How cool will it be to see both Slayer and the Village People at the same festival? And why not? Don’t be uptight. Have fun, bang your head, and shake your ass.
Riot Fest continues to be the only major music festival that cultivates a unique identity. Why other fests have fully embraced the idea of taking everything popular on Spotify and playing it on shuffle, Riot Fest continues to attempt a bit of discretion and taste.
Punk rock is a big ass tree trunk and Riot Fest seems to take a perverse pleasure in pursuing all the different branches and roots, going as far out on the limbs as they can manage while still staying true to their mission.
What do the Village People have to do with punk rock (or anything, really) in 2019? Well consider, as my homegirl Samorama pointed out, that it’s the 40th anniversary of Disco Demolition Night, when Chicago radio DJ Steve Dahl encouraged a bunch of fun hating rednecks to destroy all their records that appealed to black folks, women, gay dudes, and other groovy people who like to dance. While punk indeed has its own history of racism, sexism, and homophobia, it’s pretty radical for Riot Fest to book the ultimate disco band.
Along with Slayer and the Village People, my personal must-see list this year includes Bikini Kill, the Raconteurs, Flaming Lips, Patti Smith, Rancid, Descendents, B-52s, Anthrax, Bob Mould, Guided by Voices, Nick Lowe, Sincere Engineer, Skating Polly. And of course Andrew W.K. and GWAR are always fun.
RIOT FEST 2019 LINEUP: BLINK-182, SLAYER (final Chicago & Milwaukee show), BIKINI KILL, THE RACONTEURS, RISE AGAINST, THE FLAMING LIPS (performing Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots), JAWBREAKER, WEEN (performing The Mollusk), BLOC PARTY (performing Silent Alarm), DIE ANTWOORD, PATTI SMITH AND HER BAND, TAKING BACK SUNDAY (performing Tell All Your Friends and Louder Now), RANCID, VIOLENT FEMMES, DESCENDENTS, MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA, THE B-52s, DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL (performing The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most), THE STORY SO FAR, AVAIL (performing Over The James), THE STRUTS, AGAINST ME! (performing Reinventing Axl Rose and Transgender Dysphoria Blues), PVRIS, PENNYWISE, THE STARTING LINE, COCK SPARRER, STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO, ANTHRAX, NECK DEEP, BOB MOULD, HOT SNAKES, AMERICAN FOOTBALL, GUIDED BY VOICES, RIDE, LUCERO, TESTAMENT, ANDREW W.K., SENSES FAIL (performing Let It Enfold You and From The Depths Of Dreams), THE GET UP KIDS, VILLAGE PEOPLE, LESS THAN JAKE, HOT WATER MUSIC, GLASSJAW (performing Worship & Tribute), GWAR, THE SELECTER (performing Too Much Pressure), ANTI-FLAG, NICK LOWE w/ LOS STRAITJACKETS, TURNOVER, THE DAMNED THINGS, CURSIVE, TURNSTILE, SURFER BLOOD, THE ERGS!, SAVE FERRIS, FRANK IERO AND THE FUTURE VIOLENTS, WHITE REAPER, GRANDSON, H2O, I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME, HOT MULLIGAN, THE HU, TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKET, PROF, CHERRY GLAZERR, DAVE HAUSE & THE MERMAID, THIS WILD LIFE, THE GARDEN, DRAKULAS, DEAD SWORDS, CAN’T SWIM, CAROLINE ROSE, THE BEACHES, MAT KEREKES, ANGEL DU$T, MICROWAVE, PKEW PKEW PKEW, SINCERE ENGINEER, SKATING POLLY, NO PARENTS, ULTRA Q, LANDO CHILL, CLEOPATRICK, ELDER BROTHER, THIN LIPS, CHAOS CHAOS, KALI MASI, YOURS TRULY, GANSER, RAMONA