Category: Riot Fest

New adds Rancid, Dropkick, Knuckle Puck, The Bronx.  Rancid is an all time best, Knuckle Puck is on the good end of pop-punk/emo, and The Bronx are full on hard core punk.  But the cherry in this group for me is Dropkick.  They’re always one of the best shows (bagpipes and punk…fuhgettaboutit) plus they have a new album that calls out Mick Jones of the Clash as a cleptomaniac for pudding, yes pudding.  The best.

But with the new release we lost a few more. Saves the Day (pop punk/emo) is gone.  Word on the street is the lead singer has issues with young girls.  Also lost L7, Don Broco, and Boston Manor.  Don Broco and Boston Manor are from the UK and could have travel issues, but each is showing Thursday on their website.  Maybe they were pulled from the poster for the preview night?  We’ll see.  It’s possible the same for L7, but they also dropped off Aftershock so maybe there’s something else going on. Too bad; they f-ing kill it. 

I count 92 bands.  2019 had about the same, 91.  Even though this year feels light it’s probably a COVID-19 hangover and comparing it to the colossal lineup of Lolla.  This lineup brings it.  And we don’t even know what Thursday holds yet, or who will be the butter sculpture.

We know headline acts can be hit and miss.  Once the sun goes down it’s difficult to get a good spot.  And if they don’t have the sound dialed in well you can have a Blink-182 like disaster.  In 2019 I didn’t make it through a headliner set, leaving early to get to aftershows or pizza.  But the lead ups to those headliners were amazing: Rise Against and Raconteurs.  And in 2017 we skipped two headliners; cutting out early from QOTSA to catch the mother of all aftershows (Slaves and Buzzcocks) and skipping Jawbreaker after rightly ending the weekend with the intense and fittingly finale of Prophets of Rage.  But one headliner was absolutely amazing.  Nine Inch Nails in 2017.  So while headliners have been generally a throw away I am looking forward to two this go round.  Smashing Pumpkins and NIN.  I am already getting excited for that pause in March of the Pigs.  And it’s been a while for SP but it’s time to come back, Billy.  Sorry Run The Jewels but Saturday may be our aftershow night.  Who has the key to the condo?

Friday for me is three bands and the headliner.  NOFX, Circle Jerks, and PUP are the three must sees and I’m stressing they will conflict.  If Dirty Heads and Sublime played on the same stage back to back it might have the largest mj cloud this side of sunsplash.  Would love to see Living Colour or Fishbone on the small side stage.  And Smashing Pumpkins to close is cool.  While unlikely because they’ll probably play their latest album, CYR, how cool would an album play of Siamese Dream be?  Riot Fest does love its album plays.

Saturday is a banner day just with Rancid, Faith No More, Dropkick, and the Bosstones.  Pretty please don’t let any of them conflict.  I’ve still got emotional scars from Descendents conflicting with Rancid in 2019….how do you do that RF when Rancid and Descendents have exactly the same fan base. There’s also a little crossover with these bands.  The whole Boston thing with Bosstones and Dropkick (the first time I saw Dropkick was opening for Bosstones) and the Bosstones just released an album on Tim Armstrong’s Hellcat records and he sings on at least one track (The Final Parade).  Can there be a RiotFest collaboration with any of them?

And Sunday has the #1 and #2 must see of the weekend for me.  #1 Devo and #2 Hall of Famers Nine Inch Nails.  Can’t conflict with those two.  In a perfect world they’d be on the same stage back to back.  And add Pixies playing at the adjacent stage.  Let’s plan it right now; Devo at 6:30 on the Riot Stage, Pixies at 7:40 on the Roots Stage, and NIN at 8:45 on the Riot Stage, Lou Malnati’s at 11pm.  Great way to wrap it up.

Is it September yet?