Warped Tour a maker of memories

Some favorite Warped Tour memories: Watching Social Distortion tear it up in Chicago, in the rain, in front of their black leather jacket-encased fans who were covered in more cowhide than a herd of steer in '97; seeing a visibly inebriated, wobbly legged Eminem nearly cause a riot in '99; witnessing pale-fleshed, black clad ragers Six Feet Under and the Murder City Devils look about as comfortable as Lestat beneath the blazing sun in 2000.

There are many things that have long made the Warped Tour one of the best summer fests: a diverse lineup that, while centered on punk rock, also has encompassed hip-hop, death metal, reggae, Celtic rock and alt-country; multiple stages with bands rotating every day, fostering an egalitarian vibe about the show; rapid-fire 30-minute sets from everyone.

And now, after a seven-year hiatus from Vegas, the tour returns to town today in the Plaza parking lot downtown.

"Kids are always requesting and pushing for Vegas, and we had decent success there, it was just finding a place to do the show again," says Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman. "I was trying to come back last year. It took us time."

When Warped debuted in the mid-'90s, it was the era of the summer package tour, with Lollapalooza, Lilith Fair, the Horde Tour, Smokin' Grooves and, shortly thereafter, Ozzfest, all doing big business.

Nowadays, only Lollapalooza (which no longer travels) and the on-again, off-again Ozzfest (which isn't taking place this year) remain in addition to Warped.

But the latter is arguably the most successful, and it has become that by being able to stay young. Lyman says that the average age of the Warped crowd is about 17 years old, the same age as the fest itself.

Warped has been able to stay relevant with teens and 30-somethings alike by pairing of-the-moment bands with veteran acts, although this year, it's skewing younger and younger. There are a few grizzled road dogs such as rootsy punks Against Me! and the hard-swinging Street Dogs on the bill, but this year's Warped lineup is decidedly fresh faced with the likes of A Day to Remember, 3oh!3 and A Skylit Drive, to name a few.

This may cause some of the old-timers to grumble about a lack of a NOFX, Pennywise or Bad Religion-type presence, but for those of us whom Warped was an annual summer soundtrack of our youth, it's only fitting that youth is still the tour's emphasis.

"I think that Warped Tour has grown into such a focal point for kids," Lyman says. "You never expect to do something where kids are like, 'This is my favorite day of the summer.' "

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.