For anyone who’s missing Warped Tour, fear not — idobi Radio brought its own traveling festival all over the country this summer in the form of the Summer School Tour and held one of its final sessions in Tempe with high-energy sets and a sweaty pit, as is tradition.
This year’s class: Magnolia Park, The Home Team, Stand Atlantic, Scene Queen, Honey Revenge, and Letdown. And beyond the music, the fest is proud to be working solely with independent artists, record labels, venues and promoters and using 100% of any sponsorship money to pay bands reasonable rates and keep the ticket price as low as possible.
For several fans, the event was a reunion of sorts. Friend groups met up between sets at the edges of the venue or in the lobby, dodging the snaking merch lines and informal artist meet and greets. When the artists asked if there were any first-timers in the crowd, there were very few cheers. This was no amateur hour, and things went smoothly — on-the-dot set times, no set interruptions, etc. — largely for that reason. The brains behind the operation and the fans alike know how to keep a traveling festival running like a well-oiled machine.
With so many buzzy bands on the bill, it’s no wonder the Summer School Tour was the most fun class anyone in the room had ever taken. Now we wait for the 2025 syllabus.
