Riot Fest 2025 Tour • Page 2

I don't want MCR back period, that crowd was god damn insufferable lmao

 

Andrew WK has got to be well rested by now, right?

 

Even if it he just comes out of his hiding spot for the one day, he needs to be there for the anniversary!

 

Would love to see Social Distortion back, new album should be released next year, although don't know if due to that they would have their own headlining tour.

 

I'm low-key convinced that Laura Jane Grace and Riot Fest made this set happen so they could point to the footage of those OpIvy songs being performed in a festival setting with people going off, highlighting the energy (pun intended), and say to Jesse and Tim: "Look! It works!"

So. Maybe this will finally be the year. Wouldn't be the first time Riot's cobbled together a reunion by wearing folks down and building up goodwill...

NOFX taking up the closing slot was fine and made sense given what they've been doing on other dates of that tour. But I kinda wish they hadn't leaned so hard on the "old dude" punk shit. I'm so sick of seeing the Exploited, Dead Milkmen, the Dickies, and D.O.A. being booked on festivals when there's such a rich, vibrant community of younger, significantly more diverse punk, ska, and hardcore bands doing the thing. I can think of at least a dozen off the top of my head who could have played in those slots instead. And they wouldn't be missing anything by doing that because nobody's buying a ticket to Riot Fest just because the fucking Exploited are playing. LOL

So yeah. I'd want them to steer clear of that if they can. Hah. Bring on a ska stage!

 

Let's hope that this year is a bit of a sendoff in that regard. Some of them on the lineup is always fine but this would have taken nearly an entire stage out of my options because I have very much aged out of those bands.

 

I would say Julien Baker and MJ Lenderman would be good fits for Riot Fest but I'm pretty sure one or both will be at Pitchfork instead.

 

Anyone think we'll get Bleachers next year?

 

Well the Laura Jane Grace/Catbite shirt did say “Operation Reunite Operation Ivy” so that would track.

And if that does help, I hope Riot gives Catbite an early set on their stage.

 

Eh, I think the inclusion of the older punk acts is part of what makes Riot Fest interesting and unique. It's an important element of the chemistry to the whole weekend. But it was decidedly too much this year. There's usually a full stage's worth of "punk" on a single day. With a few other adjacent/crossover acts spread out over the weekend. Which is a nice balance.

I also really kinda like when there's a full stage I don't care about, TBH, because it minimizes conflicts. Sunday this year was a great example of that for me where I had zero interest in all but like, two of the acts on the main stages. It made for a much less conflicted day. Haha.

Every year there's a call for more indie, pop, or whatever at Riot and every year I'll stand firm on the balance being generally pretty perfect as it is. If there was another stage or two of those genres over the weekend, the festival would lose so much of what makes it unique... The world doesn't need another mini-Coachella or something that's "like Lollapalooza but with more Pitchfork bands." There's plenty of those already.

Well, that's definitely Laura's mission. Whether or not it's Riot's mission is another story. Haha. Honestly, with how that set went over... I hope Catbite plays next year, anyway. They killed it!

 

The older punk acts are the heart of Riot Fest, or at least those are the acts that kind of started it all. So moving away from them would lose a bit of the spirit of the festival. That being said, I’m all for more younger acts than the same older punk acts that have been given numerous spots on the lineup for numerous years, but a complete abolishment of them I don’t think is necessary.

 

Yeah Riot can and should keep booking Bad Religion and whatnot. But if they wanna stay afloat, they gotta make room for the young bands.

I mean, I guess that also applies to other fests as well… But Riot for sure

 

This. You’re all interpreting this as me saying to never book them again. But as those acts retire, Riot Fest has to start booking younger acts.

 

With Weird Al having 2 TBA dates on his site both during Riot I'd be pretty surprised if he's not playing

I think Green Day is very overdue and likely. Would also love No Doubt. I also feel like they'll try to get someone like Limp Bizkit this year

On the smaller end of things I'm hoping for Goldfinger, Suicide Machines, Strike Anywhere, Trapped Under Ice, The Dirty Nil, Fidlar, and way too much more to list lol

 

Tour Prediction and Speculation Thread • Page 514 • forum.chorus.fm

 

Riot probably isn't the place for it, but I really want to see Trent and Atticus doing a set of their film work.

 

I also definitely think Blink will headline one of the next 2 years

 

NIN always rules, but I couldn’t see them coming back to Riot so soon

 

Seems right on time. 2017, was supposed to be 2021 but became 2022, now 2025. Maybe a year premature but they are ramping up.

 

First 2025 lineup prediction

 

No Moo Deng, fake

 

You know, a couple years ago booking Julien Baker would not make sense for a rock leaning festival, and this is despite me making that suggestion previously, but having just gone to three nights of seeing her at Thalia Hall and how the full band has made her performance into a rock show, I now can see it happening.

 

I agree but I see Pitchfork coming first.

 

I could even see her doing Lolla

 

Speaking of, someone asked on the subreddit a little while back which bands have played all three of the major Chicago festivals and it was interesting to discuss.

So far it’s The National, Alex G, Beck, The Flaming Lips, Killer Mike, Cloud Nothings, Pinegrove, TV On The Radio, Cults, Dinslaur Jr., Sleayer-Kinney and St. Vincent