The lineup is better than Lollapalooza or Pitchfork Music Festival this year, but that’s not a new thing. The Slayer reunion was rumored to be defunct, but is now apparently back on the schedule. Beck will be a must-see, as he hasn’t toured in a few years. Public Enemy will also be a good set, and seeing all of the Marley Brothers on the same stage would be wild.
It’s nice to see a big punk rock lineup at this year’s festival, including a final NOFX tour, Circle Jerks, Descendents, and Buzzcocks. Don’t miss The Hives, as they’re one of the best live bands of the last twenty years. Clutch are always good, and Cypress Hill is enjoying a big resurgence right now as people are discovering their classic records.
Go see Dead Milkmen and The Dickies if you want some fun. Go see Pixel Grip if you want sexy synthwave, and The Mysterines if you want good garage rock.
Find the shady spots while you’re there. There aren’t many around SeatGeek Stadium, so grab one whenever you can.
Chicago’s Riot Fest has released the full lineup for their 2022 festival, and there are some heavy-hitters this year.
My Chemical Romance and Portugal. The Man will bring in a big crowd on Friday, but the powerhouse headliner this year is Nine Inch Nails (and The Misfits are not slouches by any means). Other must-see acts include Bauhaus, Bad Religion, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sleater-Kinney, The Joy Formidable, and Lunachicks.
Tickets are already on sale, so don’t wait. Take sunscreen if you go. It was hot and sweaty there in 2021.
No, you didn’t miss three posts. I only attended day four of Chicago’s annual Riot Fest this year, and it was the first Riot Fest I’d attended. A friend scored some free tickets, and far be it from me to pass up a chance to see Devo and The Flaming Lipson the same bill.
This was the hottest music festival I’ve attended in a long while. There was little shade to be had, but sunscreen and taking frequent breaks between sets meant not suffering too much. A freshly made fruit smoothie from a vegan food vendor did me wonders.
The first set we caught was by The Gories, who opened one of the main stages. They sounded loud and dirty, and I’d love to see them in a small venue, but I’m glad I finally got to see these Detroit punk legends.
The Gories!
We walked around Douglas Park and discovered the festival was widely spread out. Food vendors were in one far corner, while a smaller fifth stage was seemingly a half-mile away in the opposite corner. You’d think they’d wheel out some portable light posts with all that room, but no.
Up next were HEALTH, and one of my friends fell in love with them upon hearing their industrial set under sun so bright that their bassist / synth player had to cover his keyboards with trash bags so he could read the digital displays on them.
The sun wasn’t healthy if you weren’t wearing sunscreen that day.
After a nice break under a tree, we trotted over to the smallest stage to see Chicago noise rockers Melkbelly, who played a fun set that included a cover of Pixies‘ “Gigantic” in an attempt to make up for Pixies cancelling their tour this summer. They were so out of practice with performing live shows due to the pandemic that they forgot their merchandise in their van.
Melkbelly playing to a lot of local fans.
I scored some chicken tenders that were average at best while my friends scored an elephant ear. Riot Fest has carnival rides on site, and I can only imagine how many drunk attendees regret getting on them over the course of the weekend.
We returned to the Rebel Stage to see Bleached perform their first set in two years (according to them, and a running theme for live shows everywhere this year), right after a guy walked by us peddling mushrooms to anyone who wanted them. They sounded great, and I would’ve liked to have stayed for the whole set, but Devo was calling…
Bleached having a fun time in the sun.
The stage was packed for Devo, complete with a mosh pit and crowd surfers. It was a fun set in which they played nearly the entire Freedom of Choice album. The whole crowd was happy and still buzzing afterwards. One guy was high-fiving people and telling them, “You just saw Devo!” It was the first time my friend, Amy, had seen them. She said she smiled so much during the set that her cheeks hurt afterwards. A delight for me and my friend (and Amy’s cousin), Brian, was getting to hear Devo’s cover of “Secret Agent Man” live for the first time. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to hear it.
De-evolution is real!
Brian and I stuck around for the Flaming Lips‘ set. Brian hadn’t seen them before, and we couldn’t get close to the stage by they started – mainly due to them starting right after Devo’s set. It was still a good set, and nearly the same as when I saw them at Psycho Music Festival. Wayne Coyne encouraged everyone to take care of each other and stay healthy so live music can continue. Amen to that.
The Flaming Lips blowing sun-baked minds.
It was a good time (and Brian’s first music festival, no less), but would I go back? The short answer is, “I don’t know.” There were a lot of bad bands on the bill on day four, and I don’t think the other three days were much better. A lot of the bands playing the various stages sounded like Rage Against the Machine rip-offs, screamo nonsense, or pop-garbage. We got the hell out of there before Slipknot and Machine Gun Kelly started their sets and laughed as we passed a guy selling nitrous oxide balloons outside the park. I might return if the lineup gets better, and they’ve already announced another Misfits reunion for 2022, but Douglas Park-area residents won’t be happy about it…
Chicago’s Riot Fest was the last 2020 festival standing in Chicago that hadn’t been postponed or cancelled, so it wasn’t a shock to learn it had been postponed until September 16 – 19, 2021.
What was a surprise was how they announced the first wave of the 2021 lineup. I don’t know how many of these bands were already scheduled for the 2020 festival, but they landed some heavy hitters either way – My Chemical Romance, Smashing Pumpkins, Run the Jewels, and Pixies are all sure to draw big crowds. Gogol Bordello are known for their wild shows, and punk legends Circle Jerks are a nice snag, as are Toots and the Maytals, Jawbox, Best Coast, and L7. My favorite part of the current lineup, however, might be Living Colour. I had no idea they were touring. Furthermore, Riot Fest teases two more waves of lineup announcements – possibly of thirty-six more bands. There’s also this…
They’ve announced that there will be surprise sets on September 16th, some by bands they describe as “bucket list” bands. In my limited music festival experience, preview nights are not to be missed. Some of the best sets I’ve seen at Levitation Music Festivalhave been on Thursday nights.
Get your tickets early if you can. Everyone is going to be so hungry for live music in 2021 that there will be few shows and festivals that won’t be sell-outs.
Chicago’s Riot Fest has released the lineup for its 15th anniversary festival, and early price tickets ($129.00) are nearly sold out. Don’t wait too long to get yours.
There are some heavy-hitters on the lineup this year. The Flaming Lips playing Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots in its entirety is almost worth the price of admission by itself. The Raconteurs are sure to put on a solid set, and I’d be keen to see Bloc Party (who are playing Silent Alarm in its entirety, and that’s a good record to be sure), Die Antwoord (as I’m sure their live shows are nuts), the B-52’s, Bob Mould for a second time this year, RIDE, Caroline Rose, Ganser, and how could you not at least check out the set by Village People?
As usual, Chicago’s annual Riot Fest is the festival Lollapalooza used to be and now dreams of being. Also as usual, the Riot Fest lineup is impressive. This first wave announcement packs some wallops. Beck, Interpol, Cypress Hill, Bad Religion, Clutch, Digable Planets, Gary Numan, Killing Joke, Wolfmother, and Bully are all worth your time. Tickets are on sale, and layaway options are available, so don’t wait until the second wave announcement if you want to get in on this.
Riot Fest Chicago has announced its full lineup for 2017. As usual, it’s killer and far better than Lollapalooza.
They’ve added several bands, including At the Drive In, Best Coast, Black Pistol Fire, Cockney Rejects, Skating Polly, the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, and many more.
You can still get tickets to this festival, so don’t wait too long. It will sell out.
Chicago’s annual Riot Fest has unveiled its first lineup announcement for 2017, and it trumps Lollapalooza’s.
They’re bringing in punk legends Buzzcocks,GBH, and Bad Brains, new punks Slaves, Death from Above 1979, and Pennywise, grunge powerhouse Dinosaur Jr., industrial legends Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, electro legends New Order and modern icons M.I.A. and Peaches, progressive psych-rockers TV on the Radio, modern rock giants Queens of the Stone Age, and rap legends Prophets of Rage, Wu-Tang Clan, and Mike D.
They still have twenty-five more bands to announce. Tickets might be sold out by the time you read this, so don’t wait to get yours.
Riot Fest Chicagohas released its full daily lineup schedule for 2016. Great additions include the Flaming Lips and Sleater-Kinney. Both of them are worth the price of admission. Don’t miss your chance to see them or Julian Marley performing Exodus and all the other great bands there.
Riot Festhas announced it’s first wave of bands for their Denver and Chicago festivals. Both can boast a Misfits reunion, which is one of the biggest tickets of the year.
Denver comes first (Sept. 02-04) and has some excellent headliners. Jane’s Addiction, Sleater-Kinney, Bad Religion, Sleigh Bells, and Yo La Tengo are all excellent choices.
Chicago is two weeks later, and I’ll be attending. I’m not only keen on seeing the Misfits, but also The Specials, Bad Religion, The Hives,Bob Mould, Juliette Lewis and the Licks, and, yes, Morrissey. I have a lot of bands to research. The first one I’ve heard is Sleepy Kitty, and I think they’re already on my first-tier list.
Get your tickets before they sell out. They’ll go even quicker now that the first wave has been announced.
