In 2005, what began as a modest multi-venue, fan-driven punk event in Chicago has morphed into a large-scale outdoor event that continues to mark its territory as one of the most impressive independent music fests in the country. Over the years, it’s ballooned in popularity thanks to its anything goes and everything happens here reputation. […]
L.S. Dunes don’t sound like a supergroup, and they certainly don’t want to be called a supergroup. But when they took to the Rise Stage early on a Friday afternoon to effectively kick off Riot Fest, one could be forgiven for mistaking them for that. While other stages saw audiences in the dozens under the […]
In February 2010, Patti Smith played a benefit concert for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. While the sold-out show would’ve been a great moment for the organization on its own, it ended up as the beginning of something much bigger. At that show, a man named Dem Hopkins danced the night away before winning […]
Nine Inch Nails, My Chemical Romance and The Original Misfits will headline the 2022 edition of Riot Fest, which will take place Sept. 16-18 at Chicago’s Douglass Park. The event also features the first confirmed performance since 2010 of the reunited Sunny Day Real Estate, news of which was exclusively revealed by SPIN in January. […]
The festival announcements are rolling in faster than you can say COVID lockdown. Riot Fest, which announced part of its lineup last June, has unveiled the whole thing and it’s a doozy. Nine Inch Nails (who are also headlining Louder Than Life a weekend later) are joining Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies and Run the Jewels at the top […]