It begins. At first glance this lineup looked weak. The top line headliners really only showed one (maybe) that I would consider headliner worthy. Sure Bikini Kill had reunited, and Slayer was calling it a day, and any time Jack White is on stage is exciting…but at a glance it didn’t get me excited. But we know that headliners don’t drive a great festival. Think of your great experience at festivals and I’d bet more came from the small print on the poster. And the small print, lines four and below, deliver at Riot Fest 2019. Deliver big time. (By the way, for my taste, line three is stacked.) The lower lines on festival poster are the lines you discover new acts or get a favorite on a small stage with only a few people. At RF19, you’ve got old school English punk (Oi! Oi! Oi!). The frontman for one of the most influential American punk bands ever. 2Tone ska legends. More pop punk than should be allowed. Metal. Speed Metal. Metal supergroups. Mongolian Metal. Ski masks. And so much more. This is the point where I start to dig in and figure out what deserves a deeper cut. Even the most active can likely see only five or six acts a day. Which ones? Here’s a playlist to prep by. Not much logic to it. Just took a few songs from many of the bands and am playing it on shuffle and repeat before whittling it down.
Observations, Musings, and Lessons Learned mostly in the world of Punk, Ska, Alternative, Metal, and just plain Rock and Roll. Music with guitars…mostly