3. Return of Warped Tour
The NHL also liked to tug at our collective memories for these concerts. They have brought out some of the older bands to play the hits. What if they went after one of the most iconic brands in music from two decades ago?
The Van’s Warped Tour was iconic in getting 10 bands together we all liked along with producing some of the newest names in rock and punk music. The Warped Tour helped bring new eyes to legends of the industry like Blink-182, Sum 41, Limp Bizkit, MCR, Avenged Sevenfold, Fall Out Boy, Paramore, and Katy Perry. It’s iconic in New Jersey, which is why they held one of the last-ever Warped Tours in Atlantic City.
The joke is that Warped Tour’s retirement tour was just like any other band. It will come back eventually. How cool would it be to go to Warped Tour before the Stadium Series?
Maybe this isn’t realistic, but it would be one way to celebrate the biggest names in New Jersey music. How can we pick between Gaslight Anthem, Lauren Hill, Misfits, Senses Fail, Bouncing Souls, Twisted Sister, Fetty Wap, Halsey, Fountains of Wayne, Wyclef Jean, SZA, Blues Traveler, and George Clinton? You have a festival.
The biggest hiccup here is the connection between Vans and the NHL. Vans has a hockey collection, but it’s not with the NHL already. It’s too late to build that connection, and the NHL likely already has something in mind. Still, there’s a “celebration of New Jersey” festival that could easily happen here.