All Riot Fest photos by Judie Vegh of OyVegh Photography.
Nostalgia has become an integral part of pop culture. Unfortunately, it comes with a lot of baggage. Nostalgia has a funny way of suggesting the past is much more fun than your current life. But if you’d go and listen to your favorite song from when you were 15, I guarantee it won’t be as good as you remember. That’s because you are no longer the person you were as a teenager. However, the most dangerous thing about nostalgia is how it can cause you to miss out on the beauty of the present.
Being stuck in the past inadvertently closes doors that haven’t had a chance to fully open. Even more so with music. For this reason alone, the topic of modern music festivals can be polarizing. Many argue Lollapalooza isn’t what it used to be, or how pretentious Coachella has become. Despite these arguments making valid points, they’re still keeping you from experiencing something you might enjoy. Then there’s Riot Fest.
Where Lolla tends to lean hard into mainstream acts and Pitchfork looks a step ahead, Chicago’ festival scene can be as diverse as indie music.
Often labeled Warped Tour All Grown Up, Riot caters to both sides of the coin. There’s plenty of nostalgia but just enough exploration to bring back the sense of wonder festivals used to have. Going a step further, 2019 marks the 15th anniversary of Riot Fest. There were plenty of things to celebrate, old and new.
Thankfully, Riot Fest opened each day with an onslaught of guitar-driven punk to boost morale. Having acts like Pkew Pkew Pkew, Masked Intruder, and ska-punk veterans, Save Ferris as openers just felt right. The positive vibes were need to get the most out of exploration. Had I not been in such a good mood, I probably wouldn’t have checked out the Mongolian metal act The Hu, or punk jam-band, Turnstile.
Speaking of diversity, Riot Fest did some pretty interesting scheduling issues this year.
Heavyweights like RIDE, Anti-Flag, Avail, and Against Me were all scheduled before 4 pm. While that may be midday to some, these earlier slots are typically reserved for much smaller acts. Despite being insanely fun, it was a bit strange to see The Village People, Guided By Voices, and The B-52s all in a row on the same stage before dark. Even with the stacked midday lineup, the evening conflicts felt extremely puzzling this year. Jawbreaker playing against Blink 182, Bloc Party against Slayer, and Taking Back Sunday at the same time as Bikini Kill. Decisions are never easy and I’m sure the booking agent at Riot Fest is still somewhere laughing.
Day 2’s marathon of metal definitely proved to be the most challenging. GWAR, Testament, and Anthrax played consecutively on the same stage leading up to the grand finale: Slayer playing their final Chicago gig ever. I laughed hysterically at GWAR’s cartoon antics, headbanged to Testament, and thrashed about to Anthrax with only one 20 minute break before Slayer closed out the day. The unforgiving schedule was brutal and I’m not ashamed to admit I saw my life flash before my eyes in the pit, but Slayer put on the best metal show I have ever seen in my life. Regardless of how you feel about cliche and bloated farewell tours, Slayer’s performance felt like a fitting end to their legacy.
The most interesting things about Riot Fest is how personal the festival has become this late in its life.
15 years ago I would’ve been running around the city trying to take in as many shows as I could. In those days it was a multi-venue fest so mismanaging your schedule could mean missing many of your favorite acts. 15 years later and the trek between the 5 different stages on the same property felt just as taxing. There was something exhilarating about catching half a set from The Descendents and rushing a quarter-mile away to see Rancid. Despite being winded with aching feet, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel 20 years old again. The same goes for nearly losing my voice during “Motor Away” from Guided by Voices then during “Vindicated” via Dashboard Confessional.
Despite screaming along with White Reaper and subconsciously comparing Skating Polly to Nirvana, I found myself being interested in seeing what older artists were up to. Frank Iero (formerly of My Chemical Romance) proved pop-punk didn’t have to be borderline embarrassing like Blink-182. Nick Lowe is capable of Elvis Costello-esque notoriety, and how emotional I could get hearing The Flaming Lips pay tribute to the late Daniel Johnston. I may be closer to 40 than 20, but it was sometime during Riot Fest 2019, my tastes had caught up with my age.
Bikini Kill’s stage presence was nothing short of amazing, but Kathleen Hanna’s humility made their reunion that much more special.
Self-awareness was in full swing throughout the entire weekend. Taking Back Sunday joked about being old and Can’t Swim were genuinely moved by the opportunity to play. Metal gods Anthrax even took to the time to wear Bulls attire, representing the Windy City. These quirky details let us know the artists were having just as much fun as we were. Sadly, there aren’t too many festivals that can say the same.
Regardless of how much I complain, the past 15 years have changed me for the better. I can have fun with rock n’ roll as I used to but weariness makes me appreciate the finer things in life. For example, I briefly spoke with Bob Mould and the conversation was just as satisfying as many of the performances. A good amount of the established artists at Riot have grown up and evolved just like the audience. It’s fun to visit the past but none of them are really staying there.
When done properly, Nostalgia can a good thing. It’s satisfying to hear something from your childhood, but it’s even better when you’re excited about future experiences.
I always have a great time at Riot Fest and this year was no exception. However, my enjoyment isn’t based on reveling in the past. It’s about staying true to my interests. Unlike most festivals, Riot Fest gives the opportunity to revisit things from your past with a perspective of maturity. If past interests still hold up, it isn’t nostalgia. That’s not to say it’s wrong to look back to a time when you weren’t so weathered. But the future is much more exciting when you’re not a slave to the past. With that said, I can’t wait to see what happens next year’s Riot Fest!
