When Riot Fest Comes Around

Iva and Lauren's Recap of Riot Fest Day 3!!

With the final day of Riot Fest upon us, we knew that we had to make today count even more. Our weekend-long takeover of the UIC Radio Instagram was ending, and well, we couldn't let the masses be left out of our tomfoolery!

Day 3 Schedule:

Our first show of the day was not until 2:50, and so we had lots of time to check off some activities on our list!

First up was finally checking out the merch that Riot Fest was presenting. There was a tent with artist merch, and multiple tents with Riot Fest merch, including one specifically dedicated to Riot Fest's in the past. We were lucky, and also thought ahead, to catch the lines when they didn't have too many people. I, Iva, was able to snag Route 66 Riot Fest official merch with the weekend lineup on the back.

We stopped at the press tent to upload some footage and prepare ourselves for the long day ahead, where we were able to meet some others who were also doing press from other colleges and companies.

While we were walking around, we noticed all of the garbage and leftover food from today and the days before. As goes with all outdoor music festivals, it can be hard for the land to recover from all the use of the three days before. We recognize that Riot Fest can be very important for the alternative/punk community, while still noticing the negative impacts it can have on Douglass Park after the fact.

As 2:40 started to creep on us, we then took the time to make it over to Riot Stage for our first show, The Linda Lindas!

The Linda Lindas love to perform, and that is evident in the way they held their performance. The all-female group, composed of two sisters, their close friend, and their cousin, took the stage by storm. They started off their set by singing "No Obligation," a punk beat accompanied by a scream-like singing voice. It was the perfect song to get the audience going, being instantly greeted with jumping and headbanging from the audience.

Their music after this had a similar theme, with certain songs being slower or less scream-like than others. One of the guitarists, Eloise, was running around the stage, interacting with the audience and with her fellow band members. Their band had great on-stage chemistry, and they too spoke up about the injustices happening around the world and in America. The Linda Lindas are very inclusive, and they will fight for the rights they believe in, which was beautiful to see them speak about.

After the Linda Lindas, Lauren and I made our way to the food area to grab food before Gym Class Heroes took over Rebel Stage. On our way there, we were unfortunately met with news that Hanson, the band scheduled before Gym Class Heroes, had issues starting on time, which ended up pushing Rebel stage back 30 minutes. This meant that Gym Class Heroes, Cobra Starship, and The Academy Is... all had to adapt their setlists to this new schedule.

By the time Gym Class Heroes took the stage, an audience had gathered, anticipating their set. Their song "Cupid's Chokehold/Breakfast in America" was the second one they played, and it was heard all around Rebel stage and farther. The song, released 20 years ago now, had gained a lot of attention on TikTok, having garnered over 600 million listens on Spotify, placing second on their charts.

The second the first couple of lyrics hit the audience, you could barely hear the band over the singing radiating from all of the fans. Having moments like this, where there is a strong sense of community in the audience, was beautiful. The crowd was so large, it was like they weren't off schedule in the first place.

Cobra Starship then took over Rebel Stage, also celebrating an anniversary for their band. As everything was pushed back, having Cobra Starship start right before they finished setting up for Green Day, I was not able to stay long. But I was able to catch the beginning of their set, where they played "Guilty Pleasure." Gabe, the lead singer, used this opportunity to whip out mic tricks that had the audience gagging.

Cobra Starship is a really nostalgic band for me, since I used to listen to their music all the time growing up. I wasn't able to catch either of my favorites, "You Make Me Feel" and "Good Girls Go Bad," which were staples of my middle school experience.

While Iva was getting the chance to see Cobra Starship, I ran to go see Inhaler perform at the Rise Stage. The energy they gave off was immediately entrancing.

The energy they had was never-ending and just truly seemed to love being at Riot Fest!

The day and festival ended with the biggest headliner of them all, Green Day. They came in with an iconic entrance, using the Darth Vader Star Wars music, and made a splash with "American Idiot," a classic from their album of the same name.

As the first notes of "American Idiot" hit our ears, the crowd exploded into energy: screaming, laughing, jumping, everyone excited, adrenaline rushing through us. This song was the absolute perfect start because it fit exactly what Green Day was there to do: to unify and uplift their community. During the moments of the song where there is a lyrical break, Billie Joe Armstrong, the lead singer and guitarist, took a moment to do a guitar riff. It added a unique energy to the set because it gave Chicago a special performance.

In their songs to follow, Armstrong would ad-lib parts of songs where he had more freedom, such as replacing the "redneck" lyric in "American Idiot" with "MAGA" and "representative of California" with "Illinois" in "Holiday," which was their next song in the set. It was during this song that they called out to the audience to "speak their minds," saying that in this day and age, it is one of the most important things we can do as people; to stand up against hate and bigotry. A message that was even more amplified by the visual graphic behind them, showing "NO FEAR."

"Holiday" was quickly followed by "Know Your Enemy," where they took the opportunity to change a fan's life forever. Armstrong took a second between the choruses to inform the audience that he was recovering from a cold that had affected his voice, saying he needed a fan to come up on stage. They proceeded to invite, what seemed like, a 12 to 13-year-old fan to lead both the band and the audience for the next verses. It added just the perfect addition to an already amazing set. Upbeat songs like "Basket Case" and "Longview," both featured on their album Dookie, kept this sentiment of excitement, riding the beat of the song with each jump.

As the set started to slow, they played hits like "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "Wake Me up When September Ends." It was a moment where the audience was able to slow down. Hands were waving back and forth as people were swaying; tears were shed as people wrapped arms around one another. Finally, finishing off the whole performance with "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)," having a moment where the 3 members, Billie Jean Armstrong, Tré Cool, and Mike Dirnt came together for a group hug, engulfed in fireworks and confetti. The three of them became Green Day in 1990, which means this performance came after 35 years of being a band. It was magical to see not only them share this beautiful moment, but also to partake in it too. Green Day was and will always be an insanely influential band in my life. Their lyrics and sound really resonate with me, and it always connects me back to listening to them with my mom.

Thank you, Riot Fest, for having us cover this year, and we hope UIC Radio can come again and experience it!

Love,

Iva and Lauren