Warped Tour's Woes and How We Can Educate the Youth

by Johnathon Gallienne

Earlier this week, Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman said in an interview with The Stranger , “Next year we’re going to have no kids on this tour. It’s going to be really tough if you want to be on this tour and are twenty-one and under. Whether it’s the artist, crew … anyone” It should be noted that while this year’s tour has just drawn to a close and Lyman is likely just kicking around ideas, it doesn’t make these ideas worth not commenting on. If a community waits until a decision has been made to take action on it, then the results of their actions will be indicative of the apathy in their efforts.

The article in which these comments appeared, painted the picture of this idea being floated in response to the allegations against Jake Mcelfresh, of Front Porch Step, of engaging in inappropriate relationships with half a dozen teenage girls via social media. These allegations include the exchange of sexually explicit materials. After initially pulling Front Porch Step from the tour, the act would appear for a single acoustic set during the tour’s July 1st stop in Nashville, TN. As one might assume, this appearance was met with strong negative feedback from those attending the concert as well as bands both on and off the tour. To compound matters, Jonny Craig, the lead singer of the band Slaves also had allegations of sexual harassment brought against him by the woman selling the bands merchandise on the tour. While these actions have been tied to a relapse into substance abuse by Craig, it does not change the fact Lyman has a brand he’s built over the past 20 years he feels the need to protect. In response to these allegations, Craig stated in an interview with the blog Lambgoat that he had in fact “got drunk and treated our Merch girl like she was one of the dudes.”

While many would say Lyman has already failed in protecting his brand given the lineup of Warped Tour in recent years, as someone who will be turning 30 later this year, I can say, without equivocation, that 15 or 20 years ago I would not have wanted to hang out with someone twice my age at the time while listening to my favorite bands. On the opposite side of that coin, I know far too many veterans of the scene who scoff at the young kids who are into what they so righteously claim as “their music.” Ultimately though, which era of punk or punk-influenced music is on stage is not the issue here, the perception that the people watching those bands are in a safe space is.

It is at this point, I should state, in my experiences Warped Tour and the venues hosting it go to great lengths to make the shows themselves a safe place for those attending. In the five to six dates I attended over the years, I can remember fights breaking out between individual attendees but confrontations between performers and attendees either did not occur or were so minor I overlooked them. I would also like to point out that of the events in question; one occurred outside of the realm of Warped Tour and the other involved someone who was working with band, and not a fan. The stigma allegations and actions like these create though, are still a risk a business must mitigate prior in choosing to work with an artist.

Perhaps due to this, Lyman also cautioned against not honoring due process and placing false information on the internet, since once that information is out there it has to be addressed. Just as a business cannot ignore allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior in an office full of white collar workers, a brand the size of Warped Tour cannot ignore those allegations on a tour filled with rock musicians. The reasons, in both cases, are identical. If the allegations turn out to be true and no action was taken prior, or worse the accused party is caught red handed while due process is playing out, the act of inaction has allowed others to be put at risk. That generally equates to lawsuits. Lawsuits are rarely a good thing when you’re listed as the defendant on court documents.

Lyman’s possible solution certainly seems simple enough, by not allowing anyone under the age of 21 to be under contract with Warped Tour, he is eliminating an age group some would argue may not be mature enough to handle a summer-long tour, and he is also, perhaps to a lesser extent, keeping anyone who cannot legally consume alcohol from doing so while receiving a paycheck from him. In that regard, it makes perfect business sense. He is taking reasonable steps to limit possible legal liability on his behalf.

However, it doesn’t change that both artists referenced in The Stranger article meet that age requirement. While it is certainly difficult to add an extensive morals clause to a contract for rock musicians, perhaps when it comes to inappropriate, non-consensual sexual behavior we’ve arrived at that point as a society. If for no other reason, than we cannot continue to hold people like Bill Cosby to a different moral standard than we can people in our own communities. Speaking of our own community, if someone were to engage in those types of acts within the vacuum of a local music scene they would be run out of it. Yes, we love some of these bands and the music they’ve created means a lot to us, perhaps some of us will even say that it has saved our lives. That shouldn’t matter though, because when things like this happen there are victims and we, as a community, cannot discount their experiences because we really like a certain band.

Another step that could be taken, is inviting an organization like the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) to have a booth on tour. With a number of young people, both male and female, who are victimized by rape, sexual abuse and incest in their own homes or personal lives every day. This would not only show Warped Tour is serious about these issues. It would also provide some young people with a resource that allows them to free themselves from an unsafe situation in their own lives. It would also provide information for people who’ve never been in these situations but may know a friend or family member who is. Inviting an organization like this to have a presence on the tour would seemingly have no negative implications for Warped Tour as a whole.

At the end of the day, I’m not going to fault Kevin Lyman’s efforts or even ideas to help keep Warped Tour a safe space for everyone involved. The age restriction is certainly not a bad idea, but it’s a better starting place if the ultimate goal is to make Warped Tour active in helping prevent and/or stop non-consensual sexual contact between two parties within the community. Ultimately, this conversation needs to be about preventing sexual assault no matter the ages of the parties involved and educating young people to prevent these situations and how to deal with them if they do occur. Given the age of people who attend Warped Tour, I think Kevin Lyman has a huge opportunity to play a pivotal role in doing just that.