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🎸 Warped Tour Was Our Thing – And Missing It This Year Hurts 🎸

Some people mark the passing years with birthdays or holidays.

Me? I’ve measured time in Warped Tours.


Since 2010, Warped Tour has been more than just a summer event—it’s been our family tradition. Me, Skylar, Roo (Austin), and Kira (Justin my oldest came with us for one) have chased the music, the chaos, the community, and the sweat-drenched magic of it all. It’s their genre, their scene—and it became part of our story.


We didn’t just go. We lived it.


We even got the chance to vendor a few years, which meant being right in the middle of it all—before doors opened, merch tents, food trucks, stages echoing every few feet, and the kind of memories that you don’t just hold on to… you feel.


We cried happy tears at the final full Warped Tour in 2018, watching my kids—my little emo crew—belt out lyrics, jump in unison, and exist freely in a space that felt made just for them. For us. I thought that chapter was closed for good.


So when we heard it was coming back for a 30th anniversary run—we were in. No hesitation.


We bought tickets early—six total, two each—one for each of us and one for someone we wanted to bring along. We did it the grown-up way: layaway plans, carefully paid off. No wild spending, just excitement and determination to make this road trip happen.

We chose the Washington, D.C. date—it was closer than Long Beach or Orlando, and we were ready to make the memories all over again.


But then… life.


Finances got tight. Travel costs crept up. And the tension in the world didn’t help. With the 250 military parade scheduled and protests breaking out, the vibe didn’t feel safe or celebratory. It felt heavy. And for the first time in the history of Warped Tour, we made the heartbreaking call not to go.


Sure, we lost money on those tickets—but I’m at peace with it.

Because in my heart, I’ve always been about supporting bands, whether I’m in the front row or a thousand miles away. I may not be there physically, but I’m still showing up and so are my kids—for the artists, for the crew, and for what Warped Tour stands for. That money went to all of them and I am happy with that.


My heart is full.


I’m doing my usual Sunday chores with the Warped Tour 30th Anniversary livestream on Amazon Prime playing in the background. And even from afar, hearing those bands—our bands—brings the memories rushing in. I see Skylar, Kira, and Roo in the crowd with me, feeling the music, living every note.


Roo was only 10 or 11 years old at his first Warped Tour.

They grew up on this.

And in many ways, so did I.

We weren’t just raising kids.

We were raising music lovers, dreamers, feelers.


Thank you, Kevin Lyman, for creating something that brought myself and my kids closer together.

Thank you for building an environment that felt safe, loving, and real.

Warped Tour wasn’t just a concert series.

It was our home away from home.


I don’t know if Warped will return again, or if 2018 was truly the final full run. But if this was the last ride we missed, at least we have all the ones we took together before.


No one can take that from us.

Warped Tour was ours.

And always will be.

Peace, Love and Music,

Mickey

🎶 “Sing like it’s your last song / Live like it’s your last night.”

– A Day to Remember


 
 
 

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