For the second year in a row, Union Events Ontario and Listen Harder helped a little known event in Chicago skitch its way up north for another round of RIOT FEST TORONTO. It’s just this time, things got a little crazy. Rather than host a typical summer grazing full of microbrews and high-waisted shorts, Fort York showcased sleeve tattoos, Pabst Blue Ribbon banners, pit sandstorms and a helping of bands that fostered Toronto’s biggest alternative party.
We’ll be the first to admit the crowd featured an assembly of All Time Low tees and facial hair, but it didn’t stop Saturday’s lineup from leaving bruises on anyone with Vans on their feet. Bands like PIERCE THE VEIL, MAYDAY PARADE and A DAY TO REMEMBER provided a heaping dose of Warped Tour-esque highlights and as a counter, STRUCTURES, GRADE, THE GHOST INSIDE and EVERY TIME I DIE made mid-afternoon pit madness a thing. It’s a bit hard to picture those worlds colliding but as a wise band once said, “With nothing but time, chaos reigns”.
REAL FRIENDS
STRUCTURES
THE GHOST INSIDE
GRADE
MAYDAY PARADE
EVERY TIME I DIE
PIERCE THE VEIL
A DAY TO REMEMBER
If you dig the photos or a girl that binges on pizza/beer, follow Jen Schenkel on Twitter – @jenschenkel