Warped founder tells all about punk rock tour
By KELLY WILSON
Get Out

Think you know everything about the Warped Tour? In honor of the traveling show’s 10th anniversary, 43-year-old Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman shares 14 facts about the annual music and skate tour.

1. The Warped Tour was originally going to be called The Bomb.
“The day that we were going to announce the tour was the day of the Oklahoma City bombing (in 1995) so we kind of realized that that was probably not the right name,’’ Lyman says.

2. The tour has greatly changed over the years.

“We went out the first year with eight bands and now we have up to 80 bands in a day. I think we've evolved ... Freestyle motocross got it’s first national touring exposure on the Warped Tour. This year our big step is a big technology tent. I think that's very relevant to our audience and our age group is the technology-savvy kid.”

3. The tour sold 505,000 tickets last year.

“That was the first year that we passed 500,000,’’ he says. “It was kind of a big step.’’

4. The hottest Warped date in Phoenix was last July when the temperature hit 117 degrees.

“I think we got the hottest day of (the Valley’s) year last year,’’ says Lyman, who advises concertgoers to hydrate themselves and eat a good breakfast before attending the all-day show. “People go, ‘Why don't you come back in the winter? Why don't you come back when it's cooler?’ But we're routing 46 other shows. It's not a tour that you can just put together over night and drive over to Phoenix and do when the weather's perfect.’’

Approximately 70 people were treated for heat exhaustion last year.
5. They’re not locked into the Peoria Sports Complex.

“At this point, it's never been proposed to go to another (venue),’’ he says of the tour, which previously has been held at the Celebrity Theatre and Manzanita Speedway. “We work with Nancy Stevens (from Valley radio station KEDJ). They’re the promoters on this local show, so we kind of take their lead on what venue to use.’’

6. When Warped Tour first swung into the Valley, it drew about 2,000 people.

“Last year it drew about 14,000 people,’’ Lyman says.
7. The average age range of Warped concertgoers is 15 to 17.

“We also get kids as young as 9 and people in their late 20s,’’ he says.

8. About a dozen local bands perform at the Valley show.

“We work with www.azpunk.com,’’ he says. “They have their own local area to promote the local punk scene and they come out and they'll help find some local bands.’’
Lyman says that they also do a Battle of the Bands with Ernie Ball to select a handful of groups to perform. This year locals Last Action Zeros, Oktober, Logik and Victim 26 will perform on the Ernie Ball stage.

9. Every band plays a 30-minute set.

“They usually play about 10 songs,’’ Lyman says.

10. Backstage, the bands and crew go through 180 cases (24 bottles per case) of water every day. There are also 30 to 40 merchandise booths.

The most unique? “Probably Henna tattoos and body punk jewelry,“ he says.

11. Skater boys are everywhere.

According to Lyman, the tour boasts about a dozen national touring skateboarders and up to 30 to 40 local ones. The highest skateboard ramp is 14 feet tall.

12. F.O.N. was the youngest band to ever grace a stage at the Warped Tour.

“I think they were about 12 years old when they came out,’’ Lyman says. The oldest band? According to Lyman, it’s Bad Religion.

13. Bands aren’t allowed their typical “riders” — special requests — in their contracts, but this doesn't stop them from asking for special goodies.

According to the Warped Tour’s PR company, The Ataris once requested one donkey and one pack of baseball cards. The request wasn’t granted.

14. Who is playing when and on what stage?

A breakdown of band performances and locations won't be available until the morning of the show. However, music fans can sign up to have alerts sent to their cell phone with times and locations for band performances. Check www.warpedtour.com for further information.