Riot Fest 2024: a weekend of punks, mud, and music.
Chicago’s iconic music festival returns to Douglass park for a nostalgic weekend.
photo by James Richards IV/ Brooklyn Vegan.
This past weekend, I attended Chicago’s historic Riot Fest, one of the nation's largest alternative music festivals. Located in North Lawndale’s Douglass Park, the festival has featured major names in punk-rock, metal, and hip-hop since its creation in 2005.
Attending a rock festival for the first time was a refreshing experience. While most major festivals I've been to are riddled with defensive barricade campers and chronic set filmers, Riot Fest was a completely different animal. Fans were lost in the moment, singing along from the barricade to the back tents, hardly a phone in sight.
The nostalgic atmosphere, however, went beyond the lack of smartphones. Looking around, it could have been the 90’s or the early 2000’s. Youngsters and veterans alike sported matching oversized Circle Jerks tees, DIY Slayer-patched vests, and colorful liberty-spiked hair.
Overall, the crowds were energetic and down to earth—even soloing, I made new friends every day. While I sadly could not make it to all of the artists that I wanted to, the weekend was full of highlights, good food, and great music.
Friday
As I entered the festival on Day 1, I was immediately met with a huge cloud of dust rising up from the front of the thrash band Suicidal Tendencies. The 80-degree heat and muggy humidity didn't stop fans from shoving moshers around the pit or ninja-kicking with their Doc Martens (hitting the occasional unsuspecting person). Though this might sound violent, strangers quickly helped each other up, guarded people tying their shoes, and stopped to hold up lost phones. This sense of camaraderie was evident throughout the weekend—the people I encountered in the pits were consistently some of the kindest I’ve ever met.
photo by Riot Fest Official Photographers.
After this, I stopped by New Found Glory, which was performing a punk-rock rendition of Frozen’s “Let it Go.” The frontman held the microphone out for people to sing along, but it seemed like no one knew the lyrics. I also caught bits of SUM 41 and The Offspring, another punk rock band who played their hit album, Smash, in full. Later, I visited the ‘Mall,’ a corner of local shop tents that sold everything a metalhead could dream of—outlandish punk tees, denim vests, and patches galore.
As I followed the action of the crowd, I ended up at the hardcore punk band Circle Jerks. Fans of this 80’s group embraced chaos during their set—heads smashing, shoes flying out of the pit, and drinks spraying. At the end of their set, realizing I didn't have time to weave my way back out through the jammed crowd before the headliners, I decided to follow the numerous crowd-surfers. I had never done this before and felt a bit scared, but it turned out to be so much fun–and it would be the first of many more crowd-surfing adventures that weekend.
photo by Riot Fest Official Photographers.
I caught some of Fall Out Boy, a highly anticipated headliner that gathered what seemed like the entire festival that night. The band delivered an Era’s-tour-style nostalgic set, pulling songs from all eight of their studio albums.
After Fall Out Boy, I opted to take a break from the headliners in the press and artist lounge, where I was impressed by the festival’s amenities and organization—a massage therapist, huge restrooms, and a bar with arcade machines and unlimited drinks. It was a treat to be behind the scenes at a major festival and, while I did not spend much time here, it was a great place to take occasional shelter from the chaos outside.
Closing out the night, I stopped by The Marley Brothers, who were playing their first tour in two decades, honoring their father’s legacy. The audience smiled, grooved, and held hands as they sang, “Every little thing’s gonna be alright,” ending the night with good vibes.
photo by Riot Fest Official Photographers.
Saturday
I kicked off Day 2 with a visit to The Hives, a British indie rock band that I was very excited to see. I thought that by arriving early in their set, I could make it to the front, but I was terribly wrong. Despite their 2:30 pm set time, they could have been a headliner with the crowd they pulled. I settled for my spot in the back, but the excitement there was just the same as they played hits like “Tick Tick Boom” and “Hate To Say I Told You So.”
photo of The Hives by Riot Fest Official Photographers.
After this, I scrambled around for brief visits to Spoon, an electronic rock band, and Clutch, a blues rock group. Clutch Frontman Neil Fallon chuckled at the number of bananas in the crowd, saying, “That’s how you know it’s a real festival…you should all get together and make a bunch of ya.”
One of the best sets of the night, though, was put on by Basement, an early 2000’s British emo band. Following a recent resurgence of popularity on TikTok, the band went on tour this year for the first time since 2016. Gathering one of the youngest crowds of the weekend, there was no shortage of moshing or crowd surfing despite their sometimes lazy stoner-rock sound. Ending the set with TikTok viral song “Covet,” the energy was so electric—I could hardly hear the singer over the power of the crowd.
I made it out just in time to catch the action in front of Descendents. Though I was not a huge fan of this emo-punk band before the festival, their set might have been my favorite of the entire weekend. The band delivered an astounding performance that sounded just like their recordings. With their incredibly nostalgic sound and not a phone in sight, their set felt like a time capsule to the 90’s. In front of a sunset backdrop, fans crowd-surfed, danced, and sang along.
photo of Descendents by James Richards IV/ Brooklyn Vegan.
Following Descendents, I ended up at the front before NOFX, who was headlining all three days of the festival on a final goodbye tour. Even on night 2, the crowd was packed from front to back with NOFX shirts. Lead singer Fat Mike thanked the crowd for choosing them over Beck. He then mumbled something vaguely offensive that I didn't quite catch before declaring, “It’s my final tour! I can’t get cancelled!” Despite the older crowd, once the music started, it was pure insanity for this skate-punk band. Unfortunately, I was not able to stay for long; I was fighting for my life in the pushpit until, of course, some kind strangers helped me up to crowd surf out.
I grabbed some much needed ice cream at the food vendors, which had everything from vegan nachos to Harold’s fried chicken, before heading to Beck, an alternative rock artist that incorporates folk, funk, soul, and electronica. Thankfully, I caught him just in time to see his number one hit, ‘Loser’, to finish off the night.
Sunday
Day 3 was for the metal fans, featuring some of the heaviest acts of the weekend. Following a night of showers, the once-dusty mosh pits had turned to mud sinks, but that didn’t stop festivalgoers from bringing the energy and throwing punches to hardcore bands like Gel and Tsunami.
photos by James Richards IV/ Brooklyn Vegan.
I had to stop by GWAR, a heavy metal band known for dressing up as space barbarians and performing grotesque skits onstage. Fans clamored to the front to be sprayed with fake blood during their set—a GWAR badge of honor. The band certainly brought the shock factor they promised, featuring a pregnant Taylor Swift caricature dressed in a #87 Kelce jersey. Taylor gave birth to a football fathered by GWAR guitarist Balsac as the band delivered a metal rendition of ‘Shake it Off.’
photo of GWAR by Riot Fest Official Photographers.
I then made my way out and over to Rob Zombie. Known for both his horror-themed music and his work as a director, Zombie capped off his world tour at Riot Fest. In addition to his heavy tunes, the stage was a spectacle in itself—a dark, twisted carnival of alien inflatables, elaborate zombie costumes, and larger-than-life visuals. Every moment felt like a sensory overload—even from my spot at the adjacent stage, fans waiting for Slayer were captivated and singing along.
The Sunday lineup was stacked with some unfortunate conflicts, so I sadly chose to skip headliners Dr. Dog and Sublime, who recently reunited with the late lead singer’s son taking over as frontman.
That said, it was worth it to be at the front for the performance that festivalgoers seemed most excited for. Slayer, an iconic 80’s metal band and one of the four “founding fathers” of thrash, closed the night with their first live show in five years after disbanding. Fans were thrilled— Slayer was all the talk the entire weekend, and it seemed like every other person I saw at Riot Fest was wearing one of their shirts. Unsurprisingly, this crowd was by far the craziest that I encountered that weekend, as they delivered a 20-song, career-spanning setlist with a bass-heavy mix and fire cannons galore. I had to keep my head up in my place near the front; huge circle pits appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye, and crowd divers were near constant. Closing with their #1 hit, “Angel of Death,” the band ended the weekend amid a roaring crowd of joyous fans who had never imagined they would see Slayer again.
photo of Slayer by Riot Fest Official Photographers.
Thank you Riot Fest—until next year!
edited by Alex Oder.
photos by Riot Fest Official Photographers.