By Gelu Sulugiuc
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Young punk rock fans are coming to the rescue of a sluggish summer concert season.
Blending low-price tickets with high-energy talent and side attractions, the Warped Tour, America's oldest traveling rock festival, is thriving on the collective buying power of teen fans lining up to see such bands as Bad Religion, Good Charlotte, the Vandals and NOFX.
The tour circuit has been limping through a general slump since mid-April, with the Lollapalooza festival scrapped due to weak ticket sales. Shows by the likes of Van Halen, The Dead, Kiss and Norah Jones have reportedly endured lackluster sales as well.
Additionally, Courtney Love, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Marc Anthony have all canceled or postponed tours for various non-sales-related reasons.
"There are very few acts that are selling out everywhere at this point," said Gary Bongiovanni, editor in chief at trade magazine Pollstar. "We're seeing acts that are scaling back, doing fewer shows and moving into smaller venues."
But average attendance for the punk-laden Warped Tour is up 23 percent over last year, according to founder Kevin Lyman.
He estimated the 50-city extravaganza, now in its 10th year, would sell more than 600,000 tickets priced at about $25 apiece this summer, a bargain compared to other tours.
"Kids are starting to get burned out on the high ticket prices, but we're very affordable," Lyman said. "If you have $100 in your pocket, you can eat, drink, buy some T-shirts and pay for the ticket."
Another perennial favorite, Ozzy Osbourne's heavy metal spectacle Ozzfest, is charging from $30 to more than $100, but organizers nonetheless are boasting a healthy business.
Marquee reunions of metal pioneers Black Sabbath and Judas Priest appear to be the draw, along with current flag bearers like Slipknot and Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society.
"Ozzfest is successful because Ozzy has a very loyal following, and he's never stopped touring and making music," said Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison.
Sharon Osbourne, wife and manager of the tour's founder, said attendance is high for the 26-stop, two-month trek, but declined to give specifics.
"It seems as though ticket sales have been a bit soft for most of this summer's concert tours, but that's not been the case with Ozzfest," she said through a publicist.
These tours are bucking the trend, according to Pollstar, which reported sales for the top 50 U.S. tours through June were down 2 percent, compared with the first half of last year, to 12.8 million tickets.
FAMILIAR NAMES STILL THRIVING
Some old familiar names, however, are still drawing big crowds with stand-alone performances.
The top three acts through June were Prince, Celine Dion -- who is playing a Las Vegas residency -- and Madonna, whose tour failed to sell out on average ticket prices of $175 but managed to gross nearly $45 million, according to Pollstar.
But only Prince and country singer Kenny Chesney sold more than 500,000 tickets in the first half of the year.
The Warped Tour is succeeding through a different recipe.
Bringing together more than 50 bands -- among them punk veterans The Vandals, newcomer act Melee, MTV darlings Good Charlotte and cult favorites Tiger Army -- the Warped Tour also offers extreme sports to keep teen-aged crowds entertained.
Bands play for only 30 minutes, catering to the relatively short attention span of the crowd, while bikers and skaters showcase their daredevil moves.
"For what you're getting, the price is insane," said Josh Freese, drummer for The Vandals. "Kids want to come see the bands, the skaters, the motocross guys. It's about being young and having a good time, as goofy as it may sound."
The Projekt Revolution tour, headlined by Korn, Linkin Park and Snoop Dogg, also features sports and is giving away song downloads to attract fans.
"A lot of kids are coming out really early," said Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington. "For people who don't want to sit around and drink beer all day, there's stuff to do."
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