Taste of Chaos (or "TOC") was a live music tour that was started in the winter of 2005 by Kevin Lyman, the creator of the successful Warped Tour along with his friend and business partner, John Reese. The Taste of Chaos tour catered to fans of the post-hardcore, emo, pop punk and metalcore genres, while offering the same low ticket price and festival-style format as the Warped Tour. Taste of Chaos has been called the "Winter Warped Tour" since dates ran from October (internationally) through April (in North America) of the next year. The tour was highly successful in 2005 for many of the same reasons as its summer counterpart, including cheap tickets and major bands of the genres.

Taste of Chaos
Rockstar Taste of Chaos' 2006 logo
GenrePost-hardcore, emo, screamo, pop punk, hardcore punk, metalcore
DatesFebruary–March (US and Canada)
October–December (Europe and Asia)
Location(s)United States, Canada, Europe, Asia
Years active2005–2009 (US and Canada)
2005–2008 (Asia)
2005–2010 (Europe)
2015 (US)
2016 (US)
FoundersKevin Lyman, John Reese
Websitetasteofchaos.com

History

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In the fall of 2005, the tour went international with The Used, Story of the Year, and Rise Against playing in Australia, Europe, and Asia. In 2007, each of the seven bands playing the entire tour was a Warped Tour veteran: five had played the 2006 Warped Tour and two (The Used and Saosin) had played TOC previously.

The 2008 lineup was the first to feature Japanese bands, them being Mucc, D'espairsRay and The Underneath.

In 2010, Taste of Chaos founder John Reese stated that although the tour was successful internationally, it had "run its course in America" and would be replaced by the Uproar Festival. Reese stated that the replacement was due to, "running out of bands that fit within the profile of what Taste of Chaos was." Uproar will feature hard rock bands and will begin shortly after the heavy metal tour Mayhem Festival in August 2010.[1] Kevin Lyman expects the tour to continue in Europe, and is unsure if it will return to the US.[2] For the first time since the tour began, Taste of Chaos had no dates in 2011.

On June 18, 2015, it was announced that Taste of Chaos would return with its first festival in five years.[3] The festival took place on October 3 at the San Manuel Amphitheater in California.

It was at a Taste of Chaos show in Orlando, Florida, that Fueled By Ramen representative John Janick first saw Paramore, which led to them signing their first major recording contract.[4]

Ernie Ball International Battle Of The Bands

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Ernie Ball International Battle Of The Bands started in 2006, to get popular upcoming small and unsigned bands to play the Taste of Chaos shows in their local towns across many of the tour dates. Fans determine which band is able to win by voting for all bands though the Ernie Ball International Battle Of The Bands website. The top 20 bands in each city, by way of votes will be reviewed by a panel of judges who will select one band out of the top 20 to play live in their hometown on Taste of Chaos Tour.

The Top 20 vote getting bands in each city were reviewed by the judges. One band was selected based on their musicianship and live performance ability. They were judged by the founders of TOC and by a group of representatives from corporate sponsors such as Ernie Ball Inc., PureVolume, Guitar Center, and Rockstar.

Compilations

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As does the Warped Tour with their compilations, the Taste of Chaos tour releases compilations of the bands that are on the tour.

  • Taste of Chaos (2005)
  • Taste of Christmas (2005)
  • The Best of Taste of Chaos (2006)
  • The Best of Taste of Chaos Two. (2007)

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[5]
Australian compilation
Gold 7,500^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Reviews

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References

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  1. ^ Sciarretto, Amy (May 3, 2010). "Uproar Tour Dates With Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Sour". Noisecreep. AOL Music. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  2. ^ "PropertyofZack Interview: Kevin Lyman of the Warped Tour". Property of Zack. Friendsorenemies.com. June 10, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  3. ^ "Excited to announce the relaunch of the Taste of Chaos Festival with 13+ artists taking the stage! #tasteofchaos". Taste of Chaos. Retrieved 2015-06-19.
  4. ^ "Hayley Williams and Josh Farro of Paramore". The Trades. Archived from the original on 2007-02-13. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  5. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 DVDs" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
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