With summer just around corner, it’s that time of year again for the unveiling of the hottest tour to hit the U.S! Vans Warped Tour celebrates 22 years of bringing the best music to stages all around the country! Representing the reggae-rock scene this year is sought after bands Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, Pepper and Ballyhoo!
Vans Warped Tour 2016
This year’s Warped Tour lineup was broadcasted live via webcast and hosted by founder of the festival, Kevin Lyman. The announcement featured a supply of both raw talent and Veterans to the Warped stage. Newer acts to look out for include: State Champs, Like Pacific, In Hearts Wake, Capsize and From Ashes To New, plus much more. Welcomed 
back for this hot summer tour are fan favorite bands such as: New Found Glory, Less Than Jake, Good Charlotte, Yellowcard, We The Kings, Reel Big Fish, Four Year Strong, Pepper and Ballyhoo!
Not only does Warped Tour stock some of the biggest names in the world, the fest is also a launch pad for introducing up and coming artists into the spotlight. To name a few artists who have evolved from playing the tour are Sublime, No Doubt, Limp Bizkit, Katy Perry, Jurassic 5, Eminem, The Deftones and G-Easy. Any of those names sound familiar?
With that in mind, if you are a Warped Tour virgin, I suggest it’s time to pop that cherry. If you don’t believe me, take some advice from drummer Yesod Williams of Pepper: “the decision to go to Warped Tour is easy because WE LOVE WARPED TOUR!”
With multiple stages, the tour starts on June 22nd in Anchorage, Alaska of all places and will conclude on August 13th in Portland, Oregon. In between those 3 months, there will be 42 total dates inside 31 states on a traveling festival setting up in a new city almost every day of the summer.
Picture your day like this: YOU, plus all of your friends, the music you devote your life to and the opportunity to experience music you never knew existed! That is what makes this traveling festival so special.
Reggae Rock at Vans Warped Tour 2016
Guitarist/vocalist Howi Spangler of Ballyhoo! tells The Pier what he loves about Warped Tour: “We get to see a lot of new bands and hear things we might not check out on our own; we get to make new friends.”
Just make sure that you come prepared, because as Howi explains: “IT’S HOT! Some of the cities we’ll be playing are notoriously hot in the summer so you have to stay hydrated. I don’t know how the vampire bands can play every day dressed in black layers and makeup.”
Lead singer/guitarist, Aaron Barret of Reel Big Fish extends on that statement with: “Trying to stay drunk AND hydrated at the same time can be difficult…”
While all bands face benefits and challenges on Warped Tour, the fest holds a special place in the hearts of many of the returning bands. “We have always loved playing the Warped Tour,” says Aaron Barret of Reel Big Fish. “It’s a great chance to hang out with our friends in other bands; discover new bands, make new friends playing in front of some new faces that might not have heard of RBF, and get a really awesome sunburn! We always look forward to being invited to be on the Warped Tour!”
Joining their fellow Warped Vets, are Less Than Jake. This will be their 9th time playing the tour! 2016 is a big year for the band as they celebrate the 20th anniversary of their hit album Losing Streak.
[Related: Tour Diary: Blake Taylor’s Less Than Jake-ation]
Back for their second time around and on a bigger stage is Ballyhoo! The guys were thrilled when they were offered to join in on the summer fun: “We had a great experience at Warped in 2012,” says Howi. “So when the offer came in, it went right to the top of the pile. We sold thousands of copies of [our album] ‘Daydreams’ back in 2012 because of that tour. It’s also a great opportunity to push our label Right Coast Records. Warped is another great opportunity to get the band and label in front of new crowds.”
Pepper enthusiastically chimes in: “When we got the offer this year and then found out some of the other bands, Less Than Jake (our uncles in rock), Reel Big Fish, Ballyhoo!, Sum41… Just to name a few, it was a no-brainer! Then you throw in the fact that we have the new album ‘OHANA’ coming out on April 29th (Law Records), well that’s just synergy!”
The 42 day summer road trip will kick off on June 22nd in Anchorage, Alaska and will continue to rock cities all around the country through August 13th ending in Portland, OR. To see if your favorite artists are playing in your town or to get tickets click HERE!
Related Links:
Vans Warped Tour Website
Reel Big Fish Website
Less Than Jake Website
Pepper Website
Ballyhoo! Website
Article By: Julia Goodman
Photo By: Jonathan Thorpe
Buy Your 2016 Vans Warped Tour Tickets HERE!