While another summer comes and goes, with it passes another season of the Vans Warped Tour.
As the most famous traveling music festival in the U.S., the Vans Warped Tour has become an iconic symbol of heavy rock and punk pop culture and a summer staple for angsty teens and hardcore rockers across the nation.
Returning every summer since its inception in 1995, the Vans Warped Tour has introduced the world to some of the biggest names in rock including Paramore, Blink-182, My Chemical Romance and many others.
When the initial lineup for the 2017 Vans Warped Tour was released, many Warped Tour fans were quick with the criticism, saying that the lineup was too heavy or that there were no big-name artists that were worth seeing.
While the lineup led some fans to decide not to attend, other fans saw an opportunity to find new talent and explore up-and-coming artists that they wouldn’t normally have a chance to see live.
Many music lovers like myself traveled to Key Bank Pavilion in Burgettstown on July 14 for a day of new music and artists that only Warped Tour can showcase.
The biggest successes of this year’s Warped Tour came from new talent, and in particular, new female talent.
The women of Warped Tour 2017 stole the show, and rightfully so considering the amount of raw, hardcore, and downright badass rock n’ roll that stemmed from bands sporting powerful front women.
My favorite female groups were featured on the Skull Candy stage and included Sonic Boom Six, War on Women and the Barb Wire Dolls.
Sonic Boom Six, an explosive band from Manchester, combined pop-punk, grime and metal for a uniquely upbeat performance that was refreshing from other heavier sets at Warped Tour.
War on Women, a hardcore punk band from Baltimore, made a loud impression with their sound, as well as their feminist lyrics and message, fusing both together for a killer performance.
My personal favorite band from Warped Tour 2017 was the Barb Wire Dolls, a grunge punk rock band from Greece.
Before their show even started, it was clear through their stage presence that the Barb Wire Dolls were going to attack their set.
Their stunningly powerful lead vocalist, who goes by the name Isis Queen, captivated the audience and showed that this powerhouse punk band from Greece is ready to make big noise in the U.S.
Other notable performances led by power front women came from Save Ferris’s Monique Powell and Jule Vera’s Ansley Newman.
Save Ferris, a band that has existed since the birth of the original Warped Tour, gave a quirky and fun performance that did not seem dated.
Conversely, Jule Vera gave a very mature and lively set considering the young age of many of the band members.
No matter what your 2017 Vans Warped Tour experience entailed, it probably contained at least one stellar performance from a talented woman of Warped Tour, and if it didn’t, you missed out.
Hopefully more powerful female rock voices will be included in Vans Warped Tour lineups to come and I look forward to seeing what Warped Tour 2018 has in store.
OLIVIA BURGER
