Vans Warped Tour hits the stage in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It's back in Jacksonville for the first time in seven years, drawing music fans to the downtown area. The Vans Warped Tour is showcasing dozens of bands, with everything from rock and alternative to indie and pop punk.

Stages were set up along Beaver Street near the Matthews Bridge with artists performing Monday night.

There was a lot of excitement among fans who had the chance to see musical artists who don't typically perform in the Jacksonville area.

Fans said it is a music festival like no other, many of them driving to Jacksonville from near and far.

Organizers said the best part of Warped Tour is how diverse the artists and the fans are showcasing so many different varieties of music and giving a lot of performers some much-needed exposure to big audiences.

"It's awesome. I like opening people's minds to things and I think that kind of speaks to Warped Tour, you know. Opening people's minds to music that might not have originally, you know, they might not have had a chance to hear. Things that they might not ever see again," tour sponsor Dirk Gage said.

News4Jax spoke to Nicole Forlenza, a concert attendee that made the drive from Georgia to see some of her favorite musical artists perform in the River City.

"I mean, it's only two hours away from Savannah. I mean, so close and will all these bands here? Perfect, you know?" Forlenza said

Starting at 11:00 a.m. Monday morning until 9 p.m. that night, dozens of bands took to the stages showcasing a variety of musical styles and genre.

The tour does draw a diverse crowd and the attendance is not just limited to music fans. Even activists say it's the perfect place to raise awareness for their cause. Christopher Guinn is based in Atlanta and travels with Warped Tour and hopes to get the word out about animal cruelty and veganism.

"We find that generally, the crowd at Warped Tour is think a bit more independently, questioning things, and just thinking a bit more outside the box. So it's a good demographic for us to reach because they're thinking a bit more critically about issues that really matter," Guinn said.

The tour moves on to its next location first thing Tuesday morning. There is currently no word on if or when it may return to Jacksonville.
 

Full Screen
1 / 6