Vans Warped Tour Says Goodbye: Katy Perry, Gwen Stefani and More Surprising Acts Who Rocked the Stage

The touring summer music and extreme sports festival is saying goodbye after it has toured annually since 1995

By Meg Swertlow Nov 16, 2017 1:19 AMTags
Katy Perry, Gwen Stefani, No DoubtGetty Images

It's their last black parade...

After more than two decades of filling sweaty, heat-riddled cities all over the U.S. with pop-punk hits every June to August, the always traveling Vans Warped Tour is finally saying goodbye to their endless summer.

The Vans Warped Tour announced on Wednesday that summer 2018 would be be its final, full cross-country run. The Warped Tour has been the largest traveling music festival in the United States, as well as the longest-running touring music festival in North America.

The tour's founder Kevin Lyman took to the tour's official website to reveal it was the beginning of the end for the traveling festival that finally made it cool for boys to cry, for punk to be pop and for us odd ones to rock out in a land of misfit toys.

"I have been a very lucky person to have traveled across the country and sometimes around the world as one of the founders and producers of the Vans Warped Tour. Today, with many mixed feelings, I am here to announce that next year will be the final, full cross-country run of the Vans Warped Tour," wrote Lyman.

"I sit here reflecting on the tour’s incredible history, what the final run means for our community, and look forward to what’s to come as we commemorate the tour’s historic 25th anniversary in 2019."

photos
Musicians Performing Live on Stage

Of course the news got us thinking about the many (and after 23 years and so many venues, there have been a lot of acts) performers who have rocked the Vans Warped Tour stages over the years, and the many we'd forgot about and the ones we didn't even realize had performed (probably because they don't fall under the rock genre).

It turns out you don't have to just have an emo band to play The Warped Tour. Turns out that popstars, rappers, rockers and pop-rap-rockers have all played the tour. Did you know that Gwen Stefani performed the tour's first year in 1995 when she headed up No Doubt? Well it's no doubt that she did. Pharrell performed with N.E.R.D. in 2002. The Black Eyed Peas hit the stage in 1999.

Check out the bands you didn't know performed (and some of the ones you did) and we get ready to say adios to the Warped Tour...

The Black Eyed Peas

Amazingly enough, the BEP brought the boom-boom-pow to the festival in 1999.

Katy Perry

KP showed 'em how to kiss and girl and like it in 2008.

Hey Monday

Cassadee Pope's band performed in 2010.

Weezer

Rivers Cuomo's band played in 2000.

30 Seconds to Mars

Oscar winner Jared Leto performed the festival with his rock and roll band in 2006.

Paramore

Hayley Williams' band has played the festival six times.

No Doubt

Gwen Stefani played the tour, as she performed with her band in 1995.

N.E.R.D.

Pharrell's group has been an unexpected addition to the festival.

My Chemical Romance

The pop punkers have performed at The Warped Tour in 2004 and 2005.

M.I.A.

The "Paper Planes" singer performed in 2008.

Kid Rock

The "Cowboy" crooner wowed the crowd in 1998.

Jurassic 5

The hip hop group has performed at The Vans Warped Tour.

Joan Jett and The Black Hearts

The lady rockers rocked out in 2006.

Jimmy Eat World

The band performed in 2002.

Incubus

The band performed in 1998.

G-Eazy

The rapper from Oakland hit the stage in Ohio back in 2012.

Fall Out Boy

Of course, Fall Out Boy has performed at The Warped Tour. The band rocked in 2004, 2005 and 2009.

Eminem

The superstar rapper performed in 1999.

Cobra Starship

The dance pop band made good girls go bad in 2008 in San Antonio, Texas.

Billy Idol

The singer wasn't dancing with himself when he performed for the crowds at the 2005 Warped Tour.

Beck

The dancing man danced onto the Warped Tour in 1996.

Bebe Rexha

The "I Got You" singer played The Warped Tour in 2015.

Andrew W.K.

The party boy partied hard in 2002, 2003, 2010 and 2017.

Watch Daily Pop weekdays at 12:30 p.m., only on E!