A Giant Half Pipe Too

Vans Warped Tour — the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots of music festivals — attacksHouston

The Bouncing Souls
The All-American Rejects
Reel Big Fish
Dropkick Murphys

Photo by Robert Perachio
Andrew W.K.
Agent Orange
Vans Warped Tour with 40-plus bands on Friday

The Vans Warped Tour. Not since Chuck E. Cheese pizza parlors and Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots has an entity been created for the sole purpose of entertaining over-stimulated youth while simultaneously perturbing parents to the point of insanity.

Mom, dad ... imagine a world where pierced and tattooed rock bands growl and thrash on multiple stages set up in every direction you turn. The only thing to break the sound of volatile guitar gnashing and apocalyptic chorus growling is the spectacle of the occasional motocross biker or skateboarder (also very pierced and tattooed) launching themselves skyward from the lip of a giant half-pipe.

And in the middle of all this ... is your teenager learning all he need to know about rebellion, smart-alec, know-it-all eye-rolling and verbal vulgarities that they will use against you until they leave for trade school. It all takes over Sam Houston Race Park pretty much all day Friday, turning what's the first day of a long holiday weekend for many on its ear.

Awwww ... memories. How I wish I could do it all over again.

(Yes, the Vans Warped Tour is has been around long enough for even a 30ish guy like me to feel nostalgic. Launched in 1995, it is the oldest touring music festival to take to the road each summer without ever taking a year off. Take that Lollapalooza and Lillith Fair. )

This year's lineup for punk rock's premier annual festival does not have any superstar headlining heavyweight like My Chemical Romance or The Offspring of past tours. Even thrash granddaddies Bad Religion —-the Vans Warped Tour house band — has taken 2010 off. But with (at last count) 74 bands confirmed for Houston there will be endless strains of angst on showcase for all the emotionally suppressed, lost or downright angst-ridden to cling to.

Friday, July 2

Vans Warped Tour ( Alkaline Trio, Andrew W.K., Motion City Soundtrack, Sum 41, The All-American Rejects, and many ... many more), 1 p.m.-9 p.m. at Sam Houston Race Park

Artists not to miss: Andrew W.K., Motion City Soundtrack, Riverboat Gamblers

Tickets $40

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Concert News

Palestinian rapper Saint Levant brings Beirut style on tour to Houston

Saint Levant/Facebook

Saint Levant is playing three Texas shows in October.

Palestinian singer-songwriter and rapper Saint Levant is representing his namesake region on tour in North America, Europe, and the Middle East this fall, including at the Bayou Music Center in Houston on Thursday, October 8.

The Afandi World Tour will begin September 12 in Boston, Massachusetts, and end December 12 in Muscat, Oman. In addition to Houston, the tour will stop in Dallas on October 6 and Austin on October 7.

Marwan Abdelhamid, a.k.a. Saint Levant, is known for a smooth musical style that combines lyrics in Arabic, English, and French, plus several genres and world music influences. His breakout started in 2022 with the single "Very Few Friends," and he is now based in Los Angeles. Abdelhamid is also known for frequent collaborations with top fashion houses, including the Lebanese brand Elie Saab.

Layali Al Afandi joins the tour with a production inspired by '90s Levantine cabarets, a press release says. The performance has a narrative arc with music, storytelling, and stage design, all of which draw from Beirut nightlife, fashion, and other artistic elements of Arab cultural identities.

Tickets presales begin Wednesday, July 15, at 10 am. The general on-sale follows on Friday, July 17, at 10 AM via LiveNation.com or SaintLevant.com. VIP tickets are also available for early floor access, a meet-and-greet with Saint Levant, a gift item, and more.

Afandi World Tour Dates:

Sat, Sep 12 – Boston, MA – Citizens House of Blues
Sun, Sep 13 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
Mon, Sep 14 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
Wed, Sep 16 – Toronto, ON – HISTORY
Thu, Sep 17 – Toronto, ON – HISTORY
Sun, Sep 20 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore
Tue, Sep 22 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore
Thu, Sep 24 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
Fri, Sep 25 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
Sun, Sep 27 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
Wed, Sep 30 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
Thu, Oct 1 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground
Sat, Oct 3 – Miami Beach, FL – The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre
Tue, Oct 6 – Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom
Wed, Oct 7 – Austin, TX – Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater
Thu, Oct 8 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center
Sun, Oct 11 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
Tue, Oct 13 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
Wed, Oct 14 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
Thu, Oct 15 – San Diego, CA – SOMA
Sat, Oct 17 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
Sun, Oct 18 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic
Tue, Oct 20 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
Thu, Oct 29 – Dublin, Ireland – National Stadium
Mon, Nov 2 – Paris, France – Zenith
Thu, Nov 5 – Antwerp, Belgium – De Roma
Mon, Nov 9 – Cologne, Germany – Carlswerk Victoria
Wed, Nov 11 – Luxembourg City, Luxembourg – Rockhal
Fri, Nov 13 – Utrecht, Netherlands – TivoliVredenburg
Sat, Nov 14 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Melkweg
Mon, Nov 16 – Berlin, Germany – Columbiahalle
Wed, Nov 18 – Copenhagen, Denmark – VEGA
Thu, Nov 19 – Oslo, Norway – Rockefeller Music Hall
Sat, Nov 21 – Stockholm, Sweden – Fållan
Tue, Nov 24 – Zurich, Switzerland – Komplex 457
Thu, Nov 26 – Milan, Italy – Alcatraz
Sat, Nov 28 – Barcelona, Spain – Razzmatazz
Mon, Nov 30 – Madrid, Spain – La Riviera
Tue, Dec 1 – Lisbon, Portugal – LAV
Tue, Dec 8 – Athens, Greece – Floyd
Thu, Dec 10 – Istanbul, Turkey – VW Arena
Sat, Dec 12 – Muscat, Oman – Muscat Eat 9

live music concerts