1.Attendance was NOT down
I assumed that because of the late announcements, uncertainty with key musicians and just about everything else that could go wrong for the event that attendance was going to be WAY down. Well I have no idea what the numbers are for this year, but the crowds were massive, even on the Rise and Radicals stages.
- Friday was Pizza Day
The Aquabats are a goofy novelty band playing a goofy novelty genre (ska). That goofy novelty band drew a MASSIVE crowd. The crowd for their mid-afternoon set at the Rise stage was bigger than the crowd The National drew at Lollapalooza. That sounds like a joke. It’s not a joke. I was there. If anything can be said of a Riot Fest crowd, it’s that they like to have fun. And fun they had, whether it was the blow-up pizza slices being passed around the crowd or the two children they brought on stage to dance. The Aquabats demonstrated why should be at every Riot Fest.
- Where are all food trucks?
Speaking of pizza day… Was I the only one who noticed the lack of food truck options? I was hoping for DonerMen or Bruges Brothers. Instead, there were regular carnival eats and a few options. Highlight would be Dark Matter coffee. Love those guys.
- You can hear the main stage from Iowa…
I spent most of the day at either the Rise or Radical stages, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t hear the Matt and Kim set from just about everywhere. I get it, the promoters jam 5 stages in a not-massive public park. Sound bleeds over. Not a big deal, luckily Riot Fest rarely books solo folk singers…
- Digable Planets rule. Maybe not in a festival setting.
When the lineup announcement came there were three bands that caught my eye first: Interpol, Twin Peaks and Digable Planets. I’ve had the privilege of seeing the hip-hop stalwarts twice before their mid-afternoon set. Once at Pitchfork in 2016 and once opening for Future Islands. Both times, they sounded great. Somehow, this didn’t translate this year at Riot Fest. I still had fun listening to their performance of Reachin’ despite Matt and Kim’s noise bleeding over.
- It’s a good thing Weezer didn’t play the Blue Album
Weezer now knows to not take itself too seriously. They have perhaps the most inconsistent discography in the history of music. Radditude… Hurly…. Whatever the name of the most recent stinker they released is…. And then you have The Blue Album, White Album and Pinkerton. There are enough solid tracks spread throughout their good material that a Weezer setlist in 2018 can be enjoyed by fans young and old. I could have done without all the covers but the crowd lost it when they played “Toto,” and “All the Small Things.” Me, I would rather have nerded out over “Tired of Sex” or “In the Garage.”
- Atmosphere was the best thing I saw on Friday
Maybe it was the best thing I saw all weekend. Maybe it was the fact that he was wearing cargo shorts. Maybe I forgot how damn good he is live. Listening to his studio material one would never think Atmosphere would be so good live. But the crowd was there, and they controlled. Something about Slug’s voice carries well. When they finally played “Trying to Find a Balance” the crowd was toast. The guy pictured below with the Soundset 2002 shirt is my fucking dude.
- “Sell Out” or whatever All Rise calls their IPA, is awesome
-I’m still of the opinion that Riot Fest needs to ditch Dos Equis and Heineken for Lagunitas, but All Rise gets the lion’s share of my beer money at Riot Fest. Wonder Beer is fine, the Orange Wit is boozy, but the best thing they’ve offered at Riot Fest is the “Sell Out” IPA.
- The weather was perfect
-Riot Fest could not have gotten luckier with the weather.
- Bauhaus (I mean ??????) fans were at Riot Fest
-Unlike Bauhaus
- Archie Powell and the Exports are super fun
-Local pop-rockers Archie Powell and the Exports have what could be the greatest band name on the lineup this year. Their self-deprecating party vibe was the perfect way to start the festival. Clad in a pink blazer and pink shorts, front-man Archie Powell actively prowled around the stage, hugging his bandmates and even singing into a phone. Their local credentials were confirmed when they started drinking local liquor/jizz of a homeless man Malort. I’m hoping the next Twin Peaks show I go to has them as the opener.
- Young the Giant is not a great fit for Riot Fest
-They had a sizable crowd that seemed to be at least familiar with the band, but that was an off-brand booking for Riot Fest. I’m not one of the old-school Riot Fest fans that only wants Bad Religion album plays and the Taking Back Sunday, but I was bummed that the Roots Stage closers were such a poppy band. I like that Riot Fest books a wide range of bands, but YTG are a Lollapalooza band, and I want it to stay that way. In their defense at least they aren’t Twenty-One Pilots.
- When I walked through the gates I was smiling like a fucking idiot
-Being excited for Riot Fest is a 365 day a year job.
FESTIVAL DAD FINDER 