After years of wishful thinking, Warped Tour is back. And in a move that feels straight out of an alternate ‘90s timeline, Sublime are returning with it.
The ska-punk icons have been locked in for Warped Tour’s 30th anniversary, which will play out across three two-day events: Washington, D.C. (June 14-15), Long Beach, California (July 26-27), and Orlando, Florida (November 15-16). Each stop will cram in 70 to 100 bands, covering everything from punk and hardcore to hip-hop and EDM. While the lineup could be a mystery right up until doors open, Sublime’s inclusion is already enough to sell the idea.
The band’s Warped history is the stuff of festival folklore. Back in ‘95, they got booted from the tour after Bud Gaugh got arrested, their dog Lou bit a fan, and they generally caused more chaos than the organisers were prepared for. Despite the mess, Sublime made their mark—so much so that they got invited back before getting kicked off again.
Warped Tour without Sublime always felt like something was missing, and their return isn’t just a nostalgia trip. With Jakob Nowell now fronting the band, it’s a full-circle moment that connects the past and present of one of ska-punk’s most influential names. Expect a setlist stacked with classics—‘Santeria’, ‘What I Got’, ‘Wrong Way’. This time though, the band are likely to have a fresh energy about them, proving that Sublime still belong on that stage.
Warped Tour’s founder Kevin Lyman knows what this means. He’s called the comeback a response to the “craving for connection and live music.” There’s surely no better way to deliver that than throwing Sublime back into the madness of it all.
So, whether you were there in ‘95 or just grew up hearing the stories, this is the kind of full-circle chaos that Warped Tour was made for.
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