LIFE & CULTURE WARPED TOUR A WRAP AT FINAL STOP IN DENVER
The final cross-country run stopped at Pepsi Center
Temperatures in the 90s and a beating Colorado sun couldn’t stop Rocky Mountain emo kids and punk rockers of all ages from coming out to say goodbye to Warped Tour.
The Warped Tour has been a summer staple since 1995, bringing with it a home for self-expression and music by some of the biggest names in the genre including Blink 182, New Found Glory, Less Than Jake, Taking Back Sunday, Yellowcard and many (many) more.
Last year, organizers announced 2018 would be the last cross-country run of the event that attracts hundreds of thousands of fans each year, ending its reign as the longest-running North American festival concert tour.
The caravan made its last stop in Denver on July 1, invading the Pepsi Center parking lot with multiple stages, food and drink vendors, artist signings and a whole lot of
circle pits. Several bands took the stage to express how, as kids, they would be in the audience dreaming of playing Warped Tour one day and to thank founder Kevin Lyman.
The lineup that ran from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. across six stages included Colorado’s own 3OH!3, Reel Big Fish, The Used, Simple Plan and Every Time I Die. Many a foot was adorned with the tour’s main sponsor, Vans; young children enjoyed the view from their parents’ shoulders; and crowd surfers shot out of the dense crowds like popcorn with Denver’s city skyline as their backdrop.
But not all hope is lost. In his tour-ending announcement, Lyman added, “I sit here reflecting on the tour’s incredible history, what the final run means for our community, and look forward to what’s to come as we commemorate the tour’s historic 25th anniversary in 2019.”
Whatever that means, it’s sure to be Warped.