Riot Fest 2021 (September 17-19, Chicago IL) Tour • Page 164

I really enjoy the lineup and think it’s good given the cards handed to them over the last two years. My only gripe is 15 of those bands played in 2017.

 

Me and my fiance have just made this a yearly trip now. We've been going since 2016, got engaged in Chicago in 2019 (we're from Pennsylvania,) and are going here to celebrate after a very small wedding in September. I know the lineup is relatively underwhelming for most, but I'm just excited to be able to go places again and see live music. If I see like 10 bands that weekend and eat good food and have a great time with my wife, it's a win in my book. I'll keep going to this festival until it ends, and I hope to bring our future kids to it one day.

 

I bet there will be something exciting with the albums plays, that will give extra points to the line up

 

That’s what I’m thinking too. It’s weird that aside from Vic Mensa, there’s no big album plays announced at all yet

 

I'm assuming another Friday afternoon for the next drop?

 

Ok, hear me out. I’m gonna sound like a Reddit guy but...

According to Bandsintown, SP is set to play Friday the 17th at Riot since the next day they’re due to play Sea.Hear.Now fest in Jersey the 18th. However, S.H.N’s Instagram has been inactive since January leading people to believe it’s cancelled

NIN is listed before SP on the lineup, so it’s assumable they’re playing Friday the 17th

What if... Smashing Pumpkins plays Saturday/Sunday and does one disc of Mellon Collie each night?

 

I would bet Pixies, Motion City Soundtrack and, Coheed and Cambria to do full album sets.

 

I’m expecting a Commit This To Memory album play for sure. I could see NOFX, Thrice, or even Circa doing one too

 

I would be excited to see Circa play Blue Sky Noise. They're doing a livestream of it next month, so all of the songs will be fairly recently rehearsed.

 

I am beyond excited for this!
-in my daily average listening even without anticipation of upcoming shows, RTJ, fever333, Meg Myers, and thrice are all constantly in heavy rotation.
-Pumpkins are one of (if not THE) first rock bands I ever loved but I’ve never seen them so checking that on bucket list is huge for me.
-other fist pump first time experiences for me are FNM, bungle, devo, circle jerks, hepcat, sublime, Radkey, ghost inside
-The Bled count as a reunion in my book (last time I saw them was project revolution 07 which was also last time I saw mcr weirdly enough, never thought I’d get to see them again!)
- nin, coheed, Thursday, nofx, saves the day we’re all major staples at one point or another
And there are other draws I didn’t even get to like pixies, fishbone, anti flag, Gogol, and circa!
No harm no foul if it’s not your bag, but I’m staying hype til September

 

I honestly agree with what everyone has said. The line-up definitely lacks a bit of a punch in terms of "holy shit!" rare gets and I prefer the years where the undercard runs deep like they had it in 2018 and 2019. I'm not difficult to please in this regard: Dillinger Four, Cobra Skulls, Piebald and Beach Rats filled my "don't play very often" quota for 2018 nicely. So I'm still hopeful that the undercard fills out a bit more with the final wave. All it's going to take is a few names and I'll be right where I was in 2018 when I last went.

Seeing some more from the PRB line-up deep dives (Gorilla Biscuits, ALL, Lunachicks, Riverboat Gamblers, the English Beat), some of the oft-predicted/hoped for undercard acts that we didn't get (Origami Angel, Spanish Love Songs, Kill Lincoln, Direct Hit!, Pears), and a few of my personal faves (Bouncing Souls, Grumpster, We Are the Union) could make a huge change in my perspective.

But as it stands? For me, the line-up this year has plenty to keep me busy while hopefully not stressing me out too much...

- A few "bucket list" bands: The Smashing Pumpkins, Devo, Sublime (albeit with Rome)
- A "bucket list" band I'm ecstatic about: Hepcat
- A reunion: The Circle Jerks
- A band whose new album got me through quarantine: The Lawrence Arms
- Amazing live band I haven't seen since Riot Fest 2018: Just Friends
- Bands that'll make me feel like it's Warped Tour 2002-2006 again: NOFX, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, New Found Glory, Taking Back Sunday, Thursday, Bayside, Motion City Soundtrack
- Consistently amazing in a festival setting bands that I'll work hard to see at least a few songs by: Gogol Bordello, Fucked Up, Anti-Flag, Andrew W.K., GWAR
- New favorites: K.Flay, Meet Me @ the Altar, Pup, Radkey
- New bands I want to check out from seeing them on the line-up and listening: Mother Mother, Big Freedia, Beach Goons, Seratones
- Bands I'll enjoy but might not bother seeing otherwise, so I'll catch some songs if schedules align: Nine Inch Nails, the Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., Vic Mensa, Dirty Heads, Fever 333, Living Colour, KennyHoopla, Circa Survive

A nice mix. Admittedly, I'm not 100% sure if I'd be so into it if I didn't already have the tickets and hotel paid for nearly two years ago or whenever it was I bought the pass... But even the bands I've seen countless times? I haven't seen them in what feels like forever at this point.

My partner and I are flying in Wednesday AM and not leaving until Monday night. So we're working in some touristy things and seeing a friend before and after the festival. So I'm just gonna roll with it as a fun vacation that happens to include live music from some of my favorite bands.

But I also 100% get people saying it's not for them this year, etc. Especially if they'd be planning an entire trip around it!

 

I FOR SURE thought we’d get the Souls. And was hoping they’d do a Summer Vacation album play

 

I just noticed something. In December of 2019, I ordered my “2020” ticket. It was the first time that (now this) year’s tickets were available, and the lowest price they were available (at $149.98). Iirc, that had been the standard thing for a few years. Buy your ticket early, (usually around christmas the year before) get it for around $150.

Now, I just used my discount and pre ordered my 2022 tickets. Even with a discount, and even an extra SEVEN MONTHS before they would usually go on sale for the first time, these tickets were $175. Maybe that’s just inflation, maybe it’s the MCR effect, maybe it’s riot fest trying to make up money lost during the pandemic. But if that’s the starting point, and they have another 16 months of selling these tickets at an increasing price, maybe all that money is going towards justifying a really expensive lineup.

I’m gonna pull a Reddit here. I know a lot of people think the 2022 announcement is gonna be a location changed. I think it’s another big headliner in the bag like Foo Fighters or Green Day (or one of the “never gonna happen” reunions). That’s the only way I can see them successfully *raising* the price from $175 multiple times and still moving tickets like they need to.

 

I’m kinda glad MCR is playing next year lol

 

Supposedly the Souls are looking into booking shit in September. I know, at minimum, they were in talks to do something in Asbury Park, NJ.

They hadn’t started until very recently too. So there’s still hope for next week! Haha.

Getting that album play would rule!

I think it’s a combination of inflation and making up for lost time. I don’t know that they would up to Foo Fighters level of headliner, but... I think we’ll get a better sense of what the deal is when they announce whatever it is for 2022.

I don’t know that one of the “never gonna happen” reunions would up the cost. I don’t know that Operation Ivy would command a higher fee than NIN, System of a Down, No Doubt, etc.

 

I just remembered another band that I would like to do a full album play: Mayday Parade for the 10th anniversary of their self-titled album.

They have done it for their previous albums and EP, so Im sure they will do it

 

NOFX played White Trash, Two Heebs & a Bean on a livestream recently. Since it’s the 30th (wow) anniversary next year, I could see them doing that for Riot

Also I think it’s already a given that “Mr. Bungle” is doing The Raging Wrath of The Easter Bunny since they’ve been doing that at every show anyways

 

Im very interested to see the daily’s come out. Between the top 2 lines there are so many interesting possibl combinations, and almost any combo work, there’s a lot of synergy in that top 8.

We know bungle and devo are on the same day, so are they going to be this years ministry/new order and open for NIN as an insane power trio? If so I’d then create another power trio of pumpkins, FNM and pixies, then Sunday have rtj lead a hip hop main stage with coheed next door leading the 00s stage with tbs, thrice, Thursday, etc
And that’s just 1 possible outcome !

 

Dinosaur Jr. into Pixies into Faith No More into Smashing Pumpkins would be insane

 

So, I was bored and made this really quick, marking the bands from this line-up that have also played the last 4 editions. Im surprised in the amount of 2017 bands that are on this one.

 

Someone on a NIN subreddit pointed out that 3/5 of Zwan will be in attendance

 

I had that same thought. Although, I doubt any sort of “reunion” will happen. Billy seems to have sour feelings towards most of his old bandmates

 

Had the same thought about NOFX, but if I’m being honest I’d much prefer a “So Long...” album play from them since they already did “White Trash” during the livestream (though, to your point; that one feels way more likely).

 

I didn’t see that livestream and would enjoy that album play. There are definitely some songs on there that I haven’t seen them play before that I would like to see.

Edit: I would also happily take a So Long album play too.

 

And also it comes down to im not cool enough to know run the jewels and I've never been a nine inch nails guy.