1. Riot Fest went to the beach
-Beach Rats… Beach Goons… Much has been said about the proliferation of the use of certain words in bands…. “Wolf” was everywhere for a few years. In fact, Reignwolf and Wolfmother both played at Riot Fest this weekend. “Beach” is in. Ending your band in ”Wave” is also in. Surf-indebted branding is everywhere. It definitely works at Riot Fest.

2. I doubt we see a band like Bullet For My Valentine next year
-Now that Chicago Open Air is back I think Riot Fest will cool off on that type of metal. Their crowd was anything but small, I just get the sense that Riot Fest will try to double down on pop-punk now that Warped Tour is no more and there will be more competition for booking metalcore bands.

3. There’s a reason the Roots Stage and Rise Stage don’t usually play at the same time
-Those two stages are pretty close together. And the sound bled over from the Roots Stage for almost the entire Incubus and Father John Misty sets. Between every break between Incubus songs you could hear the snarky folk-pop from FJM. Luckily, the Rise Stage was facing north, or the California veterans sheer volume  and playing style might have overcome the much lighter sound from the Roots Stage.

 

4. Mike and Mike made some legit PSA’s
“Cyco Mike” from Suicidal Tendencies and “Killer Mike” from Run the Jewels have two things in common:
Firstly: They know how to control a crowd.
Secondly: When they talk, people listen. Both of them took time between songs on Sunday to share some of their accrued knowledge. Whether it was “the clock is always ticking, and there is only one way to move forward” mantra from Cyco Mike, or the “take care of each other” philosophy from Killer Mike, both left the audience with more than battered ear drums and huge smiles. Bonus points to Run the Jewels and their anti-suicide message towards the end of their set. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS commendable.

Props to the Suicidal Tendencies crowd. You were the most insane I’ve seen.

5. Bacci Pizza is a huge rip-off
-$11.50 for a bad slice of pizza that normally costs $4.50? No thanks. Please note that I am grateful to Bazzi Pizzeria for SAVING MY DAMN LIFE after I drunkenly leave Cubs games and badly need food. This is the opposite of The Aquabats’ “Pizza Day.”

6. Incubus should REALLY have been on the Main Stage
-I get why the planners booked them to close out the Rise Stage. The acoustics at the Rise Stage are the best you get at Douglas Park. But boy was that crowd a mess. The hilly area near that stage has a ton of trees and is sloped. Anyone who wants food needs to navigate that area. Add the crowd watching a band that is on the top-line of the card? Mess. Incubus did sound like absolutely fantastic. Brandon Boyd’s vocals were crisp and clear. Their guitar-heavy live performance got the crowd going early and often for their energized set. They played like headliners. Bonus points to their DJ who was swinging his dreads around like the lead guitarist in a thrash-metal band. That guy rules.

7. Calpurnia demonstrates why Riot Fest is so stinkin’ fun
-Riot Fest booked the kid from Stranger Things to come rock out early Sunday afternoon (well before his bedtime). That is fun. The promotion has never shied away from novelty acts that many festivals feel too holier-than-thou to book. I’m not saying these kids are the Aquabats or GWAR, but Riot Fest’s familiar goofiness was felt during their set. Baby Metal next year??????

These kids even look like they’re at school.

8. All Rise REALLY ran out of beer
-First it was the high ABV Orange Wit, then it was the delicious, hoppy and aptly-named Sell Out, then it was the dependable Wonder Beer. The thirsty Riot Fest crowds finally killed every damn keg of All Rise beer. Look at every music festival you go to, there is going to be a craft beer option available, at all times. Go to Pitchfork, they don’t even sell light beer (granted, Goose Island is owned by Budweiser). Give the fans what they want, more, better craft beer. We promise you, RF, if you give us tasty beer, we’ll give you money.
9. Sunday’s crowd had the most buttheads
-Listen, I appreciate a great butthead. I’m not trying to be critical of the fashion and behavior choices of anyone. I appreciate and respect everyone’s choice they make for their appearance. I’m just calling it like I see it. Mohawk, combat boots, army jacket and chain wallet in 95 degree weather? Butthead, but in a cool way. There were shitloads of them on Sunday. I wonder if Suicidal Tendencies had anything to do with that…

 

10. Pedialyte as a sponsor is practical, but not punk
-Disclaimer: PEDIALYTE LIMITED LIABILITY CORPORATION IS A PAID SPONSOR OF THIS BLOG. Second Disclaimer: That’s not true. What is true, is that Pedialyte is awesome for long festival weekends. What isn’t awesome is how much Fugazi would disapprove.

11. Father John Misty may not be a punk, but his ethos is
-Father John Misty was somehow a weirder booking than an 88 year old man. Jerry Lee Lewis is basically the original punk, but that booking is as off-the-wall as you get. And still, Father John Misty stood out the most from that first-wave lineup announcement. John Tillman has the Pitchfork, cooler-than-thou, most not-trying-to-be-cool vegan vibe you can get, at first glance (and sorry for the butthead approach to that description). Dig deeper into his lyrics and backstory, and this dude is a troll. He calls “bullshit” when he sees it. He is self-deprecating on stage. He thinks it’s terrible that people are on their cell phones all day. He wore a white suit to a punk festival, made fun of himself for it and then put on a fantastic folk-rock show just as every hip-hop fan in Douglas Park lined up for the first RTJ bass to drop. This dude is punk. Just a punk wrapped up in a San Francisco-chic suit and haircut.

12. Run the Jewels are more punk than you, and it’s not even close
-I’ve seen Run the Jewels for or five times before they closed our Riot Fest on Sunday. I’ve been waiting for them to play Riot Fest since I watched Death Grips fuck everyone up in 2016. Not only will Run the Jewels make even the most butthead hip-hop cynic respect their music, but they will make them like El-P and Killer Mike as people. Run the Jewels beats are heavy enough that stubborn rock purists can enjoy them. Their banter on stage is hilarious, useful and respectful. They rage against suicide, negativity, abuse and harassment. They are political without sounding uninformed or preachy (an issue most music fans understandably don’t want to address). They tell people to pick each other up in the pit. You can tell that these dudes care about each other and the fans. And they are fun. Riot Fest, to me, is the festival where fun comes first. RTJ now knows that. I don’t think this is their last time closing the Riot Stage.

13. I’m 85% sure there will be a Riot Fest next year
-The uncertainty with with this year’s event took its toll on many fans this year. So much negativity surrounded the Riot Fest community leading up to September 14th. I’ve written on this in the past. I’ve received multiple texts saying “This HAS to be the last year, right?” Well that was before we got to Douglas Park on Friday and saw hordes of people at side stages, and Mordor-size armies of fans at the main stages. That was before we saw Atmosphere holding down the Radicals Stage to a huge crowd. That was before we saw 10,000 people in 2018 Riot Fest t-shirts (the merch was on point this year).  That was before we saw Gary Numan play “Cars” twice. That was before we saw Run the Jewels blow the fucking roof off a roof-less venue.

They have yet to announce dates or a location for Riot Fest’s 15th anniversary event. But Blink 182 is booked. Andrew W.K. is booked. GWAR is booked. Taking Back Sunday is probably booked. Operation Ivy is booked. Just kidding. I don’t know who they will get, but if it’s half as fun as 2018 was, it will be the most fun I have all year.