Riot Fest tore via Chicago this previous weekend with large headliners like My Chemical Romance, the Misfits and 9 Inch Nails — in addition to a slew of different punk and emo acts to spherical out the weekend’s lineup.
Some names have been model new to the competition whereas others have been veterans who’d been there because the starting, however even the rookies have been fast to develop some new core recollections because of the unparalleled punk rock weekend.
Learn extra: 10 pop artists who performed Warped Tour
As Riot Fest nears its twentieth anniversary, we requested dozens of artists what their favourite reminiscence or second was from the competition’s 17-year historical past.
What’s your favourite Riot Fest reminiscence/second?
Charlotte Sands
I really like getting to look at a few of my favourite bands and artists carry out over the weekend. I’ve at all times been so impressed by the Riot Fest lineups — this yr particularly — and I’m actually honored to be part of it.
[Photo by Ryan Bakerink]
Eugene Hütz (Gogol Bordello)
We now have plenty of September birthdays in Gogol Bordello — mine and our violinist, Sergey [Ryabtsev], included. So each time we have fun our collective Virgo birthdays right here, it’s been very satisfying. Think about enjoying an important gig to an important crowd, after which working to see the Stooges up subsequent!
Honest Engineer
Taking part in it for our first time in 2019 was tremendous enjoyable. Undoubtedly considered one of my favourite moments. Seeing Cap’n Jazz, and the Broadways in 2013 — and at all times consuming too many Monaco [cocktails].
Brian Sella (The Entrance Bottoms)
We’ve performed Riot Fest twice, and I’ve two very clear recollections of it. The primary is from after I was a lot youthful, and I feel I had a bottle of Jack Daniels on stage with me. Then I went down and walked across the viewers with it and was simply hanging out with everyone. The second reminiscence is from once we had a bunch of individuals come up on stage and sing “Twin Measurement Mattress.” It was only a actually good time.
[Photo by Ryan Bakerink]
Kyle Fasel (Actual Mates)
Certainly one of my private favourite recollections from Riot Fest occurred in 2017. My finest buddy Tom was within the crowd with an enormous signal that requested me to be his finest man at his wedding ceremony. The group actually bought into it as nicely. Everybody was pointing on the signal and it was a complete large deal. It is a fond reminiscence of mine.
Pat Kirch (The Maine)
I really like how numerous the lineup is yearly. There actually is one thing for everybody, and so they at all times appear to get a band to reunite — which I really like!
[Photo by Ryan Bakerink]
Blothar the Berserker (GWAR)
My favourite Riot Fest second was assembly Merle Haggard’s crew. I used to be sitting there consuming a child leg, and in walks a bunch of hundred-year-old cowboys. I requested them to play “The Bottle Let Me Down” and so they really performed it that night time! What I like probably the most about Riot Fest is seeing so many legends in a single place. I’ve seen Die Antwoord and I’ve seen Jerry Lee Lewis, Tv and Wu-Tang. We’ve all shared time within the line for the comfortable serve machine.
Skating Polly
Kelli Mayo (vocals/bass): Being on the aspect of the stage with Kat Bjelland watching L7. It was fairly wonderful. We had simply toured with [Babes in Toyland] in Europe for the primary time and Kat was like my Riot Fest buddy the entire day.
Kurtis Mayo (drums): My favourite reminiscence from Riot Fest is after I bought to look at the Pixies from a Ferris wheel. Additionally after I smoked weed with De La Soul, after which Cypress Hill got here up and instructed me my rolling papers have been too small.
Peyton Bighorse (guitar): My favourite reminiscence is attending to see New Order from the group. I do not normally exit within the crowd, however I used to be like “I gotta do it for New Order.”
[Photo by Ryan Bakerink]
Wargasm
Milkie Manner (vocals/bass): I used to be actually excited to see My Chem for the primary time — and in addition our set was actually enjoyable.
Sam Matlock (vocals/guitar): I bought to fulfill Dan from The Surprise Years final night time — and yeah, I used to be stunned that the group really knew plenty of our shit in the present day. That was superior, since we’re just a few scruffy punks from London.
Collectively Pangea
Erik Jimenez (drums): My favourite reminiscence of Riot Fest ever was 2016, watching Ween for the primary time. I really like Riot Fest, as a result of there’s extra punk bands that get to play that perhaps would not get to play every other competition, so I am at all times stoked on it.
Danny Bengston (vocals/bass): Once we have been on stage throughout our final track in the present day, there was a lady who was crowdsurfing in a wheelchair, and that was fucking superior.
[Photo by Ryan Bakerink]
Matt Pryor (The Get Up Children)
I do not know if it is my favourite, but it surely’s a memorable reminiscence for me. We did the 20-year One thing to Write House About present, after which we went to go see Scorching Snakes play at an after present celebration. John Reis is type of my hero, and we might talked on the telephone about perhaps working collectively in some capability, but it surely hadn’t ever come round. So we went to see Scorching Snakes after I would been at Riot Fest all day with “drinks,” and I bought fearful of him. I stood within the nook backstage and I would not speak to him. He was like “Hey, Matt, how’s it going?” And I used to be like “Nope, cannot do it. I can not do it. I can not speak to my hero.”
Heather Baron-Gracie (Pale Waves)
Effectively, there are plenty of emos right here in the present day, which I actually love and respect. The style is wonderful. Plus, we had probably the most wonderful pizza yesterday. It was deep-dish and fried with this thick pound of cheese on it. It was very low-cost, and it was unimaginable.
[Photo by Ryan Bakerink]
No Set off
Tom Rheault (vocals): Perhaps that is egocentric, however we simply performed, and that was one of many fucking most stable exhibits we have ever performed — like a ten/10 No Set off present. There’s not lots of them, however we simply did it. The group was nice. The sound sounded so good. It was simply excellent.
Jon Strader (guitar): It’s additionally as a result of it is an honor to be on the listing of bands enjoying Riot Fest itself. It’s totally unique from what we perceive, so to be included is sweet.
Mothica
My favourite second at Riot Fest was when a mosh pit opened as much as my saddest track, “Ceaselessly Fifteen.” Usually, individuals are crying, however there was a small mosh pit off to the precise this time.
L.S. Dunes
Frank Iero (guitar/My Chemical Romance): Effectively I feel simply having the ability to play our first present right here was loopy. The one factor I don’t like is that we will’t play two years in a row.
Anthony Inexperienced (vocals/Circa Survive): I’ve by no means had a nasty expertise right here, so yeah, we’re discovering a method to play subsequent yr. I feel Taking Again Sunday does it yearly, so we will too.
Travis Stever (guitar/Coheed and Cambria): Final yr, [Coheed and Cambria] performed right here and there was an enormous storm behind us. It nearly regarded like we employed somebody or paid the Earth to try this. I feel Circa Survive was really the primary band I bought to look at play reside final yr, and that was an important second too.
Joshua Fiedler (The Juliana Principle)
I bought to see Sunny Day Actual Property, which is considered one of my favourite bands. I would by no means seen them earlier than. They get so many bands from all of the scenes, so it’s only a excellent competition for me.
The Pleasure Formidable
Matt Thomas (drums): There was this one yr we had the cats right here…
Ritzy Bryan (vocals/guitar): No, we did not have the cats right here. However I keep in mind it was highly regarded and sunny one yr. It was a really fast set — type of like in the present day — however stuffed with power. Then we left straightaway, which is commonly the case with festivals. You are type of out and in, however you’ll love to remain round and see some stuff.
Rhydian Dafydd (bass): I feel plenty of our recollections are these occasions that you just simply wish to stick round. However in the present day, we had a lovely crowd.
Bryan: It was such a stunning crowd. I really like enjoying stuff off the brand new file, which feels actually particular as a result of it got here out throughout the pandemic. So this is without doubt one of the first festivals the place we have really been capable of play a few of that stuff reside. As a normal level, it is also very nice to see different music nonetheless being represented. Typically you’re feeling prefer it’s nearly separated out, however right here it’s actually all types of genres coming collectively.
Thomas: I do have one lasting reminiscence. This one yr, this rain cloud got here in when the Foo Fighters have been on and so they have been getting pelted with rain. However the craziest factor was that we have been making an attempt to get out someway, however the entire web site was simply flooded. We needed to construct stepping stones out of street instances, and we have been all simply making an attempt to get across the stage. That was enjoyable.
Jim Ward (Sparta)
I went to Riot Fest in Denver as soon as and watched Modest Mouse and Drive Like Jehu. I really needed to run away when Drive Like Jehu began enjoying as a result of I noticed I did not need to see considered one of my favourite bands with this enormous cloud of mud and pot smoke from behind the stage. I actually fucking ran away proper then.
Holy Fawn
Evan Phelps (guitar): My favourite was in 2016 or 2018 when Modest Mouse headlined one of many nights and I used to be like three rows from upfront. That was my first time seeing them, and it was like a bucket listing magical night time.
Austin Reinholz (drums): Simply fucking attending to play the competition was unimaginable. It exceeded my expectations. It was plenty of enjoyable.
Ryan Osterman (vocals/guitar): One factor I used to be actually wanting ahead to was seeing Anthony Inexperienced’s new challenge, L.S. Dunes. But it surely ended up being proper across the similar time we performed, so I missed it and was actually unhappy about that.
Alex Rieth (bass): Actually, the vibes have simply been fucking enjoyable. Everybody right here is so good. Everybody could be very chill. The climate’s nice, and the timber and every part. We’re from the desert, so something inexperienced will get us excited.
[Photo by Ryan Bakerink]
Destroy Boys
Alexia Roditis (vocals): My favourite reminiscence from Riot Fest is simply being shocked on the magnitude of this competition and the way enormous every part is. The dimensions of the entire thing is simply completely absurd to me — and I additionally love the open bar for the artists.
Narsai Malik (drums): Everybody’s been very nice to us. We have seen some cool new bands. We have seen some outdated buddies already. It’s only a actually lovely park to have this competition.
Violet Mayugba (guitar): I really like My Chemical Romance a lot, and Frank [Iero] has been very good to our band. So to be right here with them enjoying… I really like that, and it is also only a nice punk rock competition.
Cliffdiver
Briana Wright (vocals): We did not know what to anticipate as a bunch of children from Tulsa, Oklahoma, however the quantity of people that had proven up by the tip of our set was wild to me. I’ve at all times wished to return to Riot Fest as a result of it is chock stuffed with my favourite bands, so for my first Riot Fest to be enjoying to that crowd was one of many highlights of my life.
Joey Duffy (vocals): We have to fulfill so lots of our favourite bands — like Taking Again Sunday and the Surprise years — and each of them had heard of our band. That made me fairly emotional. I used to be like “Oh, holy cow. You recognize Cliffdiver?” That is all I’ve ever wished to do my entire life. These are the bands I noticed and dreamed of enjoying exhibits with. It’s been an enormous blow to my imposter syndrome.
Dony Nickles (saxophone): I feel experiencing the group singing our vocals again to us for this primary time even being right here was simply mind-blowing. I did not know if anybody would know the phrases, however they have been screaming them and chanting in a circle.
carolesdaughter
Taking part in on the identical stage as MCR was just about a dream come true for me. I’ve at all times liked Riot Fest as a result of it is only a place for all of the emos and punks. Everyone seems to be dressed so loopy, and it makes you actually really feel like punk shouldn’t be lifeless.
[Photo by Ryan Bakerink]
Dangerous Faith
Brian Baker (guitar): My favourite Riot Fest reminiscence was in Denver the place I noticed the very first Misfits reunion live performance. They would not let anyone on stage, however someway I knew some man and bought on stage, and I used to be sporting white pants, so their whole vibe was blown. I noticed photographs from the entrance of home, and it appears like every part’s all black and grim — besides some fool in white pants blowing it. That was me. I used to be the fool within the white pants.
Jay Bentley (bass): My favourite reminiscence from Riot Fest is the dinosaur I noticed within the pit. Anytime you see that, you’ll be able to’t cease laughing from the stage.
Jamie Miller (drums): The Denver one [Baker was] speaking about was the primary one I’d accomplished. I’d simply joined the band, and we bumped into Taylor Hawkins backstage. He knew the outdated drummer, Brooks [Wackerman], and he was like “The place’s Brooks?” Jay was like “Brooks is not right here anymore…” and Taylor was like “Oh, that is proper. You bought Jamie from […And You Will Know Us by the] Path of Lifeless!” I used to be like “How the hell are you aware who I’m?” We turned buddies after that. Relaxation in peace, my buddy.
Mike Dimkich (guitar): I gotta go together with the Denver one as nicely, when the twister got here in. They stopped the present and carted the whole viewers to a highschool for shelter — after which they put us in a barn and everybody simply frolicked. Then we went on tremendous late and I fucked up the intro to “Fuck Armageddon… [This Is Hell]” so badly that Jay checked out me and goes “I do not know the way you are gonna clarify that.”
Greg Graffin (vocals): I am from the Midwest, so it was at all times an important day to return down right here and go to the museums or go downtown from 60 miles north in Racine, Wisconsin, the place I grew up. It is at all times felt like a hometown competition to me. A favourite second for me was a pair occasions in the past right here in Chicago once we performed with Joan Jett. We shared a dressing room together with her, so we have been ready to hang around with the legend herself.
Boston Manor
It feels prefer it’s a reasonably prestigious competition at this level, even within the UK. Europe is fairly large on festivals, so there’s not a complete bunch of them within the US which are on the British scene’s radar, however that is positively considered one of them. It additionally made me change my thoughts about deep-dish pizza. I hated it for a very long time, however I had it once more on this journey and it was actually scrumptious.
Bob Vylan
I really feel prefer it was lengthy overdue for us. They put the Bob-Sign within the air, so we noticed it from London and stated “They want us over in Chicago.” So we did every part we needed to do to recover from right here yesterday and reply to the Bob-Sign.
[Photo by Ryan Bakerink]
Anberlin
Christian McAlhaney (guitar): There are plenty of bands right here we have toured with previously, so the entire weekend is nearly hanging out and watching bands that we all know. That is probably the most thrilling present for us to all catch up — particularly after COVID.
Nathan Younger (drums): It is the primary yr we bought requested to play it, and we simply put out an EP, so it was actually good timing throughout the board. It looks like we’ve at all times been watching from afar with envy going “Man, that’d be superior to play.” We love Chicago. We have at all times had a good time within the metropolis, so the power to play this competition is an honor.
Jordan Hastings (Alexisonfire)
Final time Alexis[onfire] performed, I feel it was about six years in the past when the Misfits have been enjoying with Danzig once more. That was fucking large for me, as a result of I grew up as a punk child within the suburbs of Toronto listening to the Misfits and enjoying Misfits covers in highschool. Plus, Dave Lombardo from Slayer was enjoying drums — as he did once more this yr — so, as a drummer and an enormous fan, that was large for me.
Concrete Castles
It’s been so cool to see a relentless movement of bands enjoying all through the entire day. Seeing these new up-and-coming bands like ourselves sharing the stage with the legends which are at this competition is so cool. It was superior to see such a crowd come out and see how supportive they’re of the entire competition and everybody on it.
Reece Younger
I got here in early this weekend simply to see My Chemical Romance, in order that’s simply been my finest reminiscence. However I’m simply glad Riot Fest provides photographs to little guys like me to play like me. They requested me to play on the [main] stage, which was fairly cool as a result of I’ve by no means actually performed an enormous competition like this earlier than. I used to be simply stoked to be right here, and hopefully I’ll get invited again.
Jen Pop (The Bombpops)
It will need to have been 2011 or 2012 once we performed a Riot Fest late night time present with Lifeless to Me and Sundowner. We confirmed up in Chicago and stayed at Atlas Studios, and it was the day that the Menzingers had completed wrapping On the Inconceivable Previous. They have been staying there, and I feel Teenage Bottlerocket may need been staying there as nicely. Anyway, I’ll always remember that rooftop celebration at Atlas Studios from that yr. Then, in 2018, we have been watching GWAR after which ran to a different stage to look at Jerry Lee Lewis. I keep in mind having a little bit of an existential second the place I used to be like “I exist at a time after I nonetheless get to see Jerry Lee Lewis, however GWAR can also be a factor.”
Kevin Singleton (Night time Spice)
Simply having the ability to be on the stage and share that second with my band members and my family and friends. We’re native guys, and it was actually cool to see everyone right here. It is a competition that I have been going to yearly it’s existed, so it was actually particular to lastly be capable to be right here enjoying it.
Midtown
Gabe Saporta (vocals/bass): It is a actual story that simply occurred.
Tyler Rann (guitar): All the trailers have an indication in entrance of them with the band’s identify on it, however the one subsequent to ours did not have an indication. So we assumed that was additionally our trailer, as a result of clearly a band of the caliber of Midtown in 2022 deserves two trailers. So we made ourselves comfy in each trailers. Then someone knocked on the door, got here in, checked out Gabe and was like “Mr. [Ice] Dice, is the catering to your liking?” Gabe checked out him calmly and coolly and answered “It’s OK, simply name me ‘Ice.’”
Saporta: OK, that half’s solely about 60% true.
Jimmy Eat World
Zach Lind (drums): The primary time we ever performed Riot Fest, Ladies Towards Boys was enjoying on the identical stage. I hadn’t seen them play for most likely 20 years at that time, however once we have been beginning out, they’d come round Phoenix and have been at all times probably the greatest reside bands. It was superior to see them once more. They have been so good.
Tom Linton (guitar): My favourite Riot Fest second is watching Ween from out within the viewers. Additionally they placed on an important present.
Rick Burch (bass): I simply at all times love reconnecting with bands and folks we have met and grow to be buddies with over time. It is at all times like a rock ‘n’ roll reunion. However a reminiscence that stands out for me is when this ripping reggae band was enjoying — it’d’ve been Damian Marley — and I bought caught on high of the Ferris wheel.
Jim Adkins (vocals/guitar): Loads of the opposite bands enjoying and the folks working with the opposite bands enjoying are folks we have recognized for 20-plus years. I don’t know if you happen to may file it underneath a “Riot Competition second,” but it surely’s simply at all times superior to see everyone and be a part of the expertise collectively. There isn’t any different state of affairs the place these folks would hang around all collectively without delay, apart from this.
