ATP! Lists: 10 Acts We'd Like To See Play Warped Tour
Words: Claire Louise Sheridan
But in all seriousness, there are people who'd kill to have this band back in all of their glory, and to have them on Warped would be a dream. From the anti-establishment days of their breakout record, to anthemic tracks like, um, "The Anthem," and then right up to their dancier numbers towards the end, the only real way you could dislike this band would be if in actual fact you were TOO cool.
Admit it. You'd love to don your eyeliner Benji-style and belt out songs about "Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous" from people who are now actually quite rich and famous. There wouldn't be an unsmiling face in the crowd.
Words: Lauren Jones
Who’s bigger in the pop/rock scene than Fall Out Boy? They’re basically one of the greatest bands ever. Popular with everyone from scene kids to top 40 radio to my mom (she loves some “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark”), they’d draw an unbelievably huge crowd at Warped Tour. At New Jersey’s Skate and Surf Festival last year there were thousands of people that waited all day in the rain just to see them. They packed their set with tons of songs even when it was pouring. That’s a band that loves their fans and wants them to have the best show experience possible.
They’ve also got five albums packed with awesome music to play songs from. Even the rare Warped attendees that don’t really know them are sure to have heard at least one or two songs by them at some point. Fall Out Boy super fans can hear them play some of their lesser-known stuff that they love. It’s a win for everyone.
Fall Out Boy is one of the all-around best bands to come out of the pop/rock crowd. They’re at the top of their game right now. Them on Warped Tour would probably be the most epic thing to ever happen.
Words: Tori Mier
It just wouldn’t be Warped Tour without All Time Low. Whether you love the Baltimore-based band or can’t stand ‘em, All Time Low has been a huge part of the pop/rock world for quite a few years now. Though we love All Time Low as the pop group they’ve more recently become, our perfect Warped Tour would include some throwbacks. Some serious throwbacks – we’re talking Put Up Or Shut Up, kids. It would be unbelievable to revisit our younger years, singing along to songs like “Jasey Rae,” “The Girl’s A Straight-Up Hustler,” or (dare we say it) “Circles.”
There’s no denying All Time Low certainly puts on quite a show, full of huge sing-along moments and more than a healthy dose of dirty humor and snarky stage banter. A summer tour like Warped definitely isn’t complete without a set from this foursome. Whether All Time Low is playing old jams or some great tracks off Don’t Panic, they’re sure not to disappoint.
Words: Laurel Weber
If Simple Plan wasn’t the soundtrack to your childhood, you were doing it absolutely wrong. As a teenager, there were few things better than singing along to “I’d Do Anything” or “Addicted” while thinking about your new crush and blasting “I’m Just a Kid” and “Perfect” when your mom grounded you on the weekend. No strangers to Warped Tour, Simple Plan have made appearances every year from 1999 to 2005 and in 2011 and 2013. Their music has undoubtedly influenced most artists that spend time on the tour today.
We want a reason to break out our Chuck Taylors and high black socks. We want to spend a day in the summer heat listening to lead singer Pierre Bouvier sing our memories back to us. Because the band has never changed their lineup, we would be hearing our favorite songs the same way they were performed more than ten years ago. In our opinion, Simple Plan should play the summer-long concert forever.
Words: Laurel Weber
No dream Warped Tour lineup would be complete without The All-American Rejects. Longtime fans know and love the band from hits like “Swing Swing,” “The Last Song,” “Dirty Little Secret,” and “Gives You Hell,” but more recently lead singer Tyson Ritter has dusted off his acting career in NBC’s hit show Parenthood. Selling over 10 million albums worldwide, The All-American Rejects have always been a crowd pleaser – when their song comes on the radio, you turn it up louder. And if they ever play Warped Tour again, you make sure you’re at their set.
AAR has joined the tour before, serenading audiences with their catchy tunes in 2003, 2005, and 2010. We have high hopes in our hearts that one day, we’ll see the band’s name on the lineup once again. After a long afternoon of sunburn, mosh pits, autograph signings, and merch-purchasing, we can’t think of a better way to close out the Warped Tour experience than by watching The All-American Rejects play their hearts out to “It Ends Tonight” as the sun sets on a perfect, sweaty evening.
Words: Tamsyn Wilce
HOLD UP. We know you’re all looking at this and going “Demi Lovato? Are you kidding me?” No, we’re not. Rewind back to Warped Tour 2008, who hit the stages? None other than miss Katy Perry. Back when she was kissin’ girls and wakin’ up in Vegas, Perry hit the road for a summer at Warped Tour, so if she can do it, why can’t Demi?
Demi is actually a huge fan of Warped, and attends when she can. In 2010 she joined We The Kings on stage, hung out with Bring Me The Horizon (google it if you don’t believe us) and she’s pals with the guys in All Time Low. There’s a real fine line between pop music and rock music and that line is so often blurred. We totally think Demi could take on Warped, but will the Festival bookers ever take that chance?
Words: Jake Abbate
During their late ‘90s-early ‘00s zenith, Blink-182 was a major staple of the Warped Tour lineup, having played in ’96, ’97, ’99 and 2001. And depending on who you ask, hitting it big with Enema of the State at the turn of the millennium and subsequently driving pop-punk even further into the mainstream could be what made the festival into the pop-dominated orgy it is today. Tour founder Kevin Lyman has implied that having them on the bill nowadays would drive up ticket prices to an unreasonable level, but nevertheless insisted that they’re “always welcome to come back”.
Blink certainly has its hands full this summer with a string of European dates culminating in a headlining slot at Reading & Leeds in August, but at this point it still isn’t clear when (if ever) the band will record new music. With Tom DeLonge’s upcoming Angels & Airwaves commitments, Mark Hoppus’ new Nothing and Nobody side-project and Travis Barker basically coming out and saying the band doesn’t have “[its] shit together”, the question of whether or not the trio will grace the Warped Tour stage again is probably the farthest thing from fans’ minds.
Words: Caroline Hall
If we’re going to talk about bands who should be on Warped Tour, there is no possible way to ignore 5 Seconds of Summer. Honestly, the fact that they’re not on Warped is disappointing on so many levels. It just makes sense for them to be part of the lineup. Not to rag on Warped or Kevin Lyman, but isn’t the tour about combining new up and coming bands with their heroes for an incredible summer to give fans an unforgettable experience?
Maybe it’s because they did open for One Direction and they have thousands of screaming fans around them all the time that people kind of write them off as not “being Warped,” but they really are in every sense of the word. One of their biggest influences of all time ever is Blink-182. And not to mention, they’ve written songs with Alex Gaskarth from All Time Low (hello have you HEARD their song "Disconnected"?) They also have all the makings of a starting Warped band. They’re friends with semi-famous band members, wrote songs with them, don’t really have a lot of music out, and have been touring for like two straight years. Just look at any band that was on Warped for the first time, All Time Low? That was them in 2008.
All personal biases aside, they would bring so many new fans to Warped that would have never even thought about attending before, exposing them to fabulous new music. They’ve already expanded their fans' music tastes to include Blink-182 and All Time Low via their YouTube covers that got them discovered. Even my 14-year-old sister, who has exclusively listened to Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus for years, listens to All Time Low now thanks to 5SOS. However you look at the situation, there is no possible bad outcome from 5SOS joining the tour for a summer or two.
Words: Claire Louise Sheridan
Back in the days before Paramore quite literally took to the high seas with a festival on a boat (yeah... didn't think we'd be saying that a few years ago, either), they used to grace the stages at Warped Tour. Whilst it may not be an luxury experience in the Bahamas, taking the trio back to their roots could never be a bad thing, because, let's face it, when are they ever?
Considering the fact that they are the epitome of everything you should want your summer to be about, there's no reason to NOT wish they were playing Warped this year. And the next... and, well, every year after. Set the scenes for a second; it's summer, it's sunny. You've not got a care in the world, and you just want to dance. Enter Paramore.
With their kick-ass brand of pop/rock infused who-really-cares-about-the-actual-genre fun, they've got the talent, energy and sass in abundance to pull it off. Who can argue with that?
Words: Madison Killian
Aussie pop-rockers Tonight Alive have been making quite a name for themselves these past few months. Touring with Taking Back Sunday and The Used, their fan base has expanded, not to mention their new song “The Edge” being featured on the upcoming soundtrack for The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Tonight Alive have played Warped Tour for the past two years, and sadly, are not on the current lineup for 2014. With their high-energy performances and inspiring anecdotes from front-woman Jenna onstage, Warped just won’t be the same without Tonight Alive. If you’re one of the lucky fans that has seen Tonight Alive at Warped, or on any tour for that matter, you know that the band loves to connect with the audience, and their fans.
Luckily, the band has confirmed that they will be returning to the US for a nationwide tour this fall. They have not yet announced who they will be touring with, or any of the dates, but they should be announcing within the next few months. In the meantime, grab your iPod, close your eyes, and listen to The Other Side, Tonight Alive’s latest album on repeat.
