Recap | Nostalgia Reigns at Day 1 of Riot Fest

Riot Fest kicked off with a strong start, welcoming bands from around the world to five stages lining Chicago’s Douglas Park. The set up allows for a unique concert environment. While the park is large, with speakers blaring, main stages are set at opposite ends of the area with one band playing at a time, making the festival feel much more intimate and engaging.

Day One on the Riot Stage kicked off with Tigers Jaw, while Big D & the Kids Table took on the Roots Stage. In a similar formation, the Storyheart Stage sits next to the Rebel Stage, who brought out endearingly named Bad Cop/Bad Cop, and Citizen early in the day. The Rock Stage, on the NW side of the park, had one of our favorites, Tennesse’s Diarrhea Planet, and Rebel Stage had a late 2pm start with the Worriers.

What followed these festival kickstarters was an impressive mix of old favorites (Gwar, Dillinger Escape Plan, Jimmy Eat World, who have a new album out 10/21), underrated artists (Dan Deacon, Glassjaw), and the bangers that no doubt were a direct result of a lot of ticket sales (Refused, NOFX). The night capped with none other than The Flaming Lips, whose performance almost had us ready to forget lead singer Wayne Coyne’s whole Miley Cyrus phase. Almost.

All Photos: Derek Georgevich

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