10 Must-See Acts at Vans Warped Tour Atlantic City (PREVIEW)

After founder Kevin Lyman declared the “final, full cross-country run of the Vans Warped Tour” last year, the storied festival returns in a much more limited fashion for 2019.

The festivities, centered around the event’s 25th anniversary, kicked off in Cleveland earlier in the month with a single-day event at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. However, the festival is going even bigger for its next event: a two-day blowout in New Jersey on the beach of Atlantic City.

There are plenty of stalwarts and up-and-comers from the pop-punk, ska, metalcore, hardcore and hip-hop scenes (to name just a few genres). Here are five lesser-known acts and five classics you should check out:
The Up-and-Comers
deM atlaS

Rhymesayers Entertainment has been the perfect encapsulation of the crossover appeal of alternative hip-hop for Warped Tour audiences. Minneapolis emcee deM atlaS is one of the latest products of the label’s storied history, as the rapper released an excellent new album Bad Actress last year. The record captures an impressive variety of sounds, from psychedelic to classic rock-inspired beats. He even recently dropped a new song with Atmosphere (who co-founded Rhymesayers and are also on the bill for Warped Tour).

The Doped Up Dollies

The Doped Up Dollies’ history is closely intertwined with ska mainstays Big D and the Kids Table (who are also on this lineup and worth checking out). Led by a trio of vocalists, they toured alongside Big D a decade ago on Warped Tour. However, the group proved just as formidable when they struck out on their own. Though they have just one album under this moniker (2015’s The New Way Out), that record is full of jams buoyed by the interplay among the voices of singers Sirae Richardsone, Brie Finn, and Erin MacKenzie.

Stacked Like Pancakes

There are plenty of great, classic ska choices on the bill (Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, Big D, for instance). For fans of these artists, another pick to check out: Stacked Like Pancakes. Led by singer Kellen McKay, the band’s eclectic stylings also dip into everything from folksy acoustic ballads (“Money Sucks”) to rollicking, political punk (“45”).

Not Ur Girlfrenz

When Lyman brought on Not Ur Girlfrenz for Warped Tour last summer, the trio represented one of the youngest groups to ever play the fest. With a year of experience under their belt, the Texas teens are back for more. The rockers delivered a polished power pop sound on their 2018 EP New Kids in America, and also have some crowd-pleasing covers of Paramore’s “Misery Business” and My Chemical Romance’s “I’m Not Okay (I Promise),” to boot.

Oxymorrons

Mental health has been a point of emphasis at Warped Tour, which in the past partnered with organizations like Can You Hear Me? and Hope for the Day. At this year’s event, Oxymorrons will bring rap-meets-rock music that also deals with overcoming personal struggles, like on “See Stars.” The group has also partnered with iRel8, an app/social network that promotes mental wellness and destigmatizing mental health issues.

The Classics

blink-182

The last time blink-182 played Warped Tour was almost two decades ago. This time around, the pop-punk legends will be without OG guitarist Tom DeLonge. (Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba has been playing with the band of late, instead.) The band also will be in the midst of an arena tour where they’re playing the classic Enema of the State front to back. While there’s no official word that this will be the case at Warped Tour, you can probably bank on hearing hits like “What’s My Age Again?” and “All the Small Things.”

As bassist Mark Hoppus famously sang on “The Rock Show”: “I couldn’t wait for the summer at the Warped Tour / I remember it’s the first time that I saw her there.”

Taking Back Sunday

TBS are also celebrating an anniversary: two decades since the band’s formation. Earlier in the year, the Long Island rockers releasing Twenty, a compilation featuring most of their biggest hits. Since then, they’ve been delivering full-album performances of their first three records across the U.S. Same caveats as for blink-182 apply here — full-album performance not guaranteed, but get ready for the biggest hits from the likes of Tell All Your Friends, Where You Want to Be, and Louder Now. Led by charismatic frontman Adam Lazzara (and his signature mic-swinging ways), TBS make for a high-energy live show.

Simple Plan

If there’s been anything close to a constant presence for Vans Warped Tour, it’s been Simple Plan. Alongside Less Than Jake, Simple Plan are one of only a handful of rockers to play over 10 separate years. For the Montreal pop-punk legends, they were one of the major headliners for last year’s tour. Now, they’ll get another chance to prove they can still draw a big crowd with a deep stable of classic throwback singles from the early aughts like “Perfect,” “Welcome to My Life,” and “I’d Do Anything.” The latter track features guest vocals from Mark Hoppus, so maybe there’s even the chance for a live collaboration.

Quicksand

Quicksand are one of the bands from the original 1995 lineup who are bringing things full circle by playing again in 2019. The NYC post-hardcore legends are touring in support of 2017’s Interiors and 2018 EP Triptych Continuum, their first new material in over two decades.

Frank Iero and the Future Violents

It’ll be a homecoming for Frank Iero, who grew up just up the Garden State Parkway in Belleville, N.J. The former My Chemical Romance guitarist just released a new album Barriers (the first record under the name Frank Iero and the Future Violents).

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