Riot Fest is the new Warped Tour

In 1995 Vans started a tour around the nation showcasing punk rock and ska music that spoke to a generation that really understood how to have fun at a concert. This tour was the Vans Warped Tour. Not only did punk rockers and skaters enjoy Vans shoes, but they also enjoyed their taste in music. The first tour was headlined by the bands Sublime, No Doubt, and CIV, but didn't contain the huge amount of fluffer bands to create a huge lineup. The following year the tour added more punk bands and reluctantly the band Creed, the person who made that decision surely being fired shortly thereafter. It seemed year after year Vans got huge punk rock bands to play and kept adding venues to play at around the nation. As time goes on and things get bigger that's when d-bags like to ruin all things good. I dont want to sound like an old man but…

Exactly. Warped Tour is no longer about sticking to its punk roots, and I know things have to evolve, but Warped Tour took a few steps back and became the weird uncle who you see once a year and are scared to talk to him for fear of ending up in his basement. Since 2008 I have checked the tour's lineup online and repeatedly stated "It got worse from last years" and I am done. There will be no need to check next years. There is someone new in town, and her name is Riot Fest. Riot Fest is what Warped Tour was in 1998. It doesn't travel all around the country, but it hits a few major cities, and one of them happens to be Chicago. This year I have the chance to see all the bands that are too old to jump around like they used to, but can still play music fast enough for a great mosh pit. Nofx, The Bouncing Souls, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Samhain are just a few bands that I am stoked to see. The tour is filled with a ton more punk bands and I highly recommend checking out www.riotfest.org for the complete list.