Touring punk rock summer camp has experienced many changes over time.

A7

Ben Conoley

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One may find dozens of reasons to criticize the Warped Tour. Now entering its 15th year as a touring punk rock summer camp, the tour has become much larger (and corporate) than anyone may have imagined. Of course there are plenty of reasons to criticize it "" $3 bottles of water, bands of questionable taste and enough neon shirts and swooped haircuts to make a Fear Factor champion squirm. Regardless of those criticisms, though, one can't forget one crucial aspect of the tour "" how important an opportunity it continues to be for young touring bands.

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Alexisonfire is one of the bands who has enjoyed increased fame as a result of the Warped Tour.

Each year the Warped Tour drags dozens of bands out on the road to tour North America's cities. For many of these bands, it will be their first opportunity to tour so extensively or in front of such large numbers of people. A handful of bands on the tour this year are Canadian, and while their styles vary, they all share a common outlook on the importance of the Warped Tour for the viability of their bands.

Alexisonfire gained notoriety when viral promotion caused their 2002 Self-titled album to become Canada's first post-hardcore success. While they've enjoyed playing huge shows in Canada, they have yet to gain as sizable a fan base in the United States as they have at home. The band's guitarist, Wade MacNeil says that for a band looking to expand in the United States, "It just makes sense to do Warped Tour. It's the perfect event of the summer." Adds vocalist George Pettit, "I don't know if we'll get big in America. It doesn't matter. You can play big massive shows in Canada and then come here and play clubs. There are people on Warped Tour with different motivations than us "" to get famous, or get drunk and meet groupies "" but at the same time, you have to want to play music."

Ontario hip hop artist Shadrach Kabango, who plays under the name Shad is on the Warped Tour after tour founder Kevin Lyman saw him playing in a club and wanted to give the artist a chance to reach more potential fans. His 2007 album The Old Prince received a great deal of critical acclaim in Canada, including finding a place on the 2007 Polaris Music Prize short list. However, he has yet to turn that praise into popular success. The Warped Tour will be his first full tour of the United States. As a hip hop artist on a mostly rock-based lineup, Shad isn't sure what to expect. Speaking to Shad after his performance at the Pomona, California stop on the Warped Tour, he said "Honestly, I still don't know what to expect city to city"¦I am used to playing to non hip-hop crowds, but this is an event that can work well, or people can throw burritos at you."

In addition to Alexisonfire and Shad, the tour also features NOFX, Bad Religion, Underoath, Thrice, Bouncing Souls, Anto-Flag, Less Than Jake and dozens more. The Warped Tour's closest stop to New Brunswick is on July 11 at Montreal's Parc Jean Drapeau. It will also be stopping through the Comcast Center in Boston on July 21. For more information, head over to warpedtour.com.