Warped Tour Atlantic City Makes A Huge Splash For 25th Anniversary

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Vans Warped Tour hit Atlantic City, New Jersey over the weekend for two full days of reckless abandon, bringing in thousands of attendees and countless top acts including blink-182, The Offspring, A Day To Remember, 311, and many others.

Positioned between the ocean and Atlantic City boardwalk, the event featured multiple stages, a slew of merch tents, and a vast expanse of beach for cooling off and swimming. Saturday presented early sets by Save Ferris, Can’t Swim, and Tatiana DeMaria, while accommodating larger acts later in the day. Andrew W.K. partied hard on the main stage, known as Vans “Off The Wall,” along with Simple Plan, Good Charlotte, and Bad Religion. Pondering whether to jump into a sweaty mosh pit for a crowd surf proved to be a monumental decision, as there was still another full day and a half of raging.

In true Warped fashion, it was scorching. With a thick tear-inducing humidity, the sun was unrelenting as it shined bright and brought major heat, even for Atlantic City standards. Yet, around 5:30 pm the beach was hit by an unexpected thunderstorm, forcing thousands of attendees onto the boardwalk and adjacent casinos, Bally’s and Caesars. Revisions were made to the original schedule and communicated via social media. Warped Tour veterans Meg & Dia went on at 7:30 pm after the storm passed, followed by Ocala hardcore band Wage War on the Monster Energy stage, with The Aquabats! and Set Your Goals trailing close behind.

A Day To Remember, the final band on day one, started off their set strong with “2nd Sucks,” sending the crowd into a frenzy and continuing the momentum on other top tracks like “Paranoia” and “I'm Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?” later in the set. They played some slower songs and lesser known tracks in-between, while saving “The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle” and “The Downfall of Us All” for the very end.

This year, the human cannonball made its first appearance at Warped Tour since 2000, offering a handful of stunts by David “The Bullet” Smith, which could be easily viewed from the Monster Energy trailer and upstairs viewing deck. On the opposite side of Monster, wrestlers bounced around and body slammed each other in an elevated wrestling ring, at times dragging each other out and into the nearby crashing waves.

At 1:00 and 4:00 pm both days, top skaters from the last 25 years of Warped took to the skate ramp, including Bucky Lasek, Andy MacDonald, and Josh Borden. Freestyle moto cross had two daily sessions near the New York Avenue entrance, which showcased extreme FMX jumps and stunts from the likes of Matt Buyten, Todd Potter, and Jimmy Fitzpatrick.

On Sunday, the celebration ramped up even more. Pop punk ska band Keep Flying was one of the earliest bands to play, and they drew a decent crowd. Later in the afternoon, Anti-Flag, Man Overboard, and The Story So Far played back to back, leaving many to wonder if they would ever have time for a pee break or fried snack.

The crowd went wild during Four Year Strong’s performance at the Monster Energy stage, with multiple mosh pits immediately erupting on the first song, and one rather large circle nearly knocking over a giant garbage bin full of trash. Nostalgia came full force with early 2000s bands like The Starting Line, Taking Back Sunday, and The Used. Neck Deep fans packed in tight during their set on The Blackcraft stage, spilling over into the ocean and adjacent walkways. Basically, people as far as the eye could see.

The Offspring did not disappoint, playing big hits like “Come Out and Play,” “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy),” and “Self Esteem,” along with twelve other songs that left fans roaring with excitement.

Blink-182 closed out day two, playing Enema of the State from front to back, in addition to other favorites like “The Rock Show,” “Feeling This,” “Dammit,” and “I Miss You.” The crowd was electric, throwing themselves in all directions and shouting every word through the set. Matt Skiba— known for single-handedly halting Fyre Festival with his self-proclaimed ‘witchy ways’— was unusually alert, his eyes as large as saucers with eyebrows raised high like he’d seen a ghost. But, he sounded great nonetheless.

Up at the barricade, fans attempted to sneak into the VIP area to the right of the stage until an older, burly security guard stepped in, pushing back a handful that were closing in for a subtle entrance. Meanwhile, a full-grown adult passed out right outside the handicap accessible viewing area, which sent a flurry of security running to his lifeless body on the sandy ground. All in all, a memorable set.

Warped Tour has seen its fair share of big acts through the years, skirting outside of solely punk realms into rap, hip-hop, and pop. Ska-inspired No Doubt debuted in 1995, led by engaging pop icon Gwen Stefani, and later returned in 2000 after hitting mainstream success. Black Eyed Peas, Ice-T, and Eminem made the tour in 1999, Limp Bizkit in ‘97, Pharrell in ‘02, and Katy Perry in 2008.

With its history spanning nearly three decades, Warped Tour is known as a beloved cross-country festival that rose to become a major influencer on pop punk, emo, and hardcore artists. That very first year, though? It seemed to launch with a rocky start. As Kevin Lyman thought about naming the approaching tour “The Bomb,” America was struck by the shattering Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. He quickly reworked his plan, taking the name ‘Warped’ after a magazine he worked for in the past.

Lyman and team almost collaborated with Calvin Klein as a sponsor over Vans the next year— phew, dodged that one— and realized early on the meticulous planning required to run a multi-date touring fest. He was also struck with the idea for a day-of rotating schedule, after witnessing countless skilled opening bands play to mostly empty seats as a stage manager at Lollapalooza in 1992.

To many, this year marks the end of a significant era in our youth, one that knows no boundaries and transcends the ebb and flow of the punk rock scene. And in those last moments of the weekend, as Mark Hoppus sang the final words to “Dammit,” everyone laughing and singing along in the dark night, it didn’t quite feel like this was growing up, as the lyrics suggest. Perhaps Scott Raynor and Tom Delonge are long gone, along with the herd of Warped buses and the tour as it was once known, but it’s not the end. In fact, it mostly feels like the beginning.