Warped Tour 2006: Get Ready!

Check out Warped Tour 2006 Tickets here.

You waited patiently and the punk gods have once again delivered.Vans Warped Tour is unleashing its stronghold across North America and will likely reaffirm why Rolling Stone has dubbed it “America’s most successful festival” (June, 2005).

For the music lover out there who has already purchased his or her ticket – perhaps referring to it as “my precious” – your wait is over. The Warped Tour kicks off in Columbia, Md., on Thursday, June 15, making a name for itself with its lineup of mega-bands, extreme activities, and something to see or hear around every corner. In its 12th year, the event will offer plenty that Warped devotees have come to know and love as yearly traditions, but it will also have a few extras in store.

To include every little detail of what you can expect from Warped Tour would be impossible without the aid of extremely tiny font, so here is a little taste of the best of it what the tour has to offer in 2006.

The Sound, The Fury

When it comes down to it, music is the primary enticement for most Warped Tour fans. With the approximately 10 stages and 100-plus bands playing this year, the festival could very well be considered the best bang for your buck. This is particularly true this year, with a Warped giving a nod to more than just one decade of music.

Perhaps one of the most anticipated acts this year is Joan Jett and The Blackhearts. Sure, a cover of “I Love Rock N’ Roll” may have been massacred by Britney Spears, but that is all the more reason to covet the original artist’s rendition. Since her days in the 70’s group The Runaways, Jett has set a high bar for all melodic punk rockers – not just the ladies. Not only did The Blackhearts achieve Billboard’s #28 song of all time with “I Love Rock N’ Roll,” the group also did it on its own terms by creating an independent label after being rejected by 23 major labels.

All the members of the AFI’s loyal fan base Despair Faction are undoubtedly enthralled by the California-based group’s decision to join this year’s Warped Tour. With a more new wave sound on the band’s latest CD “Decemberunderground,” AFI should offer an interesting flair to the straightforward punk atmosphere at the festival.

If any of the bands could inspire both a riot and a swing dance party, it would be Australia’s The Living End. The band proves that playing your instrument with skill and finesse is not a forgotten ideal. Give these boys a double bass, a hollow-body guitar, and nice drum set, and you’re likely to be entertained, impressed and educated in the art of punkabilly performance.

On a platform other than the mainstage, a few bands will do where few Warped Tour bands dare not do: Turn off their amps. Although it can be said that one of driving force behind Warped comes from the musical energy that emerges from distorted guitar and crashing drums, the tour is planning to take a chance on a few acoustic guitars. Main stage bands Saves the Day and Senses Fail will be performing an acoustic show on the MLB Authentic Collection/Vagrant Stage, which should be one of the more interesting and gutsy shows.

Under The Big Top

If you decide to take a quick sojourn away from the music and venture into the land of tents and/or booths at Warped, there are a few sites that might upstage the bands this time around.

Tent World will give a much-deserved bow to the past. Even if you weren’t yet able to talk at the time when The Ramones ruled the punk scene, it’s likely that at some point and time you’ve heard the unforgettable line, “Twenty, twenty, twenty-four hours to go; I wanna be sedated.” Almost as famous as the lyrics is The Ramones logo – an eagle with its wings outstretched as if on a presidential seal – that was created by the band’s long-time friend (and often considered an honorary Ramone), Arturo Vega. It was Vega who put together Ramonesworld, a glimpse at Ramones memorabilia that includes posters, personal items, and photos. For more information, go to ramonesworld.com.

And if you have a computer, it’s probably silly to ask if you’ve visited MySpace. The addictive site, which keeps friends connected and complete strangers often times even closer, will be providing its own take on this whole Warped Tour business. Drop by the MySpace Tent and it’s likely you’ll get a chance to chat with the band you just caught performing onstage. The bands are encouraged to use the tent as they please – whether for a spontaneous live show or a meet-and-greet location. If you are hoping to share your innermost punk rocker, wait no longer. The MySpace House Band performs throughout the day and karaoke is highly encouraged.

The Girls Are In The House

The ladies are making their presence known and this year they don’t have to crash the party to do it. The Gritty In Pink Tour is a hallmark to female fortitude, spearheaded by band Shiragirl. Vocalist Shira recalls how a ladies stage was not necessarily a go back in 2004. “That was the year we had to crash it. Everyone thought we were crazy driving up in our pink RV.” Indeed, it was the signature pink tour bus that began to lure people to where the ladies would take the stage. After Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman saw the crowd’s reaction, a new stage was born. Named after the band who pioneered it all, The Shiragirl Stage will be proving that girrrls have something to sing about – and often prove it loudly.

Are You Truly A Guitar Hero?

So you’ve been an enthusiastic and appreciative audience member at The Warped Tour and now you’d like to prove you’ve got the musical goods as well? Step up to the plate, my friend. The game that dreams are made of, Guitar Hero, is ready for your nimble fingertips in the PlayStation Tent. If you prove yourself to be a guitar god too quickly, this tent also allows you to sample various titles from the PlayStation Portable System.

Punk With Heart

One of the most admirable aspects of the Warped Tour is its continued efforts and charitable work. This year, Warped Tours founder Kevin Lyman teamed with the Volunteer Center of Southwest Louisiana and Cameron Community Action/Council on Aging to help out Louisiana’s communities affected by Hurricane Katrina. The Warped team is going to take a tour “off day” on June 29 and help rebuild hurricane-ravaged areas of Louisiana.

On With The Show

For those wishing to learn more about this year’s Vans Warped Tour, visit warpedtour.com. At the site, you’ll be able to view videos, audio, and much more in this year’s lineup. The tour, presented Cingular Wireless, will begin Thursday, June 15 in Columbia, Md., and wrap up on Aug. 13 in Montreal, QC.

Here’s list of scheduled bands on the 2006 roster:

* 18 Visions
* AFI
* Aiden
* Against Me!
* Alexisonfire
* Amber Pacific
* Anti Flag
* Armor For Sleep
* ASG
* Billy Talent
* Bouncing Souls
* Bullet For My Valentine
* Buzzcocks
* Die Hunns
* Down To Earth Approach
* Dropping Daylight
* Eight Fingers Down (BBQ Band)
* Emanuel
* Emery
* Every Time I Die
* Flashlight Brown
* From Autumn To Ashes
* From First To Last
* Gatsbys American Dream
* Greeley Estates
* Gym Class Heroes
* Hellogoodbye
* Helmet
* Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
* Less Than Jake
* Moneen
* Motion City Soundtrack
* Mute Math
* NOFX
* Over It
* Paramore
* Pistolita
* Plain White T’s
* Protest The Hero
* Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
* Rise Against
* Riverboat Gamblers
* Saosin
* Say Anything
* Saves The Day
* Senses Fail
* Silverstein
* State Radio
* Stretch Arm Strong
* The Academy Is
* The Bled
* The Casualties
* The Early November
* The Fully Down
* The Germs
* The Living End
* The Pink Spiders
* The Sounds
* The Sunstreak (BBQ Band)
* Thursday
* Underoath
* Valient Thorr
* Voltera

Warped Tour Dates

07/25 – St. Louis, MO UMB Bank Pavilion
07/26 – Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
07/27 – Pittsburgh, PA Post Gazette Pavilion
07/28 – Indianapolis, IN Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Lot
07/29 – Detroit, MI Comerica Park and Street
07/30 – Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
08/01 – Buffalo, NY Darien Lakes Fields
08/02 – Fitchburg, MA Fitchburg Airport
08/03 – Camden, NJ Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
08/04 – Scranton, PA Montage Mountain
08/05 – New York, NY Nassau Coliseum
08/06 – Old Bridge, NJ Englishtown Raceway
08/08 – Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Lot
08/09 – Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Lot
08/10 – Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion Lot
08/11 – Cleveland, OH Tower City
08/12 – Toronto, ONT Park Place
08/13 – Montreal, QUE Park Jean Drapeau

Ultimate-Guitar.Com © 2006

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