by Sophia Fischer
September 19th, 20th, and 21st, I went to my favorite Chicago festival, Riot Fest. Even though it was muddy, cold, and wet, it was still the best three days of the year. From 3OH!3 to Less Than Jake to Pierce The Veil, I had the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I woke up on Monday with my whole body hurting (I’m getting too old for this, 20 years old) but it was absolutely worth it. I want to go through each day and share my experience, but I want to start off with some tips and tricks so you can prepare for next year’s fest!
I like to call this the “What the hell should I do to get ready for Riot Fest?” portion of this article. For starters, they allow any small or clear bags and will let you come in with a bigger backpack if they can search it. I reckoned getting a clear fanny pack. Even though they look incredibly un-cool, you practically get to skip the bag check and all your stuff will be close to you to decrease the risk of pit pocketing. Second, please bring a water bottle. It doesn’t matter what kind, just bring water. Especially if you plan on drinking, this year the weather was quite confusing but it’s the Midwest, so…anything is possible. We don’t want any trips to the medical tents so stay hydrated!! Finally, I cannot stress this enough: WEAR GOOD SHOES! You’re walking all day and standing for very long periods of time. I wore my Dr. Martens with, I’m not even kidding, three pairs of socks. My feet still hurt but I didn’t have any blisters or blood and that’s all that matters.
I think it’s time for the day-to-day adventures at Riot Fest. Day one was my artist-heavy day, so I got there as soon as it opened. If you listen to What The Punk?, you know I’m a huge merch girlie. I love getting a T-shirt, hoodie, pin, sticker, the whole nine yards. So, my first stop was the merch tent and there was so much good stuff this year (Mom Jeans, if you’re reading this, I’m so sad you didn’t have your new crew neck and I’ll have to order it online later). After that, it was time for a rapid fire of shows. I started off extremely strong at 3OH!3, an electro-pop, emo crunkcore band, who brought insane energy with cool graphics and amazing stage presence. They’ve been on my must see list for a while and they absolutely exceed expectations.
I then saw The Paradox, followed by Joey Valence and Brae. The Paradox, a pop-punk band from Atlanta, brought us new music and fun stories/crowd work. Joey Valence and Brae have a Beastie Boys vibe that made for a super fun and energetic show! I stopped for some food and the food vendors at Riot Fest are always delicious, they do a great job of finding good food! I wrapped up the night with back-to-back shows with The All-American Rejects, Rise Against, and Twenty-One Pilots. Three incredible performances with classic 2000s nostalgic vibes from the Rejects, a fast-paced punk show from Rise Against, and ended with more classic nostalgia from my middle school heart throbs in Twenty-One Pilots.
Unfortunately, day 1 absolutely killed me. That didn’t stop me, though, and I was ready for day two. I had a little bit of a late start (I slept through my alarm…happens) but once I got there, I was so excited to do some exploring. Riot Fest has this mini market they call the Riot Mall, and they have the cutest vendors. They’re local vendors that range from patches, records, jewelry, socks, and so much more. This is when the mud started to form but it wasn’t too bad, just a little drizzly and humid. It was then time for Descendents. They were on a smaller stage but this was my second time seeing them this year and it was just as good as before. They did an album play of Everything Sux with a couple of other fan favorites. At this point, Riot Fest had announced gates would be closing early to prep for the big storm. So, we rushed to Less Than Jake, my first time seeing them and it was so good, and then ran to the parking lot to avoid crowds and made it safely back home.
It’s finally mud fest, I mean day 3 of Riot Fest! Last day and the most intense. On my way to the fest is when I got a message saying doors are delayed until 2pm…so it was time to explore Chicago! I love the city, so this was easy for me. Once it was finally time for the gates to open, I rushed over and started my day with Saturdays At Your Place. I really wanted to see Daisy Grenade but unfortunately, they were cut due to the delay in opening. This also pushed back a lot of groups and had a lot of overlap, so I had to choose between seeing all of Bowling for Soup or all of Mom Jeans. I went with Bowling for Soup and it was one of the most fun shows I’ve ever seen. I’d also like to note that my friends and I were the youngest people at Bowling for Soup but also the most hype. I did still go see Mom Jeans but just the end. It was then that we had to venture through the biggest mud piles ever. Fun fact about me, I hate wet clothes or mud on my body. I was soaked and covered in mud driving home. That being said, seeing Pierce the Veil in the rain was…incredible. I literally cried; it was such a great show and made all of it worth it.
Long story short, go to Riot Fest and see your favorite bands!
