The Warped Tour Band plays to rooms full of people who know every word. That’s the design. The only tribute act officially endorsed by Vans Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman, they carry a 150-song catalog across pop-punk, emo, ska, hardcore, metalcore, and skate punk, and every night the crowd votes on what gets played. The pitch is simple: the spirit of Warped Tour in whatever room you’re standing in. They hit Empire Live in Albany on Friday, January 29 at 8 p.m.
About the Show
The Warped Band is the officially licensed tribute to Vans Warped Tour, the punk and alternative festival that ran from 1995 to 2019. Their stated aim is to resurrect the spirit of that festival — the music, the community, the nonstop energy — in a touring format. Kevin Lyman, who founded the festival, endorsed them personally, and they performed at the official Warped Tour 30th anniversary preparties in Washington, D.C. and Long Beach, California. They won Best Tribute Act at the 2024 Central Pennsylvania Music Awards.
The lineup: Drew Zimmerman on vocals and rhythm guitar, Aaron Pearson on vocals and lead guitar, Justin Levendusky on bass, and Brandon Deamer on drums. All four have more than 20 years in the punk scene. The catalog runs Blink-182, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Sum 41, NOFX, Good Charlotte, Goldfinger, Linkin Park, Avril Lavigne, Pierce the Veil, and beyond — pop-punk and emo at the center, with ska, metalcore, and skate punk filling out the edges. Setlist.fm logs “Ocean Avenue” and “Basket Case” as most frequently performed, with “American Idiot,” “Misery Business,” “Helena,” and “Fat Lip” in regular rotation. The crowd votes the setlist live each night, so what Albany calls for is what Albany gets.
The band also runs Food Fight, a merch line that donates a percentage of proceeds to food-insecurity organizations in each city they play.
The Albany date is part of a 2027 Northeast leg; they played Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn on January 9. No support acts have been announced.
Venue & Logistics
Empire Live is at 93 N. Pearl Street in Albany, on the capital region circuit. Standing room. Show is at 8 p.m.
Tickets
No ticket price was available from sources at the time of publication. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster. Buy tickets