Punked for Charity
How would you like to dunk NOFX singer Fat Mike? Or watch the guys in Devil Wears Prada get their long hair wet? To raise money for Kids Help Phone, band members will enter the tank and give fans a chance to dunk them. While it's uncertain exactly which band members will take part, the D-Tox dunk tank will be the highlight of the Warped Tour's four Canadian stops.The Vans Warped Tour — featuring acts like Bad Religion, the Ataris, Anti-Flag, Saosin, Fear, TSOL, the Adolescents and the U.K. Subs — features a host of cause-related activities again this year. The truth® campaign will feature a DJ Academy for youth to learn to scratch like the Jam Master himself while teaching the dangers of cigarette smoking. The Grammy-backed Music Cares will provide a sober support network for music artists, managers and production crew that includes 12-step meetings open to everyone. The tour will also host a Nonprofit Area with more than 20 national organizations like Greenpeace, Unite the United, Peta2
and Boarding for Breast Cancer. The Nonprofit Area will even feature a Warped Photo Booth where fans can get photos taken with their favorite bands. On the environmental tip, the promoters created a full-color mini-mag titled "The Warped Tour Guide to Not Being a Complete Environmental Disaster" featuring lots of green-living tips and stories from the bands themselves. Naturally, the tour will make its own efforts to recycle an estimated 40,000 pounds of materials this year.Warped will also host an eco lounge featuring documentaries, eco-friendly products and other green resources. For anyone suffering under the summer heat, the lounge offers eight solar-powered misting fans that will undoubtedly be popular. (Um, whose idea was it to play New Mexico in July?) Remarkably, there's even a competition for bands to see who can be the most eco-friendly with prizes like a
n expedition to St. Croix with Philippe Cousteau of Animal Planet and Discovery Channel (and grandson of the legendary Captain Jacques Cousteau). Needless to say, when the fans and bands demand something, it happens. That's a big reason why the Warped Tour is once again flexing its green muscle to help the environment.The Warped Tour, now in its 15th year, starts (June 26) and ends (Aug. 23) with Southern California dates.
Anti-Flag photo courtesy of RCA Records; Saosin photo by Nabil Elderkin; Greg Graffin (Bad Religion) photo by Luiz Felipe Leite.



0 comments