Warped Tour returns to Southern California this weekend for the Long Beach edition of the 2025 fest. The event – which already enjoyed a successful stop in Washington D.C. earlier this summer – is being hailed by fans and musicians alike.
Of course, Warped tour’s long history goes back decades. In the ‘90s and 2000s, it was a traveling festival, hitting up every corner of the country with lineups that featured established headliners alongside the next generation of rising stars. Yes, Warped Tour was always punk focused – it has often been called “punk rock summer camp” – but many types of artists graced the Warped stage, ranging from pop and nu metal, to hip-hop and ska.
Warped Tour’s return has conjured up many nostalgic memories for artists who played the fest in previous years. We spoke to five notable Warped Tour alumni about their memories. Check out the stories from Sublime, Papa Roach, 311, Pepper and All American Rejects below.
Sublime
For Sublime drummer Bud Gaugh, Warped Tour will always conjure up chaotic memories. His band played the very first Warped Tour in 1995, and things weren’t exactly organized. “Some of the first show were like, ‘Oh my gosh. What are we doing here? Is this really gonna happen?’” Gaugh recalled. Things took a turn south for the drummer following an incident on one of Warped Tour’s famous half-pipes.
“So this BMX guy from Australia … he let me use his bike and and I dropped in on the half-pipe, made one turn, came down, came up back up again and then lost it and landed in the middle of the ramp and broke my ribs,” Gaugh explained. “So I told our management who then explained to [Warped Tour founder] Kevin Lyman that I needed to go to the hospital. So he’s like, “Alright, tomorrow.’”
Tomorrow became the next day, then next week. While a doctor’s visit kept getting pushed off, Gaugh continued to play shows, albeit with the help of beers and painkillers.
“I was going to self-medicate because my ribs were busted, “Gaugh explained. “So I just sought out some painkillers and got arrested in Florida which was a zero tolerant state at the time.”
After missing a show due to his arrest, Gaugh rejoined the Warped Tour. He eventually got medical attention during a stop in Massachusetts, several weeks after initially being injured.
Sublime is back playing Warped Tour this weekend. Check out Gaugh’s full story below.
311
For 311 frontman Nick Hexum, the camaraderie backstage with other bands will always remain a highlight of Warped Tour.
“Pennywise was out there, and Sum 41 and Fat Mike,” the singer remembered. “Every night [Fat Mike] would have a poker night and he would, for some reason, choose to be the designated deale.r But there was a lot of fun to be had to be playing poker with all these cool punk rock musicians. Davey from AFI played with us a lot and it was it was a lot of good bonding.”
The singer also noted that Warped Tour has “been a big part of our history,” and that returning for this weekend’s Long Beach event will be “a bit like a class reunion.”
Papa Roach
For Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix, Warped Tour represents more than just another career highlight. Touring with the festival in 2000 coincided with the group’s rise to stardom.
“Tthat’s where we got our break,” Shaddix noted. “That was our first big tour, man. “As ‘Last Resort’ was exploding on the radio and TRL and MTV we were out on Warped Tour. We started on the third stage, worked our way to the second stage. Three weeks into the tour we’re on the main stage. By the end of the tour we’re headlining this thing right next to Green Day and Weezer.”
As Shaddix explained, the experience will always hold special meaning to Papa Roach.
“That was just what an iconic moment for us to to share and be on that punk rock summer camp And so it’s really cool to see that festival coming back around.”
Pepper
Reggae rockers Pepper payed Warped Tour six different times over the years. Frontman Kaleo Wassman recalled the band’s first round with the festival, when they definitely paid their dues.
“We had to build the Volcom stage,” the singer remembered, noting the the group doubled as their own production team. “I think we got like Bud Light – a case of Bud Light a day but no water. Zero water. And we would have to build that stage and tear it down every day. We would perform and then we’d tear it down. That was the way that went. You build the stage, you perform, you wait till like uh 15 or 17 other bands perform on that stage, then you break it down. Then you pack it away and then you drive in a marketing van with no AC 450 miles to the next show so you can go and build that stage again.”
Despite being “brutal,” Wassman noted that the experience got “easier and easier” every year. There was also something very special about the community his band became part of.
“My favorite thing was, there’s a Warped Tour family. The production family, they never changed,” the Pepper frontman explained. “Their nucleus was so tight it was a wonderful experience to see a traveling circus with such a such a wonderful kind of crew. And of course, at the helm always was Kevin Lyman [who] taught us so much about the the not only music but the music industry as well.”
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All American Rejects
For Tyson Ritter, frontman of All American Rejects, the subject of Warped Tour brought a wave of memories rushing back.
“I remember Kevin Lyman barbecues,” the singer began, “and I remember running and hiding from the cops because you weren’t allowed to swear in a specific South Florida neighborhood where the amphitheater was. And I had to hide in a fucking car, uh, because the cops were looking to get me because I said “fuck” a couple times on the stage.”
Ritter also recalled heating up 6-packs of water to use as a makeshift shower, the kind of resourcefulness necessary to survive Warped Tour’s unique challenges. He also added several notable experiences alongside fellow performers.
“I remember Gerard Way sitting by the light of bus, drawing a comic book figurine which what I imagine would be go on to be Umbrella Academy,” Ritter recalled. “I remember the genesis of a generation of music, and also a torch being passed. Dropkick Murphys invited me in their back lounge to smoke some weed and to break bread, as we did.”
