Countdown To Vans Warped Tour 2026 Long Beach – Part One

Countdown To Vans Warped Tour 2026 Long Beach – Part One

The countdown to Vans Warped Tour Long Beach is officially underway, and the energy building toward July 25 and 26 at the Shoreline Waterfront feels like the rebirth of a Southern California summer tradition. This year’s interview series brings together an eclectic lineup of artists who embody the spirit, evolution, and emotional punch of Warped—each one carving out their own lane while honoring the legacy of the tour’s storied past.

From the cinematic intensity and genre‑bending ambition of Andy Leo and Brandon Hoover of Crown The Empire, to the hook‑laden pop brilliance of Hot Chelle Rae, our conversations capture artists who understand how to command a stage and connect with fans on a visceral level. We also revisit the ska‑punk heartbeat of Warped with Monique Powell of Save Ferris, whose voice and presence remain as iconic and defiant as ever. And rising fast from the local scene, Scarlet House brings fresh urgency and youthful fire—reminding us that Warped has always been a launchpad for the next generation.

Together, these interviews form a vibrant snapshot of what Warped Long Beach 2026 represents: nostalgia, discovery, and the thrill of seeing artists you love collide with artists you’re about to.

Crown The Empire – Andy Leo

Introduce yourself, what you do in the band, and where you are based out of?
Hello yes, Andrew from Crown the Empire.

What are you looking forward to the most about Vans Warped Tour Long Beach this year?
Playing in front of LA friends and it’s nice to cross paths with old tour homies as well.

What could one expect from your live show at Warped Tour?
Love, rage, angst, drama, and maybe some tomfoolery.

What is the name of your latest or upcoming LP or EP and what inspired the title?
It’s still a secret but I’ll just use the tombstone emoji 🪦

Select two songs you may be playing in your set and what inspired the lyrics or what the song means to you.
Raw– our first step into a new wave, every Crown song is either sad angry or horny and this song is all 3.

Zero– the last song to be finished with the least amount of time and effort spent ended up being the fan favorite and still one of the most fun songs to play live.

What is your favorite Warped Tour memory from the past?
There are too many to count but I’d say when we were still homies with Jeffree Star, he stayed on our bus and spent an off day together in middle America and he’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met.

What advice would you give someone attending Warped Tour for the very first time?
Hydrate and maybe bring one of those umbrella hats.

Any messages for your fans attending Warped this year?
We love you and can’t wait to see you sinners soon!

Crown The Empire on Instagram
Andy Leo of Crown The Empire on Instagram

Crown The Empire – Brandon Hoover

Introduce yourself, what you do in the band, and where you are based out of?
Hello I’m Brandon. Andy calls me Hoover so you can call me either one. I play guitar, do background vocals, write songs, all that jazz. I live in Los Angeles.

What are you looking forward to the most about Vans Warped Tour Long Beach this year?
I think I’m looking forward to cracking up. But seriously getting to see all the friends you’ve made over the years, it feels like a high school reunion. What’s so great about Warped is it’s a community, and because we’ve played it so many times we’ve made friends from all different walks of life. That’s the genius of Kevin Lyman, mixing all of these bands and artists from different genres that don’t make sense on paper but in reality work perfectly together. Doesn’t matter what kind of music you play, we all have something in common.

What could one expect from your live show at Warped Tour?
Our catalogue has always been all over the place so one song will be super heavy and the next super vibey, and the next emo af. I think that’s what keeps our set exciting, we’re always introducing something new to the audience and not giving them the same experience with every song. Don’t get me wrong I love a band who plays a heavy set from start to finish. But some of my favorite artists have all kinds of different flavors in their music and I think it makes for an amazing dynamic show.

What is the name of your latest or upcoming LP or EP and what inspired the title?
We just put out the first single “raw” off our upcoming album. I don’t wanna spoil the album title just yet, but it’s by far the most intimate and personal body of work we’ve created. It’s super different from anything we’ve done in the past and I think fans are going to be shocked as we start releasing more singles. No two songs sound the same but as a whole it’s a very cohesive journey. We’ve lived so much life since our last album came out, and we’ve created something really special to us. I’m just so excited for when we can finally share it with you all.

Select two songs you may be playing in your set and what inspired the lyrics or what the song means to you.
One song I can talk about because it’s so fresh in my mind is “raw.” The original lyric in the chorus was “feed me something real” and Andy said “what if it was feed me something raw?” I feel like that line describes exactly what this new album is for us. It’s real. It’s raw. The song meanings are less shrouded in theatrics and more rooted in reality. When we write we don’t always know where the ideas come from, it’s like magic. Sometimes it feels like we sit down and the melodies and lyrics come through the ether and onto the page (or the notes app cause that’s where we write all our lyrics haha). We’ll usually start with some kind of instrumental element and whatever feeling we get from those sounds will begin to dictate the story. The song meaning sometimes doesn’t reveal itself until after we’ve fully written it. And that meaning can continue to change over time. I was finding there were songs off our first album from 2012 that were really hitting me differently playing them over the last few years.

What is your favorite Warped Tour memory from the past?
Oh man too many to name. We did end up getting in trouble one time. For people who don’t know, Warped would throw these amazing barbecues every night after the shows for all the bands. I think this was 2016, we threw a massive party on our bus and invited everyone. We basically ruined the barbecue that night because the whole tour was on our bus. Oops! We’re still sorry Kevin.

What advice would you give someone attending Warped Tour for the very first time?
For the love of god drink water and lather yourself from head to toe with sunscreen. Try to pace yourself throughout the day because there are so many great bands to watch and you don’t wanna burn yourself out. But trust me it’ll be one of the best days of your life.

Any messages for your fans attending Warped this year?
We love you. Thank you for coming to see us time and time again after all of these years. It’s insane to think we played Warped Tour 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, and are now being asked to be a part of it again. It’s an honor to be considered one of the og bands of this festival and we’re so grateful.

Crown The Empire on Instagram
Brandon Hoover of Crown The Empire on Instagram

Hot Chelle Rae

Introduce yourself, what you do in the band, and where you are based out of?
I’m Nash Overstreet. I sing and play guitar and show up late to lobby call.

Based in LA for a long time, but originally, we formed in Nashville… and Jamie’s still not allowed to move from there cause if he lived in CA, all he’d ever do would be rolling another joint.

What are you looking forward to the most about Vans Warped Tour Long Beach this year?
Having a hometown show! Long Beach is close enough to LA where we’ll be able to have a lot of friends out to see the show and run around the festival with us. Also… after DC, I’m guessing it’ll be a lot less sweaty (who’s to say if that’s good or bad)…

What could one expect from your live show at Warped Tour?
A lot of fun. Energy. Songs you better know at least half of the words to, AND a brand-new song no one’s heard off of the upcoming album.

What is the name of your latest or upcoming CD or EP and what inspired the title?
Fuck. I don’t wanna give it away yet, but I came up with the title of the upcoming album while playing pool and drinking tequila with Jesse McCartney in Tucson AZ… and no. There are no clues in that sentence.

Select two songs you may be playing in your set and what inspired the lyrics or what the song means to you.
Mom’s Nightmare is the new song. It’s about a girl you know if the exact worst type to your mom, and no type of girl could turn you on more. A walking indie romcom weirdo hottie that pushes your boundaries.

Opening with I Like It Like That, which the crowd already knows as one of our biggest hits, that songs always been special because we wrote it about the vibe we caught while shooting the video for Tonight Tonight. 32oz of red bull and a weird allergy prescription that may have been similar to speed can make a session move FAST.

What is your favorite Warped Tour memory from the past?
Getting to the 2026 shows and being thankful we were not gonna have to sit in a 105° cargo van with no AC all day… like we did for two weeks straight in 2010. We had no hits and hardly any fans the first time around….. so the amount of gratitude we love we have for having the audience packed with people raging is EVERYTHING!

What advice would you give someone attending Warped Tour for the very first time?
Drink water, plan your moves, and find where you’ll need to be at what times if you have favorite people. And act like an EDM rave kid and bring trinkets to trade and give to new friends. Great ice breaker.

Any messages for your fans attending Warped this year?
Dye your hair pink. Wear something sparkly or obnoxious. Lose your voice. And make us your #1 favorite artist for the next 10 years or else.

Hot Chelle Rae on Instagram

Save Ferris

Introduce yourself, what you do in the band, and where you are based out of?
Monique Powell
Lead Singer
Manager
Label owner
Financier
Songwriter
Los Angeles, CA

What are you looking forward to the most about Vans Warped Tour Long Beach this year?
Seeing all my old friends!

What could one expect from your live show at Warped Tour?
30 minutes of raw energy (and possibly some nudity)…

What is the name of your latest or upcoming CD or EP and what inspired the title?
We’ve just released “It means everything” our first major label production, on vinyl for the first time, for the 30 year anniversary. Available from Parting Gift Records….

New album out next year. Working title “Get Dancing”, that’s the title track.

Select two songs you may be playing in your set and what inspired the lyrics or what the song means to you.
“Do I even like you”

From the Checkered Past EP.

It’s about being in a relationship so long past its expiration date you start to resent the person….

What is your favorite Warped Tour memory from the past?
Oh man….hanging with the guys in Gwar on Warped 2017, and all the friends I made from CKY and Municipal Waste and Valient Thor. Our nightly music playlists and the feeling of friendship was profound…..so was the party 😂

What advice would you give someone attending Warped Tour for the very first time?
Remember to be present, take in every minute of the music, and recognize how lucky we all are to be experiencing this together. And remember to make new friends, you may have them forever.

Any messages for your fans attending Warped this year?
I feel so lucky to be doing this thirty years later, and it’s all because of you. Your support of live music keeps this scene alive, please know how important you are in all of this. If it’s your first SF show, welcome! Now let’s have some fucking fun!!

Save Ferris on Instagram

Scarlet House

Introduce yourself, what you do, and where you are based out of?
Hey, my name is Scarlet House. I’m a singer/musician from Charlotte, North Carolina!

What are you looking forward to the most about Vans Warped Tour Long Beach this year?
I think I’m most looking forward to being part of such a legendary festival and cementing my name in its history. I remember just growing up hearing about Warped Tour, so to be playing it is such an honor.

What could one expect from your live show at Warped Tour?
One could expect a pretty even balance of heavy-hitting riffs and slow, more emotional songs. If you’ve seen a Scarlet House show, you probably know what to expect.

What is the name of your latest or upcoming CD or EP and what inspired the title?
My upcoming album is called Angels. It’s about love and loss. It’s kind of a play on how people refer to others, like “she was an angel.” I think that’s sometimes when you meet someone who seems so special, and then they disappear from your life; it’s kind of like seeing an angel.

Select two songs you may be playing in your set and what inspired the lyrics or what the song means to you.
‘Over‘ is one of them; the lyrics are personal about a back-and-forth relationship with my faith and finding my way. Another song is ‘CHERISH‘. It’s a single from my upcoming album, and it touches on nostalgia and anxiety about missing out on a moment.

What is your favorite Warped Tour memory from the past?
I never was able to go to any Warped Tours growing up, so all my knowledge is based on seeing videos. There’s a video on YouTube from back in 2007 where Paramore is playing a set, and it’s insane to see how far they’ve come.

What advice would you give someone attending Warped Tour for the very first time?
My advice is to wear earplugs haha

Any messages for your fans attending Warped this year?
If you’re coming out to catch my set, I really do appreciate you and your support; hope to meet you guys around the festival <3

Scarlet House on Instagram

In Conclusion

As Warped Long Beach approaches, these conversations highlight the passion, diversity, and momentum driving this year’s lineup. Whether legendary, ascendant, or boldly new, each artist adds a distinct spark to July 25 and 26 at Shoreline Waterfront. The countdown continues—and the summer is about to ignite.

Vans Warped Tour Official Home Page