Riot Fest can drink! The 21st edition of this eclectic festival took ‘Rain or Shine’ very seriously as fans trudged through the mud in Douglass Park to see Twenty-One Pilots, Tool, Alanis Morisette, Pierce the Veil, and more!
FRIDAY
There are very few people in the world who do not like the Beastie Boys. That brief list probably consists of teachers, parents, and cops trying to stop you from skateboarding. If you’ve been missing that rebellious rap/rock spark, Joey Valence & Brae fill that void and then some. This duo has been moving for five years, producing three studio albums that were all on display at Riot Fest. Single “THE BADDEST” bookended this set with an onslaught in the middle of this “NO HANDS” sandwich. The duo has had a busy tour and will round out the year at Warped Tour Orlando.
A high school band made their Riot Fest debut this year! Now these guys have been out of high school for almost three decades but The All-American Rejects have stood on just about every stage so this being their first time at Riot was a bit of a shock to me. They played a set consisting of their classics from Move Along and their first record in 14 years with Sandbox. Frontman Tyson Ritter was open with his love of Chicago, and that artists say they love every city but when they talk about Chicago, they mean it. This city has produced such incredible bands for years as seen in back to back slots on the Roots Stage.
Alkaline Trio and Rise Against are two pillars of Chicago rock that have joined forces this fall for full US tour, including October 7th in Waukee and October 9th in Council Bluffs. Riot Fest was a warm up for the future road buddies in their own backyard, which has become an almost annual appearance for the trio of Matt Skiba, Dan Andriano and their newest drummer Tosh Peterson. This years setlist looked very different from their Riot Fest setlist last year when they played Maybe I’ll Catch Fire in full. This was a set filled with the whole 3 decades of hits, the first performance of “Snake Oil Tanker” in nine years, and a snippet of “There’s A Light That Never Goes Out” during “Crawl” in preparation for Morrissey’s set the following night. Rise Against threw all they had to the Friday crowd with five of their eleven songs coming from The Sufferer and The Witness, which turned 20 this year. Closing with fan favorite “Savior”, their presence was felt at stages they weren’t even playing.
Friday held a few difficult choices as fans, one of which was Pixies and Iggy Pop overlapping for half of their sets. I made the split after hearing a trio of my must hear’s from Pixies, “Here Comes Your Man”, “Mr. Grieves”, and “Where Is My Mind?”. Eight songs were played off Rolling Stone’s 141st greatest album of all time Doolittle. After these songs serenaded the crowd, I ran over to Iggy Pop who needs to be headlining every festival from now on. I understand some people’s hesitations to this idea though. Old? Yes. Shirtless? Yes. Scoliosis? Yes. Brass Band? Also Yes. Iggy Pop brought horns and minimal clothing to his headlining set at the Rise Stage for an hour. There was a sense of deja vu as Iggy opened with “T.V. Eye”, the same song Jack White played first last year during his headlining set. The former Stooges frontman had ten of songs of his former band make the setlist out of the thirteen total. I cannot exaggerate just how involved and passionate the fans were for this set. The people were all in on this set, and I fall into that category. I am completely sold that Iggy Pop needs to be on tour for decades to come and I think if the 79 year old is alive, he will be on stage.
SATURDAY
The day was met with weirdness off the bat. Angine De Poitrine was everything I wanted them to be. Microtonal. Polka dots. Alien language. Only two members of the band. Come on, thats the classic recipe for a classic band! Their abnormality has become their brand, and in ways their sound too. Using notes you didn’t know existed with time signatures mathematicians couldn’t even count out, there is a reason this duo has sold out their entire Fall US tour.
I was about five rows back from the barricade waiting for Bright Eyes to start their set at 2:30. That time rolls around and the minutes keep passing. I was looking at the stage and I am now Bright Eyes super fan but those amps don’t like like theirs… and where is Nate Walcott’s Piano? It was Sugar’s gear on stage. The band that was supposed be on this stage at 4:50. What’s going on? Were there travel delays? Did they begin the trip at all? This wouldn’t have been the first time Bright Eyes cancelled their Riot Fest date as in 2024 they were set to headline the Radical Stage. Frontman Conor Oberst had dealt with some health issues and I was hoping the same wouldn’t have happened again. Then someone had reception. The schedule was changed due to incoming rain. A storm was brewing northwest of Douglass Park and bands were, cut, moved, and shuffled into various stages to try and fit in as many sets as possible before the 7:30-ish monsoon was supposed to ensue. Bright Eyes was moved to have a homecoming with the Radical Stage at 6:30 that night.
Now with the whole schedule moved around, my sets I was going to see are now all overlapping and spread out. This would turn out to be the smallest of problems the rain produced this weekend.
I ran over to personal favorites Gurriers with their living sound that embodies this grungy and flowing sound. It is a combination not seen to often, a flow in distortion. The radical stage, where they were playing, featured no camera feeds and just a screen behind them. No barricade in the middle either. It was a space that fit Gurriers so well as frontman Dan Hoff joined the crowd for a few songs. This was their last stop before returning to Dublin for an intensive tour of Europe and The UK.
PUP! The Dream Is Over! This is insane! One of the most Riot Fest bands there is, PUP is known for their witty and fatalist lyrics and mosh pits. That is Riot Fest in a nutshell. Celebrating a decade of their second LP, all ten songs were played including “Pine Point”, which hadn’t been played since a few album release shows. Singer Stefan Babcock said it wasn’t due to the bands dislike of the song, “we actually love this song but its sad” to which guitarist Steve Sladkowski said “aren’t they all sad?’. It’s true, songs like “Sleep In The Heat” is about adopting a dog and it passing soon after, but its hidden under a catchy bridge and the biting guitars.
I adore this band. I caught them at Riot Fest in 2023 and their set was monumental for me. It felt larger than the stage, the people, and the music itself. Everything came together for a cataclysmic set, later prompting me to see them with Jeff Rosenstock in 2025 for the aptly named Cataclysmic Rapture of Friendship Tour. PUP’s music was apart of my first show at KRUI, playing “Kids” from their 2019 record Morbid Stuff and I played them this last week on my show covering Ratboys “You Know Then“. I’m looking forward to seeing whats next for these gentlemen.
Morrissey showed up! Sporting a 21% cancel rate this year and with a moved up set time I was near certain he would disapear into the abyss of the jumbled schedule. Last year his cancellation rate was 50%, so I really wasn’t hopeful. But, to my shock and many people’s dismay, he arrived. There was no showing of his most recent record Make-Up Is A Lie, I appreciated that admission while highlighting his best work with The Smiths and during his solo career. A few fans attempted to jump on stage but none successful. There’s lots of things someone could do that might get them kicked out of Riot Fest, trying to hold hands with Morrissey would be low on my personal list. You can track every cancellation here.
Tool began their matinee performance at 6:00 and made their way through seven tracks in their hour long slot while Nas played until they practically turned off the lights, hitting 30 songs across his set. Bad Religion made their second consecutive Riot Fest appearance after playing Suffer in full last year, but only playing two songs from their 1988 debut this time around. Bright Eyes finally got their turn with a very thematic set. Oberst spoke kindly of those who stuck it out as they played tunes alluring to the rainy and gloomy day like “Bowl of Oranges” and “Train Under Water”. Bright Eyes will be returning to the midwest in just a few weeks, playing the historic Metro in Chicago along with Minneapolis and Omaha. You can find full tour dates here.
This rain out forced Johnny Rotten and his project Public Image LTD into a 20-minute set along with Social Distortion thrown into an all too brief 30 minutes. All in all, I think the bands and people did the best with a bummer of a situation, lets just be thankful it can’t get any worse tomorrow!
SUNDAY
It’s tomorrow and it got worse. Gates delayed until 2:00pm. Standing water was prevalent and gave way to a field of slush and mud. In particular right around the Riot Fest merch tent and the bar area. This was a heavy foot traffic area that was hit heavy and became somewhat of an excursion when trying to pass through to the main stages. Although everyone was wet, muddy, walking slow, and cold, the spirits were high. The patrons embraced the conditions and made the best of a messy thing. I saw multiple matches of mud wrestling, people dripping in mud after a tumble but laughing as they get picked up. In case you were wondering this did nothing but incentivize more mosh pits. It was very evident that the people who were there wanted to be there. Only at Riot Fest right?
Nate Amos, star of This Is Lorelei is just two weeks removed from his latest record The Singer In My Band and brought a heavy helping of it to the Rebel Stage. The indie rock sound blended with touches of electronics and keys scratch an itch in my ear that I love. This Is Lorelei is one of those “your favorite artists favorite artist” and has earned collaborations from just about everyone in this modern wave of indie rock like MJ Lenderman, Waxahatchee, Jeff Tweedy, Power Snatch (Hayley Williams), and even Tim Heidecker on Box For Buddy, Box For Star (Super Deluxe). This Is Lorelei is supporting Bleachers on their fall tour and will be playing with them at Vibrant Music Hall this Friday! You can find tickets here.
Patti Smith was everything you wanted from a show. A rockstar in every way and a punk at heart, at 79 years old Smith was spectacular. Hitting all the classics like “Gloria” and “Because the Night” (cowritten by The Boss himself Bruce Springsteen). She was giving it everything and the crowd was giving it right back. I was moved so strongly by seeing the likes of Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, and Elvis Costello intoxicate a new generation in real time. Costello headlined the Rise Stage and brought his hits from his Attractions era and his latest tunes with the Imposters. There’s a reason Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day covers Costello, Jack White covers Iggy, and Jason Isbell covers Patti. These are generational writers and musicians bowing in front of the greatest to ever do it. I couldn’t have asked for anything more from all three, I’ve been marked by this trio.
William Shattner is in a metal band now! New sentences are being said every day. I heard Captain Kirk sing along to Metallica, Ozzy, and Motörhead while debuting three original songs too. Only at Riot Fest can you be shin deep in mud and listen to a 95 year old and two time Emmy winner sing “Crazy Train”. Mom Jeans was a favorite of the night, commanding the crowd to splash each other with mud and devolve into a singular entity in the mosh pit moving around like a wave. Coming out of the gate swinging with “Scott Pilgrim v. My GPA” set the tone for the show they were about to have. I’ve always been a fan but now after seeing them live, I am such a big fan. A very big difference.
Taking Back Sunday made their twelfth Chicago Riot Fest appearance this year playing Louder Now in full. This was a special show considering the only other date they’ll be playing the album in its entirity is at Red Rocks. The hour was almost filled to the brim with the record but the New York natives snuck in “A Decade Under the Influence” and “Cute Without the E”. The band sounded alright, as the quality of performance has been in question for the past few years, but not every band will sound as good 20+ years removed from their breakout. Bowling For Soup made their second Riot Fest appearance, and their first since the departure of guitarist Chris Burney. Now a three piece, the joy and fun hasn’t left the hearts of Jaret Reddick and company. They played the hits including their cover of former tour mate’s Wheatus’ hit “Teenage Dirtbag”. You can listen to my interviews with both Reddick and Brendan Brown of Wheatus.
Twin Peaks return was a highlight of the weekend. Reuniting earlier this year for nine nights at Thalia Hall, Chicago’s premiere indie/garage rock act from the 2010’s was a joy to finally hear live. Celebrating a decade of their record Down In Heaven during those gigs, they brought along a variety of Windy City favorites as openers that helped put forth a residency for the ages. Sixteen songs were played at Riot Fest from their whole discography, as their first shows since before covid have been met with open arms. There are no more gigs on the radar for the group, but I am hopeful they’ll be around again soon.
Alanis. What else is there to say. The absolute pinnacle and finest there can be. Give her as long of a set as she wants. The Canadian rockstar hit seven of her eleven tracks from her breakout record Jagged Little Pill. Sometimes artists get digrunteled with their earlier material, but Alanis performed it with the same earnest and eager energy you’d expect from a young stars first headline tour. An outstanding show from her, a must see again.
Pierce the Veil followed with one of the final shows of the I Can’t Hear You World Tour. This brought them all over the globe and is culminating in a run of headlining shows including a sold out Petco Park in San Diego, their largest show to date. Less than three years ago, PTV was playing Chicago at the 5,000 capacity Aragon Ballroom and now is playing on the biggest stages they can find to tens of thousands of people. A triumph of the scene, this victory lap is well deserved after two decades of gigs. The untimely death of their manager at the start of this tour gave this whole run an influx of emotion which was compounded at Riot Fest with the passing of New Found Glory’s guitarist Chad Gilbert. The show was dedicated to the scene veteran, as PTV and NFG shared many a tour and festival for years. This set threw in something from each, including a brief cover of fellow Riot Fest player Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind”. The band will be taking things a little easier next year, heading to Europe for some dates with blink-182.
I think part of the reason Sunday felt so magical is because of the desire for the people to be there. I touched on this earlier but everyone had every excuse to leave whenever they wanted. You could barely walk anywhere, you were soaked, muddy and it was day three of the festival. People are tired! So not a soul who was there didn’t have every intention of having fun still. The artists appreciated it and I think the dedication of the fans helped propel these artists into some incredible sets. Patti Smith usually plays theaters and more classy venues, so seeing thousands surround her covered in mud brought back some of those grungier days while up in Hotel Chelsea. I was originally dreading the rain with flashbacks to the Sunday of Riot Fest 2024, but I was reminded of how magical seeing Dr. Dog amongst the mist was and was inclined to make the most of this day. I think I, along with every artist and fan did too. I am so excited to go back to Riot Fest next year whether I’ll be in boots and a rain jacket or sandals and sunglasses. You can find information for Riot Fest 2027 here. Listen to Downey’s Hour, Monday Nights 9-11p for your latest festival news!
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