BUFFALO, N.Y. — Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman is already eyeing Riot Fest 2020 for a possible reunion of his famed festival, nearly one year since his announcement that Warped Tour’s current summer run will be its last, dehydrated and sunburnt sources confirmed.
“Ever since we announced the 2018 tour would be the end, life has felt very empty in our camp,” said Lyman from the Skull Candy Listen Lounge at the Tinley Park, Ill. stop of this year’s Warped Tour. “None of us have planned a Warped Tour in… wow, it must be months now. I gotta say, I’m already getting that itch again — I just don’t know how summer could be the same without a festival full of teenagers and overflowing port-o-potties.”
Rumors of the reunion began circulating through the crowd at yesterday’s Warped Tour stop in Detroit.
“I planned to go hard today in the Every Time I Die pit to send the tour off properly,” said 29-year-old Warped attendee Spencelyn Raymer. “Now, I’m so psyched Warped is coming back, I feel like I could light myself on fire and tear this pit apart — or, at the very least, impale myself on something.”
Because live music has always been the main draw of Warped Tour, Lyman is reportedly seeking advice from some of the artists with whom he’s worked closely over the years.
“Kevin called me when he first got the idea… it must’ve been about a week into this last tour. I was on board immediately,” said NOFX singer “Fat” Mike Burkett, a fixture of Warped Tour’s more than two-decade run. “It’s perfect — we can play a couple of the Warped dates, get a Riot Fest set in, and collect multiple checks in one weekend. And that doesn’t even count merch.”
“Holy shit. I should call [Me First and the Gimme Gimmes],” he later added.
When asked about more potential dates, however, Lyman claimed the one-off reunion would be best for fans and for organizers.
“Logistically, it couldn’t be a better fit. With a three-day festival in the midwest, we can cover the essence of the whole tour: the Bay area crowds, the Albuquerque heat, the New York rowdiness,” said Lyman. “When you think about the spirit of Warped Tour — all the memories, the camaraderie, that punk energy — no summer festival embodies that spirit more than Riot Fest.”
Article by Kyle Stanley.