If we had to choose one word to describe Riot Fest Chicago, we’d go with “crowded”. Sure, “loud”, “unforgettable”, “incredible”, and “woah” are great choices but “crowded” hits this year’s edition on the head as Sunday’s events (September 14th) turned Humboldt Park into a muddy, mosh-infested dead zone that’s anti-group selfies and hashtags. Maneuvering from stage to stage proved to be a bit difficult given Riot Fest’s expansion and the endless sea of bodies but it was neatly complimented by the massive array of acts that occupied said stages. For the older crowd, there was Weezer, Cheap Trick, Mineral, Primus, Patti Smith, and Mastodon, and for the not-so-humble attendees, there was a run-off of indie label alternative. The Menzingers woke everyone up with a 11:45 AM start time; Chumped and The Front Bottoms made tributes to the East Coast; La Dispute and Tiny Moving Parts wrecked with their own numbing sets; and Modern Baseball played to one of the biggest audiences of the weekend – confidently proving Philly’s rock/punk scene is worth rediscovering. It’s no secret we’re a little bit bias when it comes to some of these bands but as you’ll soon notice, they absolutely deserve it.
Dig up our live galleries below via our photographer Joel Pilotte and make sure to check out his other photo sets from Friday and Saturday.
THE MENZINGERS at ROOTS STAGE
BOUNCING SOULS at ROOTS STAGE
THE FRONT BOTTOMS at REBEL STAGE
PUP at REVOLT STAGE
TINY MOVING PARTS at REVOLT STAGE
LA DISPUTE at ROCK STAGE
DADS at REVOLT STAGE
MODERN BASEBALL at REVOLT STAGE
CHEAP TRICK at REBEL STAGE
BRING ME THE HORIZON at ROCK STAGE
