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04/21/2025
The Road to Warped Tour Starts in Scranton!
(Interview with Josh Balz)
by Keith Perks
Hopefully you've heard the BIG news already about The Ritz Theater Presents: Road To Warped at The Ritz Theater. We all know the "when" and "where." We dug a little deeper to bring you some of the "why" and the "how."
Vans Warped Tour, a one-time staple of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, religiously came back each year to Montage Mountain with their parade of tractor trailers, trucks, and vans, and set up a festival within a few hours. The fest gates would open, and thousands of fans would rush to various stages and Meet & Greet tents. These days, Warped Tour is holding only three events instead of it's tour concept in Washington, D.C., Long Beach, CA, and Orlando, FL.
However, there's been a recent turn of events in the loss of scene-kid nostalgia for the area. The Ritz Theater in Downtown Scranton is bringing "Road to Warped Tour" to its historic stage. The 4-day festival lineup features over 45 bands, bringing a mix of talented local acts like Traverse the Abyss, Keep Flying, and Pucker Up, that will fill up the day slots, and then night goes full Warped with bands like Saosin, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Memphis May Fire, FEVER 333, The Spill Canvas, Scary Kids Scaring Kidss, and Escape The Fate.
Our area has a little bit more of a bond with Warped because it stopped right in our backyard. I think there was more of a sense of loss for us when Warped first decided to stop its events. This is a great opportunity to get a piece of it again. And it looks like the line-up isn't quite done yet.
Owner Josh Balz just announced that there might be another headliner being added to the already stellar list of bands. Read our brief interview with Josh Balz below to find out more about what to expect from "Road to Warped Tour."
Keith Perks: Warped Tour has a legacy. What was your personal connection to Warped back in the day? Any standout memories?
Josh Balz: Warped Tour made me feel like we were a part of something bigger than ourselves. Warped Tour is a giant part of any sort of success I have today.
I remember sleeping under our tour van after driving 8 hours to the next Warped stop. A quick 2 hour nap before another great Warped Day of telling people who we were and making a name for ourselves.
KP: How do you think Warped Tour helped shape local music scenes?
JB: Warped battle of the bands helped boost local scenes all around the U.S.
It was the only outlet that allowed local bands to play a festival or shows without having to sell tickets or buy on to shows.
KP: How did the Road to Warped concept begin?
JB: I didn't want Northeast PA to forget that we had something so wonderful. Warped gave me the chance to feel like a rockstar as a fan and a band and I want that legacy to move forward. I begged the Warped team for months to let me bring it to life in Scranton and after pestering their head talent buyer Amanda and Kevin Lyman they finally agreed to let me bring it to life!
KP: This mix of national acts and local talent is incredible—why was it important to you to include artists from the area?
JB: We want to give everyone a chance to be a part of something special. If we raise these bands up and give them chances they will be the next bands selling out The Ritz so I have the most respect for these bands. I'm honestly bummed that I can't have every single local artist on these shows.
KP: You’ve got heavy hitters like Saosin, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Memphis Mayfire—are there any acts you’re especially stoked to see hit the stage?
JB: The nice thing about owning and booking your own theater is you get to be selfish and book the bands you want. To be honest I booked bands I want to watch. Saosin was one of my favorite bands since the anthony green days. Also if you haven't heard of It Dies Today - OFFICIAL PAGE I suggest you go take a listen and be obsessed. We are announcing another Headliner in the next coming days of a band that their CD never left my Cd player as a teenager!
KP: How do you decide which bands to include, especially when trying to balance nostalgia with what's happening now in music?
JB: Budget and availability!! We wanted to keep tickets as low as possible and put on great bands! A lot of bands gave us a break on price to help be a part of such an iconic name. I need to sell out every day of these shows to break even.....
It was very difficult to have a little bit of something for everyone so if there's something we are missing.... F**K YOU I tried hahah
KP: This must have been a lot of emails, texts, and phone calls putting this together. How did you juggle this along with what was already going on at The Ritz and your restaurant Noir Dark Spirits?
JB: We have a good team! We booked about 50 bands and each band is probably about 40 emails of back and forth with offers, assets, and contracts so it was quite the lift but we have a capable team and we vibe together well. If it wasn't for the people around me I'd fail miserably because I suck haha
KP: Do you feel like our area still carries that DIY, scene-kid spirit? How have you seen it evolve?
JB: I've watched our area in the past year grow immensely. It's quite amazing to see shows every week around northeast PA. A few years ago the music scene in our area was bleak but music has been a main focus again and I love to see it!
KP: The music industry has changed a lot since Warped Tour’s peak. How do you see that reflected in the way festivals and local shows operate now?
JB: EXPENSIVEEEEEEE! We used to be young and eat from the dollar menu, now everyone has homes and families so its an entire new ball game.
KP: If you could go back in time and tell 16-year-old Josh that he'd be putting on a Warped festival with some of these bands… what would he say?
JB: First I'd tell him some powerball numbers and to stay away from greedy shady people.
He would say that it would be a dream come true and probably skate off and do a kickflip and flip me the middle finger that little s**t head!
Road to Warped Tour
June 12th-June 15th for 4 days of all your favorite Warped Tour Bands!
Tickets: www.theritztheater.com
