Riot Fest 2018 - September 14-16 - Douglas Park, Chicago Tour

DAY-BY-DAY

FRIDAY
WEEZER
YOUNG THE GIANT
TAKING BACK SUNDAY
DROPKICK MURPHYS
BLEACHERS
ATMOSPHERE
FLOGGING MOLLY
CYPRESS HILL
MATT & KIM
SUM 41
THE FRONT BOTTOMS
K.FLAY
DIGABLE PLANETS
LIZ PHAIR
SWMRS
THE AQUABATS
LAGWAGON
PUSSY RIOT
HOBO JOHNSON & THE LOVEMAKERS
FACE TO FACE
ARKELLS
FLOR
THE FEVER 333
SPEEDY ORTIZ
DIRECT HIT!
THE BOMBPOPS
ARCHIE POWELL & THE EXPORTS
TYPESETTER
BLOOD PEOPLE

SATURDAY
BECK
ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS
INTERPOL
JERRY LEE LEWIS
THE JESUS LIZARD
THE VOIDZ
TWIN PEAKS
CAT POWER
GARY NUMAN
KILLING JOKE
HOT SNAKES
WOLFMOTHER
ANDREW WK
REIGNWOLF
GWAR
STREET DOGS
CONFLICT
ADOLESCENTS
COBRA SKULLS
PIEBALD
HEALTH
THE FRIGHTS
THE DISTRICTS
BULLY
LOWER CLASS BRATS
BADFLOWER
MANNEQUIN PUSSY
TOTAL CHAOS
BEACH BUNNY

SUNDAY
RUN THE JEWELS
INCUBUS
BLONDIE
ALKALINE TRIO
FATHER JOHN MISTY
BAD RELIGION
UNDEROATH
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
CLUTCH
THE WONDER YEARS
JOHNNY MARR
SUPERCHUNK
JD MCPHERSON
FEAR
THE BOUNCING SOULS
DILLINGER FOUR
THE AVENGERS
CALPURNIA
KEVIN DEVINE
THE AUDITION
SPITALFIELD
THE DANGEROUS SUMMER
MOM JEANS
BEACH RATS
PRONOUN
SUPER WHATEVR
SAVE FACE
BEACH GOONS
JUST FRIENDS
NO SMALL CHILDREN

 

So ready. This has been the highlight of my year for 6 years now.

 

Headliner predictions? Is it the year of MCR? I can see Blink or Fob returning.

 

Headliner ideas/possibilities (I won't call them predictions because who knows):
-Fugazi reunion please and thank you (not a matter of if, but when if you ask me)
-Green Day (it feels like this has to happen someday)
-Brand New's final Chicago appearance (I don't know if that would actually be headliner worthy or not, but I think it could be)
-Cage the Elephant (might be too "mainstream" though I don't know)
-Operation Ivy reunion
-I do think FOB is possible. It'd be Riot Fest's first time rebooking a headliner. (Technically some 2012's headliners were rebooked, but when they came back it wasn't as headliner status).

I still think it's too soon for MCR.

Non-headliner predictions: The Maine, Sorority Noise, Bleachers, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Against Me!, Every Time I Die, the Front Bottoms, Gerard Way (if he's doing anything music related next year), Good Charlotte, Jeff Rosenstock, Manchester Orchestra, Pkew Pkew Pkew, Pup, Ratboys, Saves the Day, Sum 41, the Wonder Years, Taking Back Sunday, GWAR, Andrew WK

These are really just random guesses based on people who are overdue to play, or due to return. Who knows though

 

Cage the Elephant is big enough to headline Riot Fest but Brand New isn't?

 

Brand New has never headlined Riot Fest in the past when they've played. Obviously the final show in Chicago would give them a bump, but it's hard to say how much. If it was their actual final show, then they'd headline no question.
Cage is about on the level of Queens of the Stone Age I'd say. They have several really big songs (Cigarette Daydreams, Ain't No Rest For the Wicker, and Shake Me Down especially). If you were to take it at surface level, Cage is definitely the "bigger" band. It's just a matter of how big a bump Brand New would get from their impending breakup.
It's kind of a strange comparison to make at all though because they're extremely different types of bands, and I'm really not sure Cage fits in at Riot Fest.

 

Really surprised the original Smashing Pumpkins line up hasn't headlined yet. Kinda thought that'd happen last year but I'll toss that in again for this one.

 

Yea that's another one that seems like an inevitability.

 

I still think original SP would be much more likely for Lolla given the band's ties to the festival during its touring days, and just that it's more prominent than Riot Fest.

 

Yea that's probably true actually. It would make a little more sense there.

 

From what I heard they tried getting MCR this year but couldn't, instead went for Jawbreaker

 

Where did you hear that? It seems weird that Jawbreaker would have been a second choice.

I really hope the MCR reunion does end up being at Riot Fest. What an amazing night that would be.

 

How about Beck as a headliner? Or is he too tied up in the Pitchfork/Lolla scene?

 

I think Beck is possible. Especially if you believe the rumors that they tried to get him in 2016.

 

Third Eye Blind and Run the Jewels are my big wants for next year. Here are some others I'd love to see:

American Football, Andrew WK, Ben Folds (or Five reunion?), Brand New, Car Seat Headrest, Code Orange, Courtney Barnett, The Cranberries, Deafheaven, Enter Shikari, Every Time I Die, Fatboy Slim, Free Throw, The Front Bottoms, Goldfinger, Green Day, GWAR, Hellogoodbye, Japandroids, Jeff Rosenstock, Jimmy Eat World, Joyce Manor, Knocked Loose, The Maine, Modern Baseball, The Offspring, OK Go, Pinegrove, PUP, Saves the Day, Silverstein, Sorority Noise, The Starting Line, Story of the Year, Stray from the Path, Sum 41, Tigers Jaw, Title Fight, Turnover, Turnstile, Underoath, The Wonder Years.

EDIT: Oh, and Smash Mouth. How rad would that be?

 

Here are some record anniversaries to consider!

1988 (30 years)
Billy Bragg - Workers Playtime
Cheap Trick - Lap of Luxury
Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Metallica - ...And Justice for All
My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything
NWA - Straight Outta Compton
Pixies - Surfer Rosa

1998 (20 years)
Korn - Follow the Leader
Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
The Offspring - Americana
Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come

2008 (10 years)
The Academy Is... - Fast Times at Barrington High
Alkaline Trio - Agony & Irony
The Bronx - S/T
Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Flogging Molly - Float
Fucked Up - The Common Chemistry of Life
The Matches - A Band in Hope
The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
Nas - Untitled
Rise Against - Appeal to Reason
Senses Fail - Life is Not a Waiting Room
The Sounds of Animals Fighting - The Ocean & the Sun
Underoath - Lost in the Sound of Separation

 

A Metallica AJFA show would be absolutely unreal

 

Brand new final show headlining would be incredible.

 

Run the Jewels would be so cool. The only reason I wouldn't want that is because they'd probably end up in the Wu Tang slot against a headliner and I'd have a brutal decision to make.

After seeing it's Appeal to Reason's 10-year, that seems almost locked in.

 

Cage could headline. They had a massive crowd at Lolla this year. I think a original smashing pumpkins reiunion won’t happen at either lolla or riot but a full headling tour instead. I would like System of a Down to play again. And if they bring blink back I won’t see them. Their set list had become stale as fuck. A rise against 10 year show for appeal to reason would be sick. I’d def be down for that.

Some bands is want to see come next year: August burns red senses fail the off spring wage war counterparts beartooth anti flag stick to your guns Eminem but he would prolly play lolla as I don’t think riot has the money he would want to book him weezer taking back Sunday the used thirty seconds to mars

 

Went to RIOT Fest 2013 and it was great fun! Wish I could have went this year but always 2018!

 

@JaytotheGee reminded me that '59 Sound turns 10 next year. I think a Gaslight reunion show would be perfect in the Paramore / Rob Zombie main support slot.

I'd love to see The Starting Line play too.

 

Wow, honestly I always thought of Cage as the afternoon slot on a festival and not the headliner (or even the act before it). I can see them doing Lolla in a few years or some other festival that has 2 headliners but I don't think they're at the final headliner status just yet. You're right though that both them and BN are different bands with different fan bases. It'll be interesting to see what happens next year but you're absolutely right on the BN bump up if next year is their final year.

 

I wonder if this was similar to Bamboozle/Skate and Surf with Midtown. John D (guy who ran both festivals) would always give Gabe the courtesy call about getting Midtown back together knowing that every year they'd just say no. Then came the "holy shit he said yes" moment but I'm sure this was after John D already booked other acts. I'm guessing Mike tried for MCR and then gave Jawbreaker the courtesy call not expecting them to say yes.

 

Great list with a lot of realistic artists! I really hope Chuck D and Flav get their shit together and play that album live! I'm sure we'd get something from Ice Cube/Ren/Yella for the NWA album. I'd love to see Dre do something but I think he'd hold out for a tour or Coachella rather than Riot.