Vans Warped Tour to end in 2018

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Ben Barlow, singer for Neck Deep, high fives a fan who crowd surfed her way to the stage during their performance on the Cuyahoga Falls date of the Vans Warped Tour on Tuesday, July 18, 2017.

Adrian Leuthauser

After 23 years of Vans Warped Tour, founder Kevin Lyman has decided to call it quits once the 2018 Vans Warped Tour finishes.

Vans Warped Tour started its run in 1995, hosting a small line-up consisting of No Doubt, Sublime, Deftones and L7. Lyman sought to fuse the culture of both music and extreme sports, bringing with him professional skateboard and BMX riders.

Warped Tour has been home to close to 1,700 bands, including Fall Out Boy, Blink-182, Sum 41 and countless others. Additionally, they hosted more than 90 different nonprofit organizations like To Write Love On Her Arms, Truth, Music Saves Lives and Hope for the Day.

Lyman helped bring exposure to hundreds of young bands just starting out, such as Neck Deep, Green Day, the Black Eyed Peas and My Chemical Romance.

Increasing costs incurred by the physical nature of running the tour and the highly competitive climate for artist bookings caused Lyman to feel the model of the touring festival had run its course, according to Alternative Press.

After the last stage is broken down on the 2018 run, Lyman said he hopes the Warped spirit manifests in other ways.

“I am not done and have many more things I hope to accomplish for this scene that I have been so lucky to be part of,” Lyman said.

Along with the farewell announcement, 2018 tour dates are available on the Vans Warped Tour website.

Adrian Leuthauser is a general assignment reporter. Contact him at [email protected].