After over 17,000 entries and months of voting, we are thrilled to present the finalists! These bands will play the Vans Warped Tour mainstage in their respective cities and will be in the running to win our grand prize – a 3-song EP produced by multi-platinum producer John Feldmann, $10,000 worth of gear from Guitar Center and much more.

“Ernie Ball’s Battle of the Bands was a game-changer for me. That contest is the reason I was able to make the move from Nebraska to L.A. and start this 15 year odyssey of a career.” – James Valentine of Maroon 5

Listen to a Spotify playlist and learn a bit more about each one below. Previous participants in the contest, like PVRIS and James Valentine, have gone on to have massive success. Pay attention to these bands now because they could very well be headlining in the future!

Tidelines – Seattle, WA

Seattle, WA | Century Link North Lot | June 16

THE WITHOUT – Portland, OR

Salem, OR / Oregon State Fairgrounds / June 17

Painting Promises

Albuquerque, NM | Balloon Fiesta Park | June 21

Colten Hood

Phoenix, AZ | Phoenix Events Complex | June 22

Tonight We Fight – Las Vegas, NV

Las Vegas, NV | Hard Rock Hotel | June 23

ImAlive

Salt Lake City, UT | Utah State Fairpark | June 24

False Report – Denver, CO

Denver, CO | Pepsi Center | June 25

Driftwood Exile – Nashville, TN

Nashville, TN | Tennessee State Fairgrounds | June 27

Arborist – New Iberia, LA

New Orleans, LA | Port of New Orleans (Mardi Gras World) | June 28

All That Matters – Atlanta, GA

Atlanta, GA | Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood | June 29

A Hero’s Fate – Orlando, FL

Orlando, FL | Tinker Field | June 30

Up From Here – New Iberia, LA

St. Petersburg (Tampa), FL | Vinoy Park | July 1

Intervention – New Iberia, LA

West Palm Beach (Miami), FL | Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre | July 2

Eyes Eat Suns

Wilmington, NC | Legion Stadium | July 4

Never I – Charlotte, NC

Charlotte, NC | PNC Music Pavilion Charlotte | July 6

18th & Addison – Toms River, NJ

Camden, NJ (Philadelphia, PA) | BB&T Pavilion | July 7

Zoume – Brooklyn, NY

Wantagh, NY | Nikon at Jones Beach Amphitheatre | July 8

Eyes On Satellites – Lowell, MA

Hartford, CT | Xfinity Theatre | July 9

Send Request – Nanticoke, PA

Scranton, PA | The Pavilion at Montage Mountain | July 10

Arm The Witness – Richmond, VA

Virginia Beach, VA | Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheatre | July 11

Hello Atlantic – Providence, RI

Mansfield (Boston), MA | Xfinity Center | July 12

A Story Inspired – Buffalo, NY

Darien Center (Buffalo), NY | Darien Lake PAC | July 13

Riviera – Morgantown, PA

Pittsburgh, PA | First Niagara Pavilion | July 14

INVENTURE – Asbury, NJ

Holmdel, NJ | PNC Bank Arts Center | July 15

Awake At Last – Dover, DE

Columbia, MD | Merriweather Post Pavilion | July 16

4 Door Theatre – Cleveland Heights, OH

Cuyahoga Falls (Cleveland), OH | Blossom Music Center | July 18

Mascots – Cincinnati, OH

Cincinnati, OH | Riverbend Music Center | July 19

The Almost Heroes – Noblesville, IN

Indianapolis, IN | Klipsch Music Center | July 20

Silver Age – Temperance, MI

Detroit, MI | The Palace of Auburn Hills | July 21

The Burst and Bloom – Chicago, IL

Chicago, IL | Hollywood Casino Amphitheater | July 22

Villain of the Story

Shakopee (Minneapolis), MN | Canterbury Park | July 23

Dreamhouse

Milwaukee, WI | Marcus Amphitheatre | July 24

Hold Close – Springfield, MO

St. Louis, MO | Hollywood Casino | July 26

Salt Creek – Lincoln, NE

Bonners Spring (Kansas City), KS | Cricket Wireless Amphitheater | July 27

Auspicious – Fort Smith, AR

Dallas, TX | Gexa Energy Pavilion | July 28

The Night Of – Austin, TX

San Antonio, TX | AT&T Center | July 29

Fear and Wonder – Houston, TX

Houston, TX | NRG Park | July 30

The Grave Aesthetic – El Paso, TX

Las Cruces, NM | New Mexico State University | August 1

TheAnimalInMe

San Francisco, CA | Shoreline Amphitheatre | August 4

Alive and Well – San Diego, CA

San Diego, CA | Qualcomm Stadium | August 5