Chris DeLine

Now in its 15th year, the Vans Warped Tour is returning to the Twin Cities with an impressive lineup of nearly 70 bands. As with years gone by, the tour is largely constructed from a solid foundation of punk bands; this year the lineup includes such Warped Tour veterans as Anti-Flag, Less Than Jake, Bouncing Souls, and Bad Religion. But this year’s tour also includes a few acts that land clear outside of the punk genre. Waylon Jennings’s son Shooter is part of the tour, alongside two other notable outsiders. London, Ontario’s Shad is an MC whose album The Old Prince was nominated for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize in 2008 (the album would eventually win a Juno award for Rap Recording of the Year). And the second familiar face for fans of the Twin Cities music scene is P.O.S. One of the few names on the tour signed on for every single Warped Tour stop (46 dates in total), P.O.S. should find the hometown crowd a refreshing boost, making his set one of the must-see performances at the festival. All ages.

[This critics’ pick was originally published by City Pages.]