I'll admit it, we're completely spoiled over in the Pacific Northwest with our sunny weather and rare heat waves. It's not typical to be bathing in our own sweat and walking around in what feels like a sauna for three days straight as we take in our favorite music festivals. Well, throw all that divine weather out the window and add humidity and a cloudless sun-baked sky and you'll know the joys of Chicago during Riot Fest. That being said, it was SO worth braving the weather to catch this festival. Still independently-owned, they've taken a few extra steps to make sure their expected 40,000/day attendees left smiling. Things like a water station, tons of opportunities to purchase beer/cider, a decent amount of food stands (though shunted off to the side of the main area of the festival) and the option to purchase "Ultimate VIP" tickets that gave you lush air-conditioned bathrooms and a sweet view of the stage from outdoor couches. Even if you didn't shell out the cash, they lineup was enough to get any music fan excited.
The sheer size of the festival was only comparable, in my somewhat limited experience, to Outside Lands. The San Francisco fest was quite a bit more spread out, but the crowds at each stage felt around the same size; however, I was able to get from the two stages on either end of Riot Fest, even with massive crowds spilling across the entire park, in about 10 minutes. Not too bad and thank goodness it lacked the dusty roads that so often littered Outside Lands. No face mask necessary this time.
Now that I've given you the lowdown of the fest itself, let's get to the goods. It was hard to resist this year's lineup when I took a gander a couple months ago. I may be seeing a few of the acts at Bumbershoot a few weeks prior, but I was still going to enjoy the hell out of 80% of these artists. The sudden drop out of Blink 182 little more than a week beforehand was a bit of a bummer but didn't ruin my excitement by any means. We're talkin' Beck, Weezer, Liz Phair, Elvis Costello, Jerry Lee Lewis, Run The Jewels, Matt and Kim, The Front Bottoms... I could go on and on, but you get the picture. On the first day, they didn't pull any punches with several of these musicians gracing the stage. I also may have contacted over 30 bands to grab a portrait, and while my actual number only came in at 5, I still loved grabbing the ones I did. You'll get a chance to see those throughout my three reviews of the weekend starting with Speedy Ortiz and The Front Bottoms. I have a few mini-reviews of the most memorable sets below accompanied images from lots of artists playing throughout the day. Keep your eyes peeled for day two and three later this week!
I had the pleasure to capture this band a couple times in my history with KEXP, one dating back to 2013 (!) at the old studio. I always had a soft spot for these folks and I'm really excited that they've braved the world of music to keep doing what they do. Despite the early set time, they had a crowd gathered at the Riot Stage to dance along to their fun, disjointed rock dotted with funny, sweet banter. They actually stopped by Seattle yesterday as the opening act for Liz Phair, but if you didn't catch them hopefully they'll swing back around before the end of the year.
Speaking of Liz Phair, her set wasn't too long after performing on the Roots stage right next door (Riot and Roots stages were set up as the "main stage" throughout the weekend. I love that they have a double stage like this so once the set on one is over, they can start up another in five minutes and the crowd can just shift about fifty feet to the side). She played a lot of other tunes to start out her set. She was performing for her "hometown" crowd having grown up in Chicago and considers it her first home. I loved hearing songs that were familiar yet lost in the depths of my memory from my formative years... but I felt like her set kind of lacked something. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was because she played in the middle of the day, or maybe she just wasn't feeling it. Though, most likely if you're a huge fan, you probably loved every second regardless.
These guys have been on my radar for years. I honestly couldn't tell you when I started listening, but it was long before they played a nearly perfect set at the Vera Project in 2013 where I screamed my head off and danced nearly as hard with the rest of the small but dedicated audience that night. Every time I get to see them I'm thrown back to that night (even if the crowd isn't feeling it or the set feels a little disconnected like Bumbershoot a couple years ago). I will always love their boyish, somewhat naive but universally understood songs about love, relationships, and friends. Riot Fest was no exception and with the core crowd up front and trailing back a good hundred feet, I felt the delicious energy in the air that always comes with genuine fans just happy to be in earshot of the object of their adoration. To add a cherry on top, I was able to catch up with a couple members of the band for a portrait. What a day.
You'd think we'd all get tired of seeing a similar live show from a band for years and years, but damn if it just doesn't happen with Matt & Kim. Their insanity, sheer bliss and gleeful zipping and zooming across the stage, jumping and grinning like mad-people is just as infectious as it was nearly ten years ago when I saw them for the first time at The Showbox. While hearing phrases like "pussy rules everything" out of Kim's mouth or Matt graphically describing their sex life no longer shocks me, I still get a kick out of every single song they perform with pure unadulterated joy.
I gotta say, their set at Riot Fest didn't inspire me much. I've seen them several times in the last few years at fests and tour shows. While my intense love of this band has faded significantly after they made Pinkerton but a beautifully sad memory on their road to poppy mainstream boring rock, I still loved the nostalgia of seeing them, hearing "The Sweater Song" and "My Name is Jonas", I just wasn't feeling that magic this time. They didn't come together for the sweet sweet guitar trio shot I love to capture, the music didn't feel full of energy and the band kinda felt like they were just going through the motions this time. I want to blame it on tour fatigue, but...
