The "Woodstock" of this Generation

Research essay about Warped Tour that I wrote. What else should I add to it before I turn it in?? Hellppp please. Thank you :)

            Warped Tour is a music festival, to put it in the simplest terms. A wide range of bands numbering up in the hundreds all gather together and travel the world as one group to entertain millions of people with their musical styling’s. For many years, the festival today known as Warped Tour has dominated the discussions of many issues. Many people in America, along with the rest of the world, feel that this festival is unhealthy for our world’s teenagers and young adults and it should not continue. These people who say such things say that this festival ruins the minds of teens. They say that it plays vulgar music that teaches teenagers that drugs are good for you and drinking is ok and they say that the point of this festival is to teach these teenagers this and only this. We can see that this state of affairs poses a problem because these beliefs are not true. Warped Tour is so much more than just a festival. The whole point of Warped Tour is to raise money for the many of charities that happen to be a part of this event. There are a wide variety of tents that teach teenagers the unhealthy effects of drugs and drinking. It teaches them that this is wrong. Warped Tour teaches teenagers, also, that there I more to life than music. It teaches them that to start revolutions, there has to be a reaction from the people, and that reaction is what sparks inside of one when they experience the amazing experience of Warped Tour.

            Everything traces back to one man. He was the man who decided to start all of this. His name is Kevin Lyman and if it weren’t for him, people would not have such a great opportunity every year to attend. He is the person who plans it all and it all started with his decision to start. “Lyman began his music career booking bands at California State Polytechnic Institution” (LeBlanc,9). He graduated here and it was then when he decided to jump starting his career as a production Manager with Goldnvoice, an independent California promoter. In 1995, Lyman decided to start up the company 4fini.Inc, which its specialty is events ranging from international to national tours to customized events. During this time, he specialized as a stage manager and also a production controller for Lollapalooza. Lyman actually started the Warped Tour back in 1994, but it really was not until about 1997 to 1998 in which this even actually started to become a big thing. It was in 1998, in which the tour started to become international. Along with its tour through the United States of America, Warped also added Australia, Japan, Europe, and Canada to the list of venues. In 1999, the tour started in New Zealand and Australia during the New Years. It then started up its United States summer tour before ending up in Europe.

He got the idea to start such a tour while working on skateboarding shows, such as the Vision Skate Escape and Holiday Havoc. The Crowds started to double due to the largely growing bands he had booked, such as Blink 182 and Social Distortion, and since those first few years, Warped Tour has grown from a tiny festival of 500 or so people to millions worldwide and all across the globe.

Where did Lyman get this named “Warped Tour” anyways? The name is such an unusual one that it makes a person question it right off the bat and I could not help but question in myself, and find the answer in return. There are many different definitions of the word “warped”. According to an online dictionary, “Thefreedictionary.com”, the word “warped” basically means to twist and/or turn out of shape. It also refers to the mind as well, saying that warped is a mental twist, aberration, or deviation. These definitions may sound bad when read, but they could also mean something more. This definition makes warped tour seem like a festival that changes the mind of the youth and affects them in ways that are harmful and bad for the world. Yes, this music festival does change the minds of the youth, but that does not mean that the changes have to be a bad one. This does not mean that the minds of the youth are altered so far beyond repair that they all do not even seen human anymore.

Warped Tour started off as an instant hit. Everyone who went, thought it was a blast. According to the warped sponsorship website, however, “the fledgling tour was struggling financially, and Kevin Lyman was in need of more sponsorship backing.” (http://vanswarpedtour.com/sponsor/vans)  At the same time as Lyman however, Steve Van Doren, from the company Vans’, was looking for some way to create a skate tour that would go nationwide. It could be said that they were meant for each other because after their meeting on the subject, the Vans-Warped Tour alliance was formed, and in just fifteen short minutes. They both got what they wanted out of this ‘marriage’. “It was a match made in heaven and it has turned out to be a great combination for the last 15 summers,” the Vans Warped Tour website calls it. (http://vanswarpedtour.com/sponsor/vans) Lyman would get his punk tour, and Steve would get his skate tour that would then go along side with it. It all worked out. Vans’ is not the only sponsor to sponsor this event however. There are hundreds of sponsor that participate such as: Kia motors, Monster energy drink, 1Love, Action for Animals, Air Force Reserve, The Arby’s Foundation, Art feeds, Boarding for Breast Cancer, Buygreen Co., Canvas, GreenVans, and hundreds more sponsors that make it their goal to change the world, for the better.

Another thing that makes Warped Tour so special and different are the tents. There are so many different tents that they all fill up the venue in such a way that makes it look like a downtown mall without the street in the middle; just the shops. Most people would believe that this fashion of tents would make the place look like a dumpster, and those people would be right, but these tents are way more than just a way to get money. It is not about the looks in this case. All these tents are for each band that plays. All amateur, unknown bands get a way to show off their music by getting people to come to the flashy, colorful tents and they get these people to listen to their music and buy their band merchandise. These tents are not only for the bands, however. All the hundreds of sponsors that sponsor this event also get their own tent. They all sell merchandise, talk to the people about what they do and how they do it, and most of all, they influence. They get the people interested in what they do to save the world and it gets people involved.

Most people may believe that warped tour is just a bad influence for the world of our generation of youth. Warped Tour is but in fact the opposite of such and there are many way that prove this statement. It does not encourage drugs or alcohol, but bans it from the venue altogether. If any drugs or alcohol are seen at all it is forcibly removed from the venue. Warped Tour teaches teens that there is more to life than just life itself. We need to help our world in order to keep it running. Animals are needed to be saved. Go Green. Do something that changed the world, and better yet, know that music is more than just screaming and loud bass players that seem too full of themselves to be real. Music is a way to express ourselves and although some people have different taste than others, they are all unique. Music can save the world. All it takes is one person to start it all and a revolution could soon follow.

Author's Note

grammar issues? I need more citations, any ideas as to where, does it flow ok?

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

I will research the Warped Tour. Government is always afraid when many gather for one purpose. Music is the tool of peace. Many of the artist of the sixties and the seventies stood their ground against war and hate. I agree with your thoughts. Music can save the world. A international language.
Coyote

[Samantha Lynn]

I am happy to see that my words actually touches someone in the way that I wanted. I am working on a powerpoint right now all about it. I go every year actually and i find that it is way more than a bunch of screamers gathered together but that is just my opinion. Thanks for the review. Is there anything you want me to review of yours in return?? :)