Photos by Neil Van & Review by Maria Elisa Maltese
Day Three of Riot Fest definitely had a more relaxed feel compared to the previous two days with a more inclusive line-up and wider range of audience members. The day boasted a number of female-heavy bands, though a number of which were given earlier set times. The skies threatened to open up a few times with something other than a light drizzle, but eventually cleared up before the larger acts of the night.
Toronto-locals The Beaches had the unfortunate luck of having their set time overlap with Village People, but for those that came out were in for a treat. Pumping out swaggering 70’s-inspired rock ‘n roll tunes, the group got people dancing and earned new fans along the way.
Village People packed the area by the Radicals Stage to the delight of everyone present. Down a few members of the original line-up, you could not tell based on the enthusiasm of the crowd who danced with abandon to hits like “Macho Man” and a cover of “Go West”. At one point the audience started a Wall of Death during “YMCA” complete with crowd surfing, which was truly something to see. Getting the opportunity to do the YMCA with thousands of happy people was a festival highlight.
Complete with requisite beehives and shimmering costumes, the supposedly last Chicago show of the B-52s provided an excellent party that had people dancing in the absolutely packed crowd. Founding members Cindy Wilson, Kate Pierson and Fred Schneider breezed through an energetic set comprised of their best-known tunes that had the audience forget about the rain, particularly during later numbers “Love Shack” and the infectious “Rock Lobster” .
Against Me! were one of the bands playing full album sets, but fans were treated to not one but two full album plays, Reinventing Axil Rose and Transgender Dysphoria Blues, kicking off their “2 Nights / 4 Records / 48 Songs” tour. The only downside to this was no other fan favourites were played besides songs from these albums, but you wouldn’t be able to tell if this disappointed anyone just by watching the enthusiastic crowd singing along. The slightly different tone between the albums truly highlights how Laura Jane Grace reinvented herself, and that positive feeling carried out into the audience. A highlight from the set was when a sign from up front, “You’re my hero”, made it onto the screens, drawing loud cheers from everyone present.
Rock legend Patti Smith took to the stage calling out, “Chicago, city of my birth!”, which got the crowd going before diving into a somewhat uneven set sound-wise. Surprisingly she played only a few of her own songs, opting to do a number of fantastic covers including Midnight Oil’s “Beds are Burning” and Jimi’s Hendrix’s “Are You Experienced?”. However, Smith still made time to play favourites fans wanted to hear, including “Gloria” and dedicating “Because the Night” to her late husband Fred “Sonic” Smith.
The Raconteurs played a tight set full of guitar riffs and solos akin to a jam session with thousands of witnesses, taking pains to highlight the musical talents of each band member. They delivered intense, straightforward rock and roll, with highlights “Steady As She Goes”, “Level” and more recent single “Sunday Driver”. Jack White indicated at some point that they were shortening their set in order to watch Bikini Kill on the main stage, a choice no one faulted them for.
Standing in a crowd surrounded by fervent fans, the significance of Bikini Kill’s performance was quickly apparently from the moment they took to the stage. “We are a feminist band and we’re headlining a music festival!” shouted dynamic frontwoman Kathleen Hanna to the crowd, which was amazing and refreshing to hear after a testosterone-heavy first two days. They tore through an energized set, with lead vocals swapped between Hanna and predominant drummer Tobi Vail on occasion. The band engaged with the crowd sharing stories about the importance of feminism and representation in the music industry, which was met with applause and chants of “girls to the front!” They closed out the weekend on a high note, sending the crowd buzzing out onto the streets of Chicago thinking next year couldn’t come soon enough.
Looking back on the whirlwind of a weekend Riot Fest 2019 was, there is a bittersweet feeling of wishing there had been more time to see all you wanted to see and experience. However, it makes me appreciate what I had the chance to witness all the more for it. Despite the evolving landscape of music festivals, Riot Fest continues to remain true to its core values and shows that rock music is still very much alive. Cheers to another excellent Riot Fest.
See our coverage from Day 1 & Day 2
