Riot Fest – Day 3
Fiddlehead, GEL, Slayer, Something Corporate and more!
Douglass Park // Chicago, IL // September 20 – 22, 2024
Photos and review by Casey Lee
Oliver Tree
Much like 2023, day 3 of Riot Fest 2024 started with a rain delay, but unlike 2023, only resulted in doors being pushed back an hour, even though the rain would be an inevitability more or less all day (2023 there was essentially no rain after the morning, just lots and lots of mud). But, sometimes, rain is perfect for the lineup, or the band, or the set, and if there was any day I’d want a cool front and some rain, it was day 3. Maybe that’s my own exhaustion speaking. Or maybe it’s just my love of seeing day time pyro in overcast lighting, but either way, it’s what we got.
Sublime
Of all the bands that just kinda felt perfect to watch and listen to in the rain, I think Fiddlehead out of Boston may have been the top of my list. There’s just something about the band’s sound, somewhat difficult to lump into any one genre, that feels appropriate to be singing and dancing to at an outdoor festival in the rain.
Fiddlehead
On the main stages, Sunami and GEL were both bringing hardcore to the forefront. During Sunami’s set, much of the pit area directly in front of the stage disintegrated from grass to mud as circle pits churned. As their set ended GEL’s began. As Pat Flynn, singer of Fiddlehead, put it, GEL is one of the best bands in hardcore right now, and they made sure everyone knew it as they took to the AAA stage.
Sunami
GEL
Swinging back to the Metro Cabaret stage for Mastodon out of Atlanta. Remember when I said I loved pyro on an overcast day? This set is why. Mastodon marked the shift from hardcore to metal for the rest of the day on the main stages. The band would play their 2004 record Leviathan from front to back.
Mastodon
Before wrapping up with Slayer, speaking of pyro, let’s jump back to the Radical and Rise stages one last time.
First, Philadelphia rapper and singer Tierra Whack. Before launching into her own set, her band and DJ hyped the crowd up with a transition from Paramore slowly into Jay-Z and Kanye before Tierra came out and jumped into her setlist, predominantly pulling from the record WORLD WIDE WHACK.
Tierra Whack
Following Tierra was Something Corporate. A notable tone shift not only from Tierra Whack, but many of the other bands performing that day. While not Andrew McMahon’s first band, possibly his first truly notable band, signing to the legendary Drive-Thru Records. The piano rock band brought a bit of a softer side to Sunday’s festival activities.
Something Corporate
Slayer. If you can read that in the context of a festival review without internally screaming it, I’m impressed. I can’t. And thousands of Riot Fest attendees are likely there with me. I heard it screamed on the L leaving the festival. On Saturday. On multiple occasions. To say people were excited would be putting it far too lightly. And that’s to be expected from almost any headlining band. But Slayer. Slayer is its own entity. Following a five year hiatus, this was the band’s first show since their last LA show in 2019. Brought out with a video of interviews with members of the band and fans, the hype continued to build until the curtain fell and found thrash metal royalty Slayer there to bring thrash to the thousands amassed in Douglass park. The first of three planned festival appearances for the band, Riot Fest certainly felt special. The crowd was nothing short of ecstatic to see Araya, King, Holt, and Bostaph rain metal, and blood.
Slayer
Chicago may be so two years ago, but Riot Fest is as relevant as ever. Continuing to meld genres and fanbases, providing a platform to see all the bands you love without being shoehorned into a single genre in a way that Riot Fest does so well, and also showing you bands you didn’t know you loved, but now that you’ve seen them live, you’re hooked. Either way, I hope Riot Fest is here to stay and continues to hold its footing and bring the uniquely Riot Fest lineup that only it can for years to come.
