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See the Photos! Warped Tour 2025: Long Beach – Day One

by Steve Brazill

This is the first of two posts about Vans Warped Tour’s 2025 Long Beach dates. This post will cover Day 1 – Saturday July 26th, and you can check out the post for Day 2 – Sunday July 27th here.
There is a full gallery of Day 1 photos at the end of this post!/em>

Vans Warped Tour 30 Years: Long Beach – Day 1

Vans Warped Tour’s return last weekend, after a six-year break, was a celebration of music, culture, and Warped’s 30th anniversary, and I have to say it was better than ever. The stop at Long Beach’s Shoreline Waterfront was part of a three-stop relaunch that included Washington, D.C. earlier this year, and Orlando this coming November. That’s a big change from the larger number of tour dates in the past.

My first reaction when I heard that Warped was coming back was pure excitement. I knew I had to photograph this show, having photographed so many of the past tours. There was a bit of disappointment after I saw that it was going to be in Long Beach instead of at the Pomona Fairplex, because I was very familiar with the Pomona site, and had no idea what to expect in Long Beach. Well, any worries disappeared the moment I got there. Being in downtown Long Beach, along with an estimated 84,000 friends was amazing, and the attendance numbers I’ve seen would make it the biggest concert crowd in the city’s history, and one of the biggest rock festivals California has ever seen.

Having been to so many Warped Tours in the past, this weekend stood out to me as one of the most well run festivals I have been to, and I don’t say that lightly. Don’t misunderstand me, it wasn’t perfect, at least not from a media point of view, but I have never, ever, seen a festival with many bands run on-time all damn day. Even with borderline weird start times, like 1:04pm or 6:33 pm, the bands consitently hit their mark almost every time. If you’ve ever been to a festival, you know how unusual that is.

For this year’s tour there were 8 stages and a mix of genres, including punk, ska, emo, rap, hardcore and more. Long Beach’s connection to skate and punk culture made it a symbolic host, especially being home to bands like Sublime, who was one of this years headliners, and who’d appeared at the first Warped Tour back in 1995.

Sublime

Sublime’s set on the Left Foot Main Stage was one of the main reasons I was excited for Day 1. I had seen and photographed Sublime with Rome a few times, and I actually really enjoyed those shows, but this year Sublime is different. The late vocalist Bradley Nowell’s son Jakob is in the front spot, and wow. It’s amazing how good he sounds, not to mention how much he sounds like his dad.

They kicked of their set with “Garden Grove”, and then ran through hit after hit. From “40oz to Freedom”, “Smoke Two Joints”, and “April 29, 1992 (Miami)”, to “Caress Me Down”, “Wrong Way”, “Doin’ Time”, and “Badfish”, this felt like I was witnessing something special. They did play their new one, “Ensenada”, which sounded great live, and they closed out their set with the crowd going crazy over hearing “Santeria”. I have to say, I am excited to watch the future of Sublime with Jakob in the front spot.

A Day To Remember

The other band that had me excited for Warped was A Day To Remember, who tore up the Right Foot Main Stage. ADTR is one of my favorite bands live, although full disclaimer, I do know the band. That said, I just think that Jeremy McKinnon is one of the absolute best front men out there today. He’s simply on a different level than most other vocalists. And the rest of the band… insanely good musicians. Alex Shelnutt is just a beast on the drums, watching Neil Westfall and Kevin Skaff on guitar is like witnessing two legends having a blast living out their dream, and touring bassist Bobby Lynge fits right in with the vibe. Also, the clear joy you see in the band member’s faces when they’re on stage is so genuine it’s hard to explain.

ADTR’s latest album “Big Ole” is fantastic, and of course they played some of the hits from that, including “All My Friends” and “LeBron”, but they also brought past hits like “Have Faith in Me”, “Paranoia”, and “All I Want”. Closing out their set was “All Signs Point to Lauderdale”, and the crowd went wild. I love live music, and in truth, seeing almost any band live feels great, but trust me when I say that ADTR is the next level.

Other Favorites

There are so many bands at Warped Tour that it’s impossible to see, or photograph them all, and there are definitely bands I regret missing. But the bands I did catch reminded me of why I always loved Warped. Whether it’s headline bands, or some newer band that wants to be the next headliner, everyone puts on the show of their lives. They feed off the energy of a crowd that large, and that energy comes back at the crowd in the form of a fantastic stage presence. Standouts for me this day were Body Count & Ice T, The Vandals, Enter Shikari, and Aquabats – who by the way are one of the most fun bands I have ever seen.

The most exciting set for me might have been seeing So Cal’s own Pennywise. Seeing them do “Bro Hymm” live on stage was magic, and the large group gathered on stage at the end felt so personal.

Final Thoughts on Day One

Opening day of the 2025 Vans Warped Tour: Long Beach reminded everyone why Warped Tour mattered — and why its return is so significant. It wasn’t just about the music, but about community: teenagers in their first pits, veterans reliving their 2000s glory days, and bands old and new sharing the same stages. The festival honored its history with legacy acts like Pennywise, Fishbone, and Sublime, while pushing forward with younger voices like Nova Twins and LØLØ. It’s clear that Warped Tour’s 2025 revival isn’t just nostalgia — it’s a bridge between generations, a space where punk and alternative culture can continue to evolve. This weekend made me wish I could be in Orlando this November.

As usual, there is a gallery with a ton photos below, and be sure to check out the Day 2 coverage as well! If you were at the show I’d love to hear your thoughts. Follow me online at: