24 Years of the Warped Tour

In the early days of rock—and we’re talking the 1950s here—the most efficient and cost-effective way to put acts on tour was to bundle them together as a package and put them on the road…

In some cases, there would be a common backing band for most of all of the artists…PA equipment—such as it was in those days—was often supplied on site…

These became known as caravan tours…guys like Alan Freed, the pioneering disc jockey and Dick Clarke—you know him, right?—took all these acts on the road playing places like theatres and county fairs and wherever else they could find a booking…

This package tour approach was pretty common until the late 60s when music business was producing artists big enough to tour on their own and play areas and later stadiums…that’s where the real money was…that and big festivals…

But then along came Lollapalooza in 1991…Perry Farrell, singer for Jane’s Addiction, put together a multi-act bill to support what would be the last-ever tour for Jane’s Addiction…the net effect was very much like those old caravan tours…

That ’91 tour was successful enough for Lollapalooza to try again in 1992…this time, things were expanded across multiple stages and multiple attractions…and for the next couple of years, Lollapalooza was thetouring music festival for the alternative generation…

This spawned imitators:  Edgefest…Lilith Fair…Summersault…Another Roadside Attraction…and for a while, it was all pretty cool…

Things are different now…Lollapalooza is a static festival held in Chicago ever August…Edgefest, Lilith Fair, Summersault, and Another Roadside Attraction are all defunct…

But there was one travelling music festival that survived for 24 years…and it’s been so big that no one knows for sure how many acts have played it…

This is the history of the Warped Tour.

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