Chicago, IL – 17 Sep 2023
editor’s note – in a sign that we are not really out of this yet, the Gordons caught the COVID bug at some point, which has been the cause of delay in Jim’s coverage of Days 2 and 3. Health is more important than TGEFM, so he took the time to recover before getting back to the fest reviews.
Day Three:
Day three of Riot Fest brings such mixed emotions. On one hand, it’s still a day filled with great bands, your beverages of choice, and great friends. On the other hand, like life itself, it’s slowly ticking down to its inevitable end and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. Well, we were going to make the most of this Sunday, get in there early and stay late! What do they say about the best laid plans? We got up bright and early to see our hometown heroes, Smoking Popes. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other thoughts. It poured rain on our drive in. Luckily, one of our crew members was tuned in to social media and heard that Riot Fest had put day three on hold pending the weather. I get it, back when RF called Humboldt Park home, every year had issues with rain, puddles, and mud. The local residents did not appreciate having their park turned into a quagmire (google it) every year, and thus Riot Fest had to find a new home. Back in those days I invested in a pair of muck boots and I’ve had to break them out on quite a few occasions. This would be one of them. Thinking quickly, we adjusted our priorities and set sights for lunch and beer. More Brewing proved to be most conveniently located, so we stopped in for stouts and grub.
Just as the last fry went down, we received word that gates were set to open at 2pm. Thursday would play a shortened set, and basically everyone prior to that was cancelled. Including the Popes! When we arrived, Earth Crisis had just started on the Rise stage. Their-in-your face metal onslaught shook us out of our Sunday doldrums. That adrenalin would prove to be short-lived, and we settled down on our tube couch to soak up the vibes of The Black Angels. Their heavy slow grooves coupled with the singer’s laid-back delivery really embodied our Sunday ethos.
I cut away for a few minutes to catch The Bronx at the Rise stage. They broke out “White Shadow,” “Shitty Future,” then launched into “Heart Attack American.” As Bronx hit their stride, the circle pit in front of the stage churned into a frenzy. Usually, Matt Caughthran, the lead singer, makes his way down into the crowd and performs in the middle of the pit. My wife and I caught them at Fest Gainesville and we were awestruck that he could survive in there, let alone perform the songs. I guess he eventually did join the throng, but unfortunately, I had to cut out and get over to catch some of Ride. I ran into my friend over there and we found a perfect perch on top of the cord protector that runs along the festival grounds. I’m glad that I made the move as Ride sounded amazing. Speaking of a band that has held true to its roots, Ride still consists of the same four guys that I saw open for Lush back in 1991. They broke into a few of the songs they played in that set including: “Taste,” “Vapour Trail,” and “Seagull.” With that finish they planted themselves firmly in my top ten of Riot Fest 2023.
In previous Days, we traversed the entire festival grounds 10 times over. Sunday did not have as many conflicts, and we stayed in pretty much the same spot the entire day. AFI came out just as the buzz was dimming on Ride’s guitars. I had Davey Havok and crew circled with an exclamation point on my schedule. In my opinion, when a band like AFI plays a festival, they should pull out all the stops and give the people what they want. I’ve seen many bands fall flat by coming with a weak set. They opened strong with “Girl’s Not Grey,” and brought the hits along with the deep cuts: “Love Like Winter,“ “Snow Cats,” and “17 Crimes.” As Havok commanded the stage, his piercing voice crushing every note, he brought the crowd back to SoCal 1993. Their closers, “Silver and Cold” and “Miss Murder,” nailed the coffin shut on a standout set.
Our friends camped out for Dresden Dolls on the Riot Stage. I remember the buzz DD created back in the early 2000’s, their vaudevillian delivery and aesthetic didn’t really register with me. We snuck over to catch some of Finch’s set. If you appreciate emo/screamo music, then you absolutely have to like the song “What it is to burn.” I’m not the biggest Finch fan, but I love that song and have dropped it on many a mixed tape. Although I didn’t know Finch’s back catalog, they put on a tight and energetic show. I think they are on tour, but you wouldn’t know it from lead singer Nate Barcalow, his voice hit every growling yelp and prompted another, “How/why does he do that??”
As the sun set on our day, we took a quick rest on the inflatable couch and soaked in The Mars Volta. At The Drive In played Riot Fest in 2017. I’m still pissed that I missed it. After ATDI split, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala formed The Mars Volta. TMV love the prog jazzy jam breakdowns. Their songs tend to be lengthy and chaotic. We sat mesmerized as they weaved their elaborate soundscapes which oozed over the crowd like fresh magma. They closed with “Cicatriz ESP” nailing every dramatic start and stop. I’m glad we caught Mars Volta although Riot Fest set up a diabolical conflict with TMV, The Used, The Gaslight Anthem, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
As they say, “all good things must come to an end.” Riot Fest is no exception. Initially, The Cure was scheduled to headline Sunday night from 7:40 to 9:55 with no conflicting band on another stage. A lofty honor for a band that has earned “headliner” status. Due to the rain, Riot Fest put Through N Through out at 8pm on the Rebel Stage. I’m guessing the TNT faithful enjoyed the intimate set. When I saw The Cure in June, they played for about three hours and pulled out some deep cuts from my fave, The Head on the Door. For this set, they followed the festival crowd code and stuck to the classics. “Pictures of You,” “Lovesong,” and “Fascination Street” kept the crowd warm on the open. They brought the heat later in the main set with “Push,” “In Between Days,” “Just Like Heaven” and “Play for Today.” From what I’ve read, the Cure has stuck to a core set of songs on all dates, when they played in Chicago back in June, they deviated from the pattern by playing an extra encore. I think they tried to reenact that set with the Riot Fest encore. They closed with their usual: “Why Can’t I Be You?,” “Boy’s Don’t Cry.” Then they ran through the extras from the previous Chicago show. It might have been me, but it seemed that they upped the tempo a bit to get them in. The crowd absorbed every nugget, even if it seemed rushed, as they closed with “10:15 Saturday Night” and “Killing an Arab.”
The lights went up and we started our slog back to the car. Another Riot Fest in the books. Having gone to Riot Fest (all or part) every year since 2009, this year introduced me to some new bands: Sleep Token, Code Orange, 100 Gecs; gave me great sets from some old bands: Finch, The Cure, AFI, Foo Fighters; and some amazing sets from timeless bands: The Mars Volta, Turnstile, Parliament/Funkadelic, Sludgeworth, Ride. Thank you, Riot Fest, for another amazing year!!
See you in 2024!!
