Following the black parade reunion tour is a difficult feat, nonetheless Saturday of Riot Fest was more than prepared to take on that challenge. The second day of the Chicago based alternative music festival wasn’t one to miss and coaxed even the latest of celebratory killyjoys from My Chemical Romance’s performance the night prior out of bed to take on the day ahead.
As gates opened at 11, festival goers were eager to snag good spots for performances kicking off within the hour. All that was left was to decide between CumGirl8 and Skating Polly- fortunately the festival layout is optimal for floating between acts! Both bands started with a bang and didn’t hesitate to continue the energy left from the night before. Fast paced and high hopes early on, there was never a dull moment between notable following acts such as Mannequin Pussy, Mothica, the Joy Formidable, and Together Pangea.
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut album, the Get Up Kids rocked the Radicals stage playing ‘4 Minute Mile’ in full. Back to their roots, the midwest emo rockers came back to the album’s birthplace with the same gusto and festival goers were definitely here for it! The Get Up Kids not only came to play the album straight through, but fed back from the crowd’s energy by finishing off with bonus tracks from across their discography.
The Menzingers
The Menzingers came back to Riot Fest after their last set in 2014 and proved to still hold weight with audiences as they drew in a large crowd at the Rise stage. Following suit with a lot of the other bands in the weekend The Menzingers played a full album set of their critically acclaimed album On the Impossible Past. A definite highlight as the crowd brought all the energy for the bands songs which had some of the most crowd surfing of any set seen throughout the day.
Yungblud
Yungblud proved to be beyond just an up and coming star. His energy was felt throughout the set and was one that continued to carry on through his strong stage presence. At one point the camera zoomed in on his shin that had blood running down to his ankle as he was screaming into the mic summing up how much of a freight train of energy Yungblud has on stage. While Yungblud’s music doesn’t carry the depth that his contemporaries might have, his performance shows it’s fun to just let loose sometimes.
The Front Bottoms
No strangers to Riot Fest, The Front Bottoms were back and ready to rock the Radicals stage once again. As they’ve continued to uphold a massive following in the midwest, fans were eager to celebrate their arrival once again. The performance felt like home to die hard fans and music lovers alike. Getting the chance to catch them in action with such a loyal fan base is a sight to see and makes the experience all the more enjoyable. While personally enjoying their music, the idea that constantly pulls me back to their sound is that of reliving such great memories associated with such a great connection between fans and feeling invited not only by them but the sound as well!
Bad Religion
Rock legends Bad Religion took the Riot stage by storm. Bringing class and collected chaos together is a unique art the band has come to perfect and definitely not something to be missed! Vox, Greg Graffin, led with a poised yet infectious energy across the band that combats the thrash of the crowd and paves way for listeners to condone respect for the seasoned pros. Facing technical issues midway through the set was hardly notable as the longtime rockers are no strangers to keeping the party going.
Golgol Bordello
One of the most fun sets of the entire weekend was Gogol Bordello who absolutely kicked things into high gear with a set that left everyone in the highest of spirits. So much so that Gogol Bordello actually took over some of Misfits stage time but if you were there during their set you’d see why. Gogol’s set was outright incredible and had everyone dancing along fueled by the thunderous performance from leadman Eugene Hütz. Also alongside the band were traditional Ukrainian dancers that hyped the crowd up even more and frontman Eugene thanking the crowd for their support of Ukraine. It all came to a roaring end with an encore where Hütz crowd surfed on top of a drum head. We definitely needed a water break after this one!
Misfits
Back again to Riot fest since their reunion in 2016 were Misfits with original members Glenn Danzig and Jerry Doyle. It proved to have been a good reunion as they not only returned again but played their seminal album Walk Among Us. Along with tons of other tracks that ended off their set with almost 30 tracks! Which goes to show the kind of musicians the original Misfits are who at nearly 70 were able to hold their reputation as one of the legends in punk music. The accompanying crowd also showed no signs of aging as the mosh pits were heavy as you’d expect from a Misfits concert. At points the pauses in the set started to impede on the flow of the set but overall the band were loud and unapologetic in their performance. The crowd screamed along with every word and “the original” Misfits once again showed why they’re cemented in Punk history.
Be sure to check back at Road Trip Playlists for further Riot Fest 2022 coverage and news!