TVD Live Shots: Vans Warped Tour at the Shoreline Waterfront, 7/25

WORD AND IMAGES: MATT MARTINEZ IN LONG BEACH, CA | There is no more famous festival than the Vans Warped Tour. Started by Kevin Lyman in 1995, the festival aimed to give a stage to punk, ska, hardcore, metal, and alternative bands. It quickly became a household name as the biggest summer traveling festival, and after 24 years, Warped Tour came to an end in 2019.

However, in 2025, Warped Tour was brought in a new format. It was now a two-day festival with only three locations. After the success of its return last year, Warped Tour announced it will return in 2026, maintaining the two-day format and now including shows in Mexico and Canada. Southern California has always been a fan favorite, and Warped Tour invaded Long Beach, CA, where fans showed up to show their love for this festival.

Walking through the gates of Warped Tour was like walking through a time capsule. On the other side of security were a plethora of fans throwing it back to their high school days, with all the older emos bringing back their dyed hair, raccoon-tail hairstyles, and black-and-white checkered clothing as far as the eye could see.

You even saw the new generation of kids and teenagers going full scene-kid looks, showing that this style can still work across generations. You also had the punks showing up with liberty spikes, many people wearing costumes, and battle vests showing off fans’ favorite bands. This was a melting pot of counter culture, and we had music to unite us.

Like usual, Warped Tour does not announce the set times before the show. At 11 AM, fans gathered around the Warped Wall as Kevin Lyman dropped the curtain on the legendary inflatable that holds the schedule of the bands for the day. Fans mobbed the site to take pictures of the set times while they frantically planned their day on the spot.

There were eight main stages that fans had to plan around. You could hear murmurs in the crowd from Warped Tour veteran attendees plotting which bands to see for only a song or two before running to the next stage. And the Warped Tour newbies were having an existential crisis because three bands they want to see are playing at the same time, and they can’t be in three places at once.

There were eight stages for fans to run between: Vans, Off the Wall, Beatbox, Ghost, Verizon, Doordash, Rex, and Octoput stages. The first bands hit the stages at 11:15 AM, and by noon every stage had live music playing, fans headbanging, mosh pits spinning up, and crowd surfers soaring over the barricade. For many of us, there was a feeling of being home. And new attendees quickly found out why this is such a cherished festival, as the sense of community is shared by everyone at the venue.

Some of the highlights of the day featured bands like Chase Petra, Arms Length, Upon a Burning Body, Bear vs. Shark, Holy Wars, Emery, Drop Dead Gorgeous, LØLØ, Vana, Jinjer, Joyce Manor, Hoobastank, Dance Gavin Dance, Underoath, Hot Mulligan, Reel Big Fish, Jimmy Eat World, and All Time Low.

Simple Plan closed out the Vans main stage with a spectacular hour-and-ten-minute-long set that celebrated the history, emotion, and connection of Warped Tour. Simple Plan holds the record for playing the festival the second most times, only behind Less Than Jake, and was the perfect main attraction ending to the day.

The Vinyl District got a chance to speak with LØLØ for a bit on Saturday.

I know you went on early in the day. How did it feel, basically, starting the Warp Tour?

Yeah, I started off my stage, well, there was a stage next to me that went, and then I was after, but for my physical stage, I started it off, which is really cool. It was great, I think it’s awesome that I… got it over with because I think I would’ve been nervous all day, so I’m glad. I was glad to go first.

I know you’ve got a headlining tour coming up.

I do. So that starts on September 17 in Toronto, and then it goes across North America. There are some Canadian dates. It’s mostly the US, though. And then it ends, I believe, on October 26.

Is this your first headlining tour?

My second. I’ve done a few different legs of things. It’s my second album headline tour.

Okay, awesome. And I know you’re coming to the Roxy in Hollywood.

Yes.

Are you excited to be headlining at a Sunset Strip venue?

Yeah, that’s so cool. I’ve seen so many shows at the Roxy. I actually saw Avril Lavigne at the Roxy. So yeah, that was really cool. And so I’ve always wanted to play there. So I’m excited.

Is there any one song you prefer playing?

I really liked “Me With No Shirt On” because I like some singer-songwriter things. And I love saying those words in front of a crowd and seeing how they react.

Can you spot the people singing in the crowd with you?

Yeah, I can definitely spot them. I mean, half the time I’m totally in my own world, and I’m not even noticing people. I’m just like, don’t fuck up, don’t fuck up. But no, I love spotting people and seeing them sing. That’s my favorite thing ever.

Do you find it better to play a festival because you’re performing in the daytime, you can see farther into the audience, and really see people in the back, losing their minds?

Kind of, but I’m pretty blind. But no, it is cooler to see. Yeah, I see the actual faces of the beginning. But there’s something special about playing during the day, for sure.

This was your second time playing Warped Tour. Did it feel a bit more comfortable?

It did, honestly. The first time, I was so much more nervous, I think, because I’d never done a Warped Tour, and I’m always scared, like, am I, do I belong here? You know, like I get really scared about that, and this time around, I definitely went off the mic at one point for the crowd to sing. I really heard the crowd singing. You turned me on, and that made me so happy.

DANCE GAVIN DANCE