If you are involved in any part of the alternative music scene, then you felt the heartbreak of hearing the Vans Warped Tour would be ending after 2018 this time last year. However, for its 25th anniversary, the festival has announced that it is coming back.

Warped Tour has filled countless summers of youth seeing and meeting their favorite bands along with coming home with a pretty bad sunburn. Yet, even though it is the epitome of nostalgia, I do not know if coming back in this way is the best idea.  

First off this version, according to Rock Sound, will have a total of five dates. That in comparison to its usual 35 to 37 dates is already a rough comparison.

The next part that hurts is that the dates, provided by the Vans Warped Tour social media pages are as follows June 8: Cleveland, Ohio, June 29 and 30: Atlantic City, New Jersey and concluding July 20 and 21: Mountain View, California.

If you were hoping to hit up the East Coast dates, it will cost you at least a 4 hour drive and a hotel if you do not want to drive back after being out in the sun for 8 plus hours.

Now, I knew that a smaller state like Connecticut did not have a chance for being chosen, but I did expect them to do two different places — they had done multiple stops in California and Texas alone, what is to stop them traveling to another state? (Having to pay movers probably).  

So now that my dreams have been crushed, another important fact is ticket pricing will be different than previous years. For example, ticket information came out a few hours after the locations were announced. Because of the short run tickets, each one will now range from 120 to 150 dollars, as Alternative Press has reported.

I have been to a few concerts in my day, but I did not see this price jump coming.

I paid around this much for two collectors tickets to the ‘final cross country run’ last year. Even if I could go, the prices for tickets alone would stop me, because this is just the ticket, this does not include any fees.

And the prices will hurt even more for those going to Cleveland, even though they are said to be slightly cheaper. At that specific stop only five bands will be on the bill. New Jersey and California will have at least 50 bands each. Even though Cleveland gets one day verses two days it still looks like the coordinators value the coasts more.

In my opinion, they should value all the fans the same. I could only imagine the disappointment Ohio and surrounding fans felt when they heard their version of this ‘mini Warped Tour’ is getting even smaller.  

The way I see it, is that Warped Tour should have just continued on as normal or accepted its proper send off last summer. Being on both sides of the fence is not helping anyone and based off of what I have stated.

Yes there will probably be a decent turn out to these shows for those that can attend, but it will be nothing compared to what it used to be.