San Diego

Vans Warped Tour Announces Final Lineup

The 2018 Vans Warped Tour, which rolls through San Diego on June 22, has announced its last lineup

They say it's better to go out with a bang rather than a whimper, and to be honest, we're not really sure where the final Vans Warped Tour lineup lands on that.

As we reported last November, the cross-country touring music festival -- which has catered largely to punk, hardcore, emo, ska and metalcore genres since 1995 -- is calling it quits after this year's summer run.

On March 1, the 2018 Vans Warped Tour announced its final lineup, and it's a curious one: Reel Big Fish, 3OH!3, Taking Back Sunday, Less Than Jake, Underoath, the Used, Frank Turner, Sum 41, Mayday Parade, Black Veil Brides, Asking Alexandria, Silverstein and more help fill out this year's performers.

Of course, there will be different headliners depending on which leg of the tour you end up seeing. San Diego, which is the tour's second stop (on June 22 in the SDCCU Stadium parking lot), will feature 3OH!3, Knuckle Puck, Mayday Parade, Reel Big Fish, State Champs, All Time Low, Four Year Strong, Issues, Movements, Real Friends, Simple Plan, the Maine, the Used, We the Kings, Wage War, Every Time I Die and more.

For a full list of acts and more information, visit the official Vans Warped Tour website. Tickets for the 38-date summer tour are on sale now; get general admission tickets for the June 22 San Diego show at this link.

Of course, we're stuck wondering where some of punk's most obvious bands are: Were icons like Bad Religion, Adolescents, Descendents, Rancid, NOFX, Pennywise, Lagwagon, and the Offspring too busy to join up? I suppose we'll never know. Heck, what about Green Day or Blink-182? While they might be too big now to play Warped, they might've done it just for nostalgia's sake.

Last year, festival founder Kevin Lyman announced that he was officially bringing the world's largest traveling tour to an end.

“I have been a very lucky person to have traveled across the country and sometimes around the world as one of the founders and producers of the Vans Warped Tour," he said. "Today, with many mixed feelings, I am here to announce that next year will be the final, full cross-country run of the Vans Warped Tour."

To date, the tour has booked more than 1,700 acts including No Doubt, Pennywise, NOFX, Bad Religion, Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World, Fall Out Boy, Katy Perry, Green Day, Pierce the Veil, Paramore, Eminem, and Ice-T -- and it's also become known for its community outreach by partnering with more than 90 nonprofit organizations that set up camp at each tour date.

In his 2017 statement, Lyman said that while the 2018 fest will be its last full run, there may be plans for a special celebration next year. Will we see a Warped Tour: The Reunion Years? Stay tuned.

Dustin Lothspeich books The Merrow and runs the music equipment-worshipping blog Gear and Loathing in San Diego. Follow his updates on Twitter or contact him directly.

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