Now that there's been a few days rest from the blistering sun, strong rains, mosh pits, and generally intense music, it's time to get a good look at the beautiful chaos that was Riot Fest 2024.
Riot Fest certainly had a tumultuous time leading up to the inevitable three days of punk, rock, hip-hop, and subgenres of subgenres. The sudden shift to Bridgeview's SeatGeek Stadium certainly scared quite a few people away, turning this Chicago institution into yet another event fleeing to the suburbs (for lack of a better term). But just as quickly as it moved away from the friendly confines of Douglass Park, Riot Fest announced its return to what's been its home since 2015. And what a home it is as Douglass Park is the perfect size for the festival. I honestly couldn't have imagined what it would have looked like at SeatGeek Stadium and hopefully we won't have to.
Below are my thoughts about the festival. If you want to check out more shots from the fest you can head over to the daily photo galleries to get a better look at the whole affair. Friday photos are available here, Saturday photos are available here, and Sunday photos are available here!
FRIDAY
The first day of the festival was a wide smattering of genres you'd expect from Riot Fest. It felt like the most spread out collection of acts that didn't overdo it on a specific one (more on that later). Artists like Winona Fighter coming in clutch at the last minute and delivering an energizing set really underline what Riot Fest is all about. Front-woman Coco Kinnon-Luther was a pure joy to watch as she sped around stage with guitar in hand sometimes, a mic and a megaphone other times.
While loudness seems to be the status quo for Riot Fest, it's always nice to have a little reprieve. The Aces provided that handily with their tender set of songs that really centered the crowd. The quartet effortlessly had the crowd in the palm of their hands as their songs full of love and heartbreak serenade them into a calm before the rest of the scorching hot day.
When a festival reaches the size of Riot Fest it's hard to catch everything. So while big swaths of people were clamoring for the main stage run of Sum 41, The Offspring, and Fall Out Boy, I was more focused on the one two punch of Public Enemy and Cypress Hill. Hip Hop is always welcome at Riot Fest and having these behemoths of the genre back to back was invigorating. Cypress Hill delivered my personal favorite set of the day, really showing just how great they are at hyping up a crowd. B-Real and Sen Dog were firing on all cylinders, truly not having lost a step in all these years. Their set list featured tons of classics from their seminal album Black Sunday including the always necessary"Inane in the Membrane". But it was set closing cover of "House of Pain" that really surprised the crowd and had them jumping.
SATURDAY
Day two of the festival had a very different aura about it. While the spirit of Riot Fest was certainly intact with the first half of the day featuring Verböten, Buzzcocks, D.O.A., and plenty more keeping that punk and hardcore energy alive. But as the sun sett it felt like a completely different fest with the shift to a more indie rock, almost P*tchfork-esque lineup. I mean Spoon, Pavement, Waxahatchee, Beck, Beach Bunny and St Vincent alone would make any lineup worth attending, but it felt a little strange for a Saturday at Riot Fest.
That's not to say that Saturday was disappointment. If anything it was my favorite day of the festival. Pixel Grip dominated their opening AAA stage spot with their dark synths that honestly had me entranced. Brutus followed that up nicely with some hard hitting anthems. But it Was Princess Goes that surprised everyone on multiple levels as it became clear that half the crowd knew EXACTLY who they were seeing while the other half was entirely unsure. Princes Goes is fronted by Michael C. Hall, which depending on your fandom is the titular Dexter or David Fisher of Six Feet Under (and many more roles but you can deny these are synonymous with his career).
Someone needs to decide which band had the most energy on stage: The Hives or L.S. Dunes. Both bands brought it in entirely different was. The Hives with this unabashedly joyous on stage while L.S. Dunes were a cathartic release of fury. These two sets might are near the top of the weekend for me, but as you'll read, things just kept getting better and better.
As we got into the more indie focused part of the day I was becoming all the more relaxed. Spoon kicked off the evening with one of the more consistent sets of the fest. Spoon is a band that is so well honed it seems unbelievable. With only an hour on their hands, Spoon raced through their discography, cherry picking their most recognizable tracks. Now, did I wish they played ANY song from Girls Can Tell Like they did at Metro a few nights before? Sure. But I'll take what I can get. "Inside Out" continues to be one of their most ethereal and beautiful songs while "The Underdog" feels like Spoon synthesized down into one blissful track. They ended their set with "Rent I Pay", which has become THE spot for that song.
I'll try to keep it brief, but for a very long time I though I would never see Pavement perform. Having discovered them for myself well past their time as a band, I figured I'd only ever get to see them separately, maybe hearing them perform a Pavement song or two in a medley. But with two reunions on their belt, and this being my second time seeing them on their second get together, I can safely say the wait was worth it. Despite the years that have accumulated, everyone in them band acts like their not even a day removed from their prime. Malkmus oddly and haphazardly introduced the band, Bob Nastanovich was a mad man on the loose, Scott Kannberg and Mark Ibold were staunchly determined at their guitar and base respectively, and Steve West slammed on those drums. Their setlist was pitch perfect, as was expected with highlights coming in the form of "Frontwards", "Date w/ IKEA", and "Gold Soundz". Not to say that favorites like "cut Your Hair", "range Life" and the recently revitalized "Harness your Hopes" were;t amazing. They most certainly were. But so were those other songs. And the songs I;ve neglected to mention Damn, Riot Fest and I were very lucky to see Pavement on such on roll.
And let's not forget Waxahatchee, who's band features some notable local musicians and always feels like shes playing a hometown show in Chicago. Coming out to Dolly Parton's "Here I Am" donning a KC hat (Kansas City? Katie Crutchfeld?) as she performed "3 Sisters", which is easily my favorite opening track of the last few years. The song starts off so unassumingly as Crutchfield voice glides over the crowd and her band gently adds instrumental textures before they all explode, cuing her to toss her hat into the crowd bellow out "Try to justify and scrape by I was always the one unsteady". Gives me chill just thinking about it. Focusing entirely on Saint Cloud, Tigers Blood, and her collaborative album with Jess Williamson Plains, Waxahatchee has found yet another stride that will surely only get better with every upcoming song.
SUNDAY
A couple of weeks before the festival I was speaking to a friend about the weather, how we were finally getting to the cooler tempts. He reminded me that Riot Fest weekend was still on its way so that meant 90+ temps and more rain than anyone wants to deal with on a normal day, let alone during a festival. He was unfortunately correct as gates opened a little later than expected on that rainy Riot Fest Sunday. Now it wasn't all bad but missing a few set to save my cameras and walking through the softer grounds and muddier sections definitely out a damper on what should have been easily the most berserk day of the fest.
Rob Zombie knows his audience and with surgical precision hit every note you'd expect. Emerging from the curtain fall atop of structure emblazoned with his name as he performed "Demon Speeding", Zombie looked like an impassioned cult leader. He may as well have been and the crowded AAA stage followed his every move his a devotion rarely seen. I haven't seen a crowd so focused on a performed from that opening salvo to the momentary encore pause before he let it rip for "Dragula". And truth be told, I was definitely one of them.
With the rain starting to gain some steam, Slayer made the crowd wait for the night's finale by watching a mini doc on the band. Mostly images of the band from yesteryear with their peers lauding their sound and impact. It was certainly appreciated by their diehard fans, but you could tell some sections were getting restless,. They just wanted to head-bang what was left of the fest away. And head-bang they did as Slayer completely destroyed any semblance of quiet that was left in the weekend with a nonstop barrage of heavy guitars and roaring vocals.
And with that, Riot Fest shop for another year. Let's plan on getting the bands back together next year. And don't forget to check out the rest of the photos from the fest at the following links. Friday photos are available here, Saturday photos are available here, and Sunday photos are available here!