Planning to bear the scorching sun and crowds at this summer's Warped Tour? Here's an inside guide of cool things you should know that you might not be aware of already.



Ta-Da! Catering: If you get to the venue early enough before doors open, there's a chance someone on the tour will come out to the line to ask for volunteers for the day. Ta-da! Catering always gets three groups of about five kids each early in the morning to volunteer for the breakfast, lunch or dinner shifts. You get to serve the bands and crew ... in return you receive VIP passes for the day. Sometimes they take you up onstage to watch your favorite band if you serve during the dinner shift.

Girlz Garage: This one is for all the ladies! GG gets girls to volunteer, before doors open, to help with setup and to help out during the day with Keep a Breast and the other organizations there. You get a VIP pass too most of the time, and if you're a good worker, they'll take you up onstage. And the bands always stop by, so who knows who you'll be hanging out with.

Warped Reporter: If you complete all the online surveys before Warped Tour starts, you'll be randomly entered into a contest to be one of 10 people to get entry into a show and a VIP pass. You'll also get to go onstage for a band's set. The winners will be announced Sunday. Throughout the tour, random contests are also held for other chances to win a VIP pass. For more info, click here.

Music Saves Lives: If you donate blood at a local MSL blood drive, you get a VIP pass in return. No, you can't give blood at Warped Tour – you'd pass out if you did. But you can sign up to become a bone-marrow donor, and you can get a VIP pass that way too. All they do is swab your cheek and drop it in an envelope. Remember, you have to be 18+ to be a bone-marrow donor. For more info, head here.

Eco Initiative: If you're up for volunteering to recycle all day in exchange for VIP perks including a ticket to the show, then this is for you. It's definitely not for the faint of heart, but for those who are passionate about making a difference. There's also other chances to win different things by recycling a few bottles here and there. You can even enter to win a trip to Saint Croix in the Virgin Islands with Warped staff and crew in the fall. For more info, click here.

Boarding for Breast Cancer: If you're passionate about raising money for B4BC, you can volunteer and get into Warped through them. E-mail volunteer@b4bc.org with your full name and city in which you'd liked to attend a show.

Street Teams: These record labels and companies all use their street teams for volunteers: Alternative Press, Sugar Hooker, Fueled by Ramen, Hopeless Records, Fearless Records, The Street Network, Capitol Records, Suretone Records, Atlantic Records, Vagrant Records, peta2, To Write Love on Her Arms.

Don't miss our nonstop Warped Tour 2008 coverage:

"Classic Crime Promise 'Pyrotechnics': Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Relient K Guitarist Recalls Seeing Blink-182, Eminem: Warped Tour"
"Warped Tour '08: The 411 on Four Year Strong, Against Me!, Every Avenue, The A.K.A.s"
"As I Lay Dying Guitarist: Don't Wear Black Clothes - Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: Who Are You Most Excited to See?"
"Warped Tour '08: A to Z"
"Warped Tour '08: Hip-Hop Acts Might Give You a Reason to Leave Emo Alone"
"Norma Jean Considering Nirvana Cover, Fireball Dance: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Fall Out Boy's Andy Hurley Unveils Clothing Line; Plans For Warped Tour Booth"
"We the Kings Singer Saved Drummer's Life at Summer Fest: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: The 411 on Angels & Airwaves, Bouncing Souls, 1997, Devil Wears Prada"
"Angels & Airwaves Ditching Lasers This Time Around: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Race Through the Aisles of Virgin Megastore Phoenix With As I Lay Dying, Protest the Hero"
"From First to Last Call Themselves 'Romantics,' 'Fatties': Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Midnight to Twelve Want Some McLovin: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Motion City Soundtrack Extend Warped Stay; Fear Just on for One-Night Stand"
"Academy Is ... Bassist Prefers Leap Frog Over 'Halo': Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"All-American Rejects Drop Off Warped Tour"
"Warped Tour '07 Retrospective"
"Be Your Own Pet Talk Trash About Warped Tour: 'It's Like the New Hair Metal' "
"Every Time I Die on 'Punkguins,' GCH and Sitting in Pee: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: How to Meet the Bands"
"The Audition Buffing Up for This Summer: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Maylene and the Sons of Disaster Writing New LP on the Road: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: Last Chance to Be a Pit Reporter and Get the VIP Treatment"
"Pennywise Can't Get Enough of Warped Tour, Add More Dates"
"A.K.A.s to Be Joined Onstage by Gym Class Heroes? Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Forever the Sickest Kids Want 'A Monkey at Every Show': Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: Roll Call - and Dos and Don'ts"
"Charlotte Sometimes Wonders if She'll Blow Up This Summer: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: A Guide to Pit Etiquette"
"1997 Keyboardist Longs for the Slip-N-Slide: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: The VIP Guide"
"Protest the Hero Singer Says 'We Don't Roll Like Carrot Top': Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Set Your Goals Are Packing Extra Boxers: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: Top 10 Must-Haves"
"Two More Killer Bands Added to Warped Tour Main Stage"

Also, feast your eyes on these pics of Katy Perry, Beat Union and more at the Warped Tour kickoff show on April 11 in West Hollywood, California – click on the image below.



Get psyched for summer with Buzznet's Warped Tour 2008 gallery:


[Click on picture to view the rest.]

See which females will be rocking out on Warped this summer:


[Click on picture to view the rest.]

Check out these bands that will be playing Warped for the first time:


[Click on picture to view the rest.]

Find out which Warped artists are out of their twenties:


[Click on picture to view the rest.]

Warped Tour dates:

6.20: Pomona, CA @ Pomona Fairgrounds
6.21: San Francisco, CA @ Pier 30/32
6.22: Ventura, CA @ Seaside Park
6.25: Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Pavilion
6.26: Las Cruces, NM @ N.M.S.U. Practice Field
6.28: Salt Lake City, UT @ TBA
6.29: Denver, CO @ Invesco Field
7.1: St. Louis, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.2: Kansas City, KS @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.3: Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center
7.5: San Antonio, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.6: Houston, TX @ Sam Houston Race Park
7.9: Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheater
7.10 : Orlando, FL @ Central Florida Fairgrounds
7.11: Tampa, FL @ Vinoy Park
7.12: Miami, FL @ Bicentennial Park
7.13: Jacksonville, FL @ St. Johns County Fairgrounds
7.14: Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.15: Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.16: Washington DC @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
7.17: Cleveland, OH @ Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City
7.18: Detroit, MI @ Comerica Park
7.19: Toronto, ON @ Downsview Park Allen Road
7.20: Montreal, QC @ Parc Jean Drapeau
7.23: Boston, MA @ Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
7.24: Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
7.25: Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
7.26: Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum
7.27: Scranton, PA @ Toyota Pavilion
7.28: Englishtown, NJ @ Raceway Park
7.29: Pittsburgh, PA @ Post Gazette Pavilion
7.30: Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
7.31: Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
8.1: Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheatre
8.2: Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
8.3: Minneapolis, MN @ Canterbury Park
8.5: Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Centre
8.6: Calgary, AB @ Race City Speedway
8.8: Boise, ID @ Idaho Center Amphitheatre
8.9: Seattle, WA @ George Amphitheatre
8.10: Portland, OR @ Columbia Meadows
8.13: Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
8.14: San Diego, CA @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
8.15: San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
8.16: Sacramento, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre Lot
8.17: Los Angeles, CA @ Home Depot Center

Win Warped tix on Buzznet right here!

Get your Warped fix with our nonstop coverage right here.