
They don’t peek their heads out very often, but WHEN THEY DO, it creates the most insane (joyous) fan uproar I’ve ever seen from a band coming out of hiatus. This would be the ultimate headliner, in my opinion, considering they are the parents of anyone who identifies as emo. It's barely a band, but it's more of a cult. Their ballads have been (and forever will be) THE soundtrack to putting our many layers of black eyeliner in the mirror.
Porter Robinson
This one may be a little less nostalgic to this specific scene, but Warped Tour has always been about bringing in different acts for fan match-making crossovers. No one is doing it quite like Porter Robinson right now. His pop/electronic music feels like a re-vamped Myspace Never-Shout-Never-esque wave that any Warped Tour attendee will want to be on.
Sleeping With Sirens
Of course … they simply must be there! When I think of acoustic emo songs, I think of SWS. They brought a sort of genuine vulnerability to their craft. From Kellin’s vocals to their famous cover choice of “Iris” by the Goo Goo dolls, they did things differently and had quite a few moments of shaping emo history. This one seems like a no-brainer.
Title Fight
Look, I know they “aren’t together” right now. But this is MY dream line-up. Title Fight is crucial to fellow post-hardcore/emo/shoegaze fans. There’s no one like them, and no fans quite as loyal. It would be the ultimate surprise.