Did the same thing at Louder Than Life. It was really sucking the energy out of the venue. Sucks because I hadn't seen them in about 15 years and went in excited.
My only contribution to this is I'm still raw over having my 2022 adopt-a-port-a-potty name listed on their social pages for every poll, being one of the winning submissions, and then someone else being given the tickets. Their response when I emailed about WTF was "ReASonS!"
The official line I got was because the winner submitted their name, which was the same as mine, *before* my entry was submitted. Except my name was listed under the entry on the poll **the entire time** that voting was open.
So again rEaSOnS.
I only go to this festival because my friends go, and I like my friends. Without them, this festival is nothing.
Otherwise it's just an odd conglomerate of situationally unaware white and semi-white people descending onto a neighborhood of predominantly non-white people who don't want us there.
They used to announce the next year's dates as soon as the festival was over. My work has a bidding system for PTO every December so I made by best guess for when I think it'll be (usually second weekend of September) but knowing my luck they'll move it this year.
A better handicap area would have saved me 5 bruises and to the people at Frank turner who keep moshing when we told yall to go the other way cause there was a wheelchair fuck you to the people that picked me up thank you to the girl who I pushed out of fear of flying over a wheel chair a 5th time I’m sorry I was honestly just sick of flying over this guy
https://preview.redd.it/0tnqggzyc3rb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a06c72f2f764a9baf462d2a5dbb23ab4316fa949
The VIP is in an awful spot. It’s not in a convenient spot so if you need to hit the bathroom real quick it’s faster just to use one of the green goblins near a stage. Also, not enough tents for food and beverage. Every time I went back during the middle of the day there was a long line. If you’re charging people more for a VIP ticket have better options than half ass baci pizza
Ik this is a thing with all festivals but can we please get actual competent security guards? The fact that people were getting their water bottles confiscated that were perfectly in line with the rules was shitty.
Also the icp/Mr bungle/postal service scheduling was ASS.
Edit bc I have more to say lol:
1) I know whoever did the scheduling for ICP and TPS prob thought those bands wouldn't have much overlap (tbh they had more than i thought lol) but since this is most likely TPS and ICPs last tours (definitely moreso for TPS) It kinda sucks that they were scheduled that way.
2) Security is always an issue at fests and concerts ik bc outside companies usually don't give a shit or give too much of a shit but like, it was still really shitty to have a brand new water bottle that was not only a gift from my gf but also perfectly in line with all of riotfest's rules confiscated and then later stolen when security put back everyone's water bottles out at the end of the night.
2 ½) On the topic of security, can riotfest PLEASE be more open on their whole spikes/no spikes rule? Like, it's called RIOTfest, and they seem to advertise to the punk and metal crowds, so forgive me if it's baffling when security doesn't let me walk in with a shitty lil spiked bracelet that has dulled tips, only for me to go in and see people with huge spiked vests and jackets. (if i had to drop my vest all the way back home i'd be pissed ngl. Very thankful that I didn't wear it tbh)
3) More water stations. I beg.
4) Whatever has to be done to get Pedialyte back as a sponsor needs to be done ASAP because there's nowhere to sit, and having pedialyte in the past made the $5 water a little better ngl. Ik expensive as fuck water isn't just a riotfest thing but when you have security taking people's water bottles that they brought so they DON'T have to pay for it, having the extra electrolytes and an actual place to sit is rather lovely.
5) More areas to sit/shaded areas. A lot of people here are getting older, and a lot of us who are younger need to sit the hell down. I'm 22 and my gf who's 23 has early onset RA so having a place to pop a squat that isn't VIP area shit would be pretty lit too.
6) Ik someone brought this up in the bitching thread last year but..more of the fun vendors who gave out free stuff or generally more stuff to do outside of pay out the ass for carnival tickets to ride like, 3 rides and or pay out the ass for carnival games. I miss Hellzapoppin.
That's about it. I'm not gonna bitch about food vendors or concert etiquette considering a lot of people have done so already. (They're right to do so btw. Vendors should have their prices in big font so you're not standing in line for nothing, prices are more than fucking insane (even for riotfest), and people need to be genuinely less shitty and more attentive at concerts. Between DCFC and TPS this year and MCR last year, ik some of y'all elder emos have disposal income and can make it to these shows now but pls be a lil less shitty to others. Not just yall but with the three bands I mentioned I felt like I had to say something bc some of yall are wild.)
Hope to see yall next year.
A little tip, my whole group brought gardening kneeling pads that we'd use for sitting and standing. They kept our asses dry and they're a lot softer than the compacted grass areas so our feet weren't so bad. I also stand by hiking boots as they're made for long duration walking and standing.
Why go to a concert and talk through entire bands? During Death Cab this guy held his phone up with the flashlight pointing backwards for like the first 4 or 5 songs. People were yelling at him to turn it off. His wife or GF finally showed up and she faced him and talked about everything but the band. I think I heard her mention something about towels. Save your money and stay him.
Cure also had a lot of people fight their way up and then chit chat the entire time.
Ugh! I'm with you. So annoying. See my post below. Were you near the "WOOOOOO"er up front for Cure near the rail separating GA from Deluxe? Also, I had Deluxe last year and the chit chat in there was even worse.
People yelling WOOOOooo!!! over and over *during* songs. I'm kind of joking and kind of not here. I get it, people are there to have fun, blow off steam, show enthusiasm, etc. Yelling WOOOOOOOooooo makes sense when a song starts to show you recognize it and like it. It makes sense when the song ends to show you liked it. But during the song, over and over, in a really high pitch like Ric Flair but longer in a big crowd with people standing right in front of you and right next to you? Not so much. One guy during The Cure...
I promise I’m not bougie…but we bought Deluxe+ tickets after having them in 2021 (wanted deluxe but it sold out) and loved the individual cabanas. Having one platform for everyone just doesn’t work. People would post up there all day for the headliners so there was never a spot later. They advertised they would have TVs streaming the main stages but there were not and they conveniently took that out of the description later. The bar lines were much shorter and the food was actually decent this year but not sure it made up for the price difference.
Food prices were high which is expected at festivals, but some of them were realllly not worth it. Can they just not invite the hot dog food truck that was in deluxe back? A regular sized hot dog isn't worth 15-20 just because it has cereal and whatever else on it. Waste of space. Food vendors should also be required to list prices, generally speaking.
Echoing the need for at least one more water station. We managed fine between bottled water in deluxe and access to the new one in VIP, but for GA folks one doesn't feel like enough.
Artist merch should be in multiple locations throughout the festival grounds instead of one tent by the entrance where you can't actually even see everything until you get up there.
And it's been said, but canceling everything before 2 on Sunday sucked. And I get being snarky is their whole schtick on social, but at a certain point, idk...read the room? You could simply just not say anything as people complain about the delay and cancelations, instead of keeping the negativity going.
It seems like the single biggest issue impacting RF long-term is the park situation. It would just be nice to look forward to the fest each year without spending 3-4 months worrying if it will happen or finally get kicked out of Douglass. Chicago should work with all the other fests that utilize the City to create a new permanent festival ground somewhere--kinda like what they did in Vegas), it could have turf sections that won't die or get trampled with good drainage to help prevent mud and flooding. Some permanent stages that could be utilized for other events, better parking,--and if they wanted to get really fancy, they could even create an entire 'entertainment' district around these grounds with hotels and restaurants. Even if Lolla wanted to stay in Grant Park there have to be at least 3-4 other fests that could utilize this space in addition to other events that could utilize it....
I know it's been said time and time again but it feels really bad to attend the event when it's so clear "MANY" members of the community are unhappy with it in there backyard and I am sick of people handwaving it like "people are just whining and are babies". It genuinely shocks me how many people who are punks and generally willing to overlook this issue. when it's a loud festival right outside there doors making it hard to travel, sleep, and in general not be to nice to the community. What I wish more is for riot to build a better relationship with the park if they stay and address the community and not just profit off someone's else park with heavy continuous support.
Not going to make a big response cause imo stuff like this is exactly why I made my post of people who throw up as much defense as humanly possible for a company. But also still shock that someone going to shows like this would really drop some "this is racism against me for being white" like calm down dude that's some straight up skinhead talking point shit. Also I've only been to the fest the last two years and don't have the most rosey look of the event cause the last two years were of this tension was unavoidable for me.and I'm simply trying to advocate for a better communication with the people who live there to alleviate some of this like this year I did see some pluses like better organization with trains!! I'm similar trying to push for us to get better! I want to hear more good stories from the community not bad :)
While I agree that they can be a little dramatic, like I saw Twitter and Instagram posts that call riot fest an "occupation" which I think is clearly trying to compare this situation to the Israeli Palestinian conflict or some sort of settler colonialism. As a Chicagoan I find it frustrating to be told I can't use a park that's not in my neighborhood when there are plenty of events you have to pay to attend in other parks around the city.
With that said, calling it racist against white people is not accurate. There is an undeniable racial element to a group of predominantly white people taking over a park that's in a predominantly black and brown neighborhood that clearly does not have the same investment from the city as other neighborhoods do and the tension that's there is not racism against white people.
best ones i went to were the denver ones. i kinda just go to riot fest now since they’re the only fest like it left.
nothing like watching bad religion while the sun sets over the rockies
For the love of god PLEASE spread out the watering stations. I’m not even that fed up with the lines, i’m just sick of walking from one side of Riot all the way to the other just to fill my bottle. Please just scatter the water carts around the park, it will make life so much easier for so many different reasons
Except Friday when Mexican Independence Day was being celebrated, we had a pretty easy time getting out of the park via Uber. We stay in Bridgeport, but any destination south of the park would work, and walking out to 18th and California and hitting up an Uber from there to flip around thru 18th and back south was super handy. About a $40 ride, which isn't the worst given the chaos after the shows.
And the PUP aftershow ruled.
I feel kinda guilty for going. Had no idea the traffic from the fest blocks off 2 hospitals (and a trauma center I think??) I'm a hypocrite cz I def still went. Just felt kinda wrong the whole time.
I didn't have it. I'm just not a moron that doesn't understand being around tens of thousands of people opens you up to that risk. I'm also not a fucking lunatic that wishes death upon people because I got sick.
Listen man, people that don't want to be vaccinated shouldn't need to be. By all means, at this point if they're not vaxxed and want to take obvious risks with their health, playing it loose and fast cause they don't need to worry about it killing their demographic, I'm not saying we should force a vaccine or way of life on anyone that doesn't want it. Be free.
But I will say: Keep your unnecessary risks to yourselves.
Go to your own shows. Chater your own planes. Use your own gyms.
Those same rights those idiots reply on most definitely also shield me from the unnecessary risk they've created for the community and society.
I'm allowed to hold people in contempt when I know they could do better but willfully chooses not no. It's not a matter of "option," at this point, it's a fuckin mental sickness. If my dad was the last one of them, I'd remove him myself.
Do better.
What are you talking about? I'm vaccinated and boosted. But I still know that just by going to Riotfest, I have a bigger chance of getting covid than if I didn't go. I'm not talking about people who choose not to be vaxed. If you're vaxed, you have a higher chance of spreading it because you may be asymptomatic. How would you like me to do better? Would you like me to join your anti-vax death squad? You sound like a fucking lunatic. Do better.
While it is most definitely true I am a lunatic, it doesn't detract from my original point:
Coming to a large gathering knowing you are sick is a dicked move.
And no amount of ad hominem attacks is going to derail that.
If you're vaxxed and boosted, why does it seems like you're co-signing someones right to show up knowing they're sick? Cause it kinda seems like that's what you're saying here.
My entire point is you have no clue if people knowingly came sick. Try reading what I'm saying, because this is the 3rd time you've said "it seems like" instead of, oh, I don't know, reading what I'm saying?
Did you take a covid test before going? How do you know you weren't patient 0 and were just asymptomatic? It seems like YOU are the one who perhaps was sick, and now you're trying to deflect. See how ridiculous that sounds?
If they're going to oversell VIP, they need to increase VIP accommodations. More food vendors, more drink lines. Set up tables in the tree area. If they better utilized the space on the other side of the pond, we'd have less congestion in the main area of VIP.
One thing they got right this year was having an actual water station.
Location was not great for a lot of reasons… but as an out of towner who is not super savvy with Chicago public transit, my biggest bitch is the nonexistent parking.
Chicago has become increasingly impossible to drive and park in over the last decade, but my god why hold a festival of this size somewhere with literally NO large parking accommodations anywhere?
We drove to a parking garage at the hospital, naively hoping it would be open. It was of course private, but the security guard suggested we park right on the street as it was public and open. Ok cool! Welp, still ended up with a parking ticket somehow at the end of the night :/
We loved the festival overall, but likely won’t return if it’s in the same location. The community clearly did not want us there either, so I had some weird gentrification type feelings throughout the whole event as well.
[I parked here last week.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/R7rHy8EycVZWojis5?g_st=ic)
It’s a mile walk away from the fest and only cost two dollars. Granted this is info that could’ve suited you last week. But I just found out about it.
Hi, if you ever find yourself there again you should get a hotel and park at the hotel and take the train. I’m from out of town and not familiar with the train and even I found it easy. If Chicago driving/parking is a big concern, I recommend a hotel by O’Hare. That’s what we did our first year and it was easy to figure things out
Parked in same designated handicap spot just like I’ve done for last 7 fests and got two parking tickets on Sunday. Has never happened before in the history of attending Riot. Came out and everyone in ADA area on Sacramento had tickets.
One ticket on drivers side window, another ticket on front window. Everyone had placards hanging on mirror or an ADA license plate. All that I seen including mine were very visible. Riot fest is aware of the issue and are in communication with city officials.
Yo I got one of those tickets on Sunday.
If it was under $100, I would have let the city take my money.
BUT ITS $250.
F that I’m definitely contesting the ticket.
Wow - do you know where he was about? We walked West down Ogden and stopped a few blocks after the police station to get an Uber. Didn't want to go any further
Is there a reason they continue to have it in Douglas Park? Even our Lyft driver was like “yeah i stay in the area sometimes and it’s fucking sketchy over here”
What other parks could they have it in?
Grant Park is pretty much locked down by Lolla & they pay an absurd amount of money to Chicago to host it there.
Union Park is too small.
Pretty much every other applicable park would run into the same issues as Douglas.
I mean they could move it out to Tinley where they did warped tour but I’m sure that would increase ticket prices and obv that’s a hike to the burbs too.
Edit: jeez, just throwing it out there. no need to downvote me lol
Dupage county fair grounds or fuck it rent a farm out in Dekalb ( i'm bias I live there lol ) sure it's a bit outside chicago but they would be much better acccomodated and actually welcomed.
Not gonna downvote you, but the problem with any suburban location is boozing and lack of public transportation. If I'm hanging at a 3 day fest, Lord knows I'm gonna need a few (i.e. many) beers.
I love that I can hop on the L or bus, get there for a few bucks, and never have to worry about endangering any one's life (or my own).
I'll also add that I left every night by 9:30 or 9:40'ish (not really a fan of any of the headliners). The 94 California bus was awesome. No hauling my ass to L station, and it was relatively speedy. Friday night I was able to get to liars club by 10:30 for the Brendan Kelly after show. 94 to Fullerton, and then grabbed a cab (old school!) For 9 bucks to LC.
Yeah boozing is a fair point. And leaving Tinley with the crowd is always a cluster fuck too. Just wish we could enjoy the fest without having to intrude on an iffy neighborhood that already doesn’t seem to want us there.
The neighborhood issue is tough, but it's definitely not black and white. Yes, there are some residents that don't want the fest, but there are a lot of residents that do want the fest in that neighborhood. The fact that the alderman was on board with Riot Fest staying in Douglas Park, in my opinion, says a lot. If the fest was that divisive, you can bet that he would have been. opposing it. I also think it's important to consider that riot fest is always in September and after Labor Day. We're not taking away a park in the middle of summer when kids don't have school. You're never going to get a 100% consensus, but for now I'm still comfortable with it taking place there. If the alderman starts opposing it, then I'll change my tune too.
As usual, the primary problem I have with the festival is public transportation out of the fest. Getting in, it is fine. Getting out, you need to leave early in order not to be massively delayed. This may be an unfixable problem (assuming bottlenecks are inevitable at el stations after Pitchfork and Lolla). There was not bottleneck at the Pink Line, but I took the pink line because no buses were going to my area (despite being nearly parallel to the fest--the kedzie/califonia/kimball buses). Last year after NIN, I found a bus right outside the festival gates and it felt miraculous. On Friday, I tried to walk to the bus on Kimball (despite getting mugged for $1 in that area doing that in 2021). This may be a city issue and not a fest issue, but I wonder how much they actually care about it. You really do get stranded down in that area.
Something about it this year just felt more cynical and greedy. I can't put my finger on it. I didn't come for Saturday because Friday wore me out. Sunday would have been OK except for what happened to me during the Cure.
I made the mistake of getting into a good spot for Mars Volta while wanting a good spot for the Cure. I was stuck there til the end of the set and tried to move over and into a better position. This was fine until I came up against an old guy (i know there are a lot of older people at this fest and I love it but some old people are cranks) who very aggressively told me that I was not going to cut in front of him and if I wanted to keep going I could go with all the other a-holes on the left that were cutting. I was somewhat taken aback and wasn't sure if he was messing with me or something, so I stood there another minute or two and he looked at me and asked what I was doing there, to go f\*\*\* myself, to get the f\*\*\* away from him. I didn't want to stir up any more drama so I moved away and saw him from a distance to see if he might freak out at anyone else. This kind of soured the whole set for me, and I heard it was a very good one. Isn't this normal fest concert behavior? Was this guy just a bad egg, or was I being an a\*\*hole? (I wasn't aggressively trying to cut him, just trying to politely walk around, and this was pretty far back from the stage, way behind soundbooth.)
I left early out of panic that I would get stranded there late on a Sunday and be exhausted for work the next day. I got in for cheap from buying a ticket from someone at the last minute on Friday. So ultimately I spent under $180 (I didn't buy any drinks on Sunday) and wasn't a total waste, given concert ticket prices seem more inflated as ever.
However, I don't know if I would go back next year because it just seems a little less fun each year (sometimes the bands are good enough that this is overcome). It seems like people around there really do not want the fest in Douglas Park anymore. If they move it, I'll go. I'm curious how other people feel about other options around the city for a better venue.
Public transit was a shitshow and I don't know why the CTA wouldn't add more Pink Line cars to each train, even if they can't add more trains, that day. It's not like fest snuck up on them.
Sounds like that guy was just an asshole. If you're leaving space between yourself and the row in front of you, you should expect that space to be taken by someone.
The amount of times drunk dudes would come into an area of the crowd that was clearly not a spot where people wanted to mosh and just start aggressively shoving people to start a pit and then get angry when no one wanted to join in was way too damn high. How is it 2023 and we don't know pit etiquette still? Also just generally drunk men and their complete lack of spatial awareness in the crowd was insane.
Drunk guys and girls with giant backpacks and zero spatial awareness. Hell, not drunk people just colliding and pushing people when there’s room to pass 🤦♂️
This happened at Gaslight anthem and was incredibly frustrating. The vibe was clearly more sing along and suddenly five people decided to do this 75% of the way through the set
Needs 1-2 more porta potty areas, esp by the main stage where there is room in the corner of the park. If you have to pee during anything on the main stages and you're walking 20 mins thru dense crowds. Poor soul who had to go during the cure.
I had the best time tbh. Ya prices for food and drinks are insane but I was prepared for it. Just eat before you go, take some protein bars for the day and get free water at the barricade. No alcohol needed to have fun. My only complaint is more light at night in the fields so you can see by the porta potties. The vendors were cool this year and I got a few pins and magnets. Everyone I encountered was super chill and nice and made some new friends! Prices will only be going up so if you are bitching about money stay home or start saving for next year 🤘🏼 I supported a small business by getting some tacos from their tent and they were delicious. Overall had a great time minus lighting at night and the mud.
I went back to VIP this year after doing GA the last few years. Not enough options for food, could use 1 more alcohol tent, and maybe 1 more tent to sit and relax. The main VIP entry was a shitshow all weekend. I feel like the VIP ticket wasn’t worth it this year. It was easier to grab food outside of vip than it was inside. The lack of acts playing at the end of Friday and Sunday at the rise and radical stages was dumb. This year has more bands booked than previous years and Radicals stage had nobody play past 8 PM. Have a band close out the stage till at least 9 so other bands before the main act can have extra time.
It was a bit dark in parts of the festival grounds at night. Hard to get around with ease after a while.
And then exciting through the VIP section, holy shit! All the lit up trees? It was magical! Is that really a perk of that section, just being able to see where you’re going? Start listing that on the amenities then. It’s a simple fix. Doesn’t have to be in every tree, but it would be nice to have a better way to see around there.
California Pink Line is 1.4 mile walk to the fest gates, not “blocks” as advertised.. then after the last show ends and you exit along with 20k other people and it’s complete chaos because there was no cell reception so you can’t flag an Uber and can’t get directions back to the train other than asking people “which way is the train station” while you walk around the west side complete crack town at 10pm looking lost AF and a snack to criminals.. lame Riot Fest security checked my bag, just came from the dispensary before the show and they snatched a couple pre rolls and some edibles.. didn’t hide it because didn’t think it was a big deal.. went to Lolla, Salt Shed, Tinley Park, etc all checked my bag and I always had a doobie if not a few.. nobody ever said anything but these POS losers obviously can’t afford to smoke dispo weed so they snatch what you have.. 25 bucks for a dam mixed drink, 17 dollars for a burger, 5 bucks for a cheap bottle of water.. stage setup, SUPER LAME.. you have one band playing on one side then bam, it switches to the other side.. even Dave Grohl was roasting the crowd Friday night saying WTF is up with all you WAY OVER THERE.. he was talking about the crowd way off to his right where the previous show was playing..then all the strollers, babies, wasted, laying down LAMES all over the field you are always stepping over and around people nearing stepping on em as you walk through the crowd at night it’s annoying AF.. Riot Fest is the lamest music fest ever, I’ll never go back, I’ll never give a dime again no matter who’s playing I’d rather drive out of state to see my favorite band(s)
> California Pink Line is 1.4 mile walk to the fest gates, not “blocks” as advertised
I just checked the RF site and they say this:
> Once off the train, head north on California, make a left (west) on 19th St., then a right on Albany Ave. Head north on Albany Ave, then turn right on Ogden Ave. and the Riot Fest entrance will be on your right at the corner of Ogden Ave. and Sacramento Dr. Total distance is only .71 miles.
I just checked google and that is approximately correct. Not only is that much less than 1.4 miles, but there is another stop that is even closer, which is the Kedzie stop at 0.4 miles, which is about 3 blocks.
> then after the last show ends and you exit along with 20k other people and it’s complete chaos because there was no cell reception so you can’t flag an Uber and can’t get directions back to the train other than asking people “which way is the train station” while you walk around the west side complete crack town at 10pm looking lost AF and a snack to criminals
Not really sure how this can be blamed on the fest. There will inevitably be poor cell phone reception when 10s of thousands of people are all using the same small amount of cell towers.
Sorry man, my feet hurt because my shoes got worn out. I bet they use the same shitty grass as at Soldier. Guess I'll stand the whole time next year to show how punk I am.
I brought 4 joints and a pint of fireball in each day. I kept the joints in my pocket and the bottle in my bag. Didn’t get searched or have my bag looked through for more than 10 seconds. Being just a tad bit subtle will go a long way.
Part of me believes this HAS to be satire, but if not, I guess the trash took itself out. Byeeeeee.
Side note: probably not a good idea to call people who need to sit down “lames” 😬
Sounds like you should stick to the suburbs and stay away from music fests ya grump lmao
It’s really easy to find the cali stop, we live on a grid street system and have a lake you can use to reference your orientation.
And while it’s not the best neighborhood in the city, it’s not full of crackheads, it’s a blue collar neighborhood. Sorry there’s no McMansions like your home out in Naperville
Yeah, that was pretty dumb. We ended up going to Reggies for Escape from the Zoo, which was lit af.
The after shows could have been better placed, in my opinion.
Why with the RFID chips on the wristbands this year? Surely they haven't had that big of an issue with.... what.... counterfeit wristbands? The line stretching out and cutting through the main thoroughfare to get into VIP was stupid. People who can't figure out how to scan a wristband are stupid. Needing to scan a wristband while you have spillable food and drinks in your hand is stupid. Those slow-ass scanners are stupid...
If you can't make it work the *instant* a valid chip touches it, you need different tech. Here's how I gauge "fast enough": I should be able to proceed through an empty entrance without needing to adjust my gait. But I really tried, and they failed. I stretched my arm in front to touch as soon as I could reach it, and had my arm stretched behind me and still had to hesitate and twist back before it finally turned green.
Why did Mars Volta play noise and saxophone noodling for ten minutes? I'm sure it's great at their own show with a proper dedicated stage build where they can set the right mood, but not for a festival set with a hard 60-minute cutoff. What a waste.
Yeah, I was disappointed. They didn't have the original drummer, and it wasn't as cool while waiting for the cure to go on.
They should have been a dual headliner against Foo Fighters, on a smaller stage. Would have set a better mood and kept all the Foo fans away.
The saxophone wankery has been present since their second album (Frances the Mute) and has only become more prominent. It might make me basic, but I'm a bigger fan of their first two albums and like songs here or there but kinda fell off.
In their defense, their last song in their set is over 12 minutes long just on the first album. It has a dueling guitar solo leading into kind of a noise interlude that then goes into a building instrumental/solo that leads to the last chorus. It was a bit indulgent but fit the song structure well. And Omar threw a few referential lines in there too, like part of a noise interlude/solo from a completely different song.
It's definitely not for everyone, and maybe not even me anymore after being a fan. But it works for what they have pretty much always done and is not very surprising to me.
Clearly you have not listened to The Mars Volta. The best part about them is how they incorporate these whimsical interludes and slowly build up. I appreciated the fuck outta their entire set.
As someone who’s been a fan for 20 years but had never gotten a chance to see them, I was super excited for this set. And I was blown away for the first 45 minutes, and then they spent the last 15 minutes basically proving the haters right. Was definitely not a strong way to end what had started as an amazing set
They're actually the artist I was most excited to see! I love the interludes on the albums. And, again, I'm sure at their own show where they have complete control, I would have been awed. But in a festival environment, I just wasn't getting sucked in, even though I was 30 feet from the stage, and I felt the crowd get kinda bored and I was bored and I wish they'd played one more banger instead of, like, 80% of that. Do a whimsical interlude! Just do like 2 minutes instead of 10.
Beers being $13 is the first year I didn’t buy one. These prices are just insane for low-tier craft beer. Food was also overpriced…it usually is but it seems like it’s just getting worse.
Sound was overall pretty bad for most bands besides foo fighters and the cure.
Cutting all the bands before 2pm on Sunday instead of moving everyone 2 hours later and playing during the giant lapse in schedule for the cure was a huge middle finger to fans.
Too many uncoordinated people and smokers in the crowd but that’s nothing new.
Mars Volta, The Used and The gaslight anthem playing at the exact same time was insane when there was so much extra space on the schedule. Of course, even with the rain delay.
I have a theory that the new sound configurations setup for this year affected the overall sound. At the radicals and rise stage in spots where in the past the music was loud it was almost quiet. Move 20 feet over and the volume hit. It was weird.
Disagree with the sound as I thought it was pretty good overall and moving everyone around Sunday would have been a logical nightmare. They did about as good of a job with that as they could.
Radical stage was ass all weekend. I'd say especially Sunday, bc vocals, but Fri and Sat it was literally just bass and drums coming through the mains. Origami Angel is literally just a 2 piece, guitar and drums and I couldn't hear guitar or vocals AT ALL.
If every fest was like this, with all we didn't like, I'd take it every time if it meant we still got two bands per year on the level or Foos and The Cure. Maybe we'll get Green Day and RHCP next year
Biggest complaint is the lack of urinal troughs for the lads. They take up less space and would keep the portas cleaner for those that need them. Lolla does it and I never waited more than a minute or two.
Awesome weekend but I was at the QOTSA stage early while Death Cab was playing and this guy a few rows back was shouting pretty loud about how much Death Cab sucks. Like you don’t have to enjoy it yourself but let everyone else listen and have a good time :/
Had a great weekend as usual but...
Why is there a Deluxe/Deluxe+ entrance if security never uses it that way and lumps it all in as VIP? I know this probably comes off a bit like "privileged people problems" but like honestly it's an advertised perk that is never actually offered any year I've gone.
The snacks in Deluxe get more and more non-existent every year. This year was particularly a joke. Again, a privileged problem but with the price hikes and it being advertised I expect the experience to get better or stay the same, not regress.
Every year the fest seems to move away from the carnival theme and I get as they get bigger they have to homogenize but I kinda miss the vibe.
Yeah… virtually no snacks at all for Deluxe… and the price point jump to Deluxe+ isn’t worth it imho. They should just stop even listing snacks as a perk of any kind for Deluxe. The better sight lines, open bar, and AC restrooms with actual running water are fine enough… just resign yourself to the food trucks in Deluxe and know that going in…
If you're buying Deluxe for the snacks I would say it's definitely not worth it. In the past (pre-covid from what my foggy memory serves) they would have some decent finger food. Mini sandwiches, pita & hummus, and fruit. They'd put stuff out pretty regularly until about dinner time. Nice way to break up the diet of booze and fest food.
Last year wasn't as good. Same type of food but I think I was only able to get to it twice before they ran out. This year was even worst, didn't even see any snacks. From what I heard it was like little cups trail mix that ran out immediately when they were put out at like 2:00pm.
They were giving out bags with some combination of chips, off-brand peanut butter mini-Ritz crackers, a Nature Valley granola bar, a couple mini-chocolate bars, plus other random things like Skittles. We didn't see any of it on Friday until later, and then they had drop schedules available at the concierge. A person would appear in the tent carrying white paper bags containing the snacks and hand them out until she ran out.
The Postal Service, Mr. Bungle, ICP conflict broke my heart. I wanted to see all 3 so badly, but it was impossible to get between quickly. And I couldn't miss Postal Service :(
Maybe there are other weirdos like me who like all 3, or maybe I'm just weird.
You are not weird. I felt same way and it was a game time decision o we went with Mr. Bungle! Glad I did, they were insane, and we cut out just before they finished, went to the L station just before California, got in the train (so packed no one could get in at Cali) and were downtown by 10:45!
I did want to check out all three, but saw most of Bungle and a little bit of ICP just because I had to see it for myself and was easy to check out from the Rise stage. Missed Postal Service entirely so I hope you had a blast during it!
Sounds great! I saw Sigur Ros with a 41 piece orchestra in Minneapolis last month and that was incredibly emotional the whole time so I imagine it was similar. Glad you enjoyed!
No I am one of those. I was very disappointed I ended up catching the first half of ICP And then finished with bungle. I took the L for postal only because I'm gonna see them this week. That and Mars Volta godspeed conflict really bummed me out. I would think Mars Volta fans would also be into godspeed so I was a little perplexed at that schedule choice.
I really hated that Volta/Godspeed conflict. Looking back, I kind wonder if I should've walked over to the stage Godspeed was playing on, as I had seen Volta once before. I always did like Volta, so that narrowly won out.
The people running this fest are legit shit at organizing a fest in every way but pulling good bands. It's truly incredible how this fest is as successful as it is but the relatively cheap tickets helps bring the people back year after year.
The alcohol options were terrible!
I don't mind beer, but if I want to get drunk and not feel heavy and have to pee every five minutes that's not what I want. If I DID want that, there were 99% IPAs and only a few options for decent beer.
If I wanted liquor, I only saw one bar that had cocktails and they tasted like they had a drop of liquor in them and so much sugar I felt like I was going to go into diabetic shock.
And then the only other options were redbull cocktails, whiskey shit, and Malort (no). Not everyone wants a redbull cocktail, not everyone is in their 20s anymore guys. We have high blood pressure and would like a cocktail option without that horseshit.
Do better. Tried to get drunk repeatedly and couldn't lol
I worked the Reggie’s beer Trent. I can’t argue with you about the drink options or the the many complaints about the prices, but I know we we’re making actual mixed drinks in the tent
Just so happen to be taking a break from drinking right now and it was perfect timing because yeah, the options seemed terrible and even more expensive than normal.
I paid $20 for some mid ass cheese fries not knowing they were gonna be $20. If I said, “I don’t want them anymore” am I still obliged to buy them? Because fuck I would rather starve until 10pm out of spite.
I basically boycotted all the food. I wanted to get an ice cream push up and it was $10, most of the food I wanted as $20+. I just basically ate a huge breakfast each day and waited until after to eat again.
They should really require all the food to have PRICES LISTED in a big ass font on all the vendor signage. Some of them had prices listed but most notably that big vendor with two booths that sold the cheese fries bucket had no prices listed anywhere, and it’s always annoying having to wait in line to ask how much something will be :/
I remember getting absolutely burned by the carnival food stuff by the rides last year and swearing them off forever. Almost feels like a Riot Fest right of passage at this point. No way a carnival corn dog should be more expensive than the food truck stuff.
That’s not really that surprising though lol, if ur buying food at a music festival I think it’s safe to assume in this day and age it’s gonna be like 15$ minimum for something.
I had a great time but I wish there were 2 water stations or that it was at least more centrally located. Saw some people pass out Friday and the line for water was insane.
I was really disappointed in the fact that the ride share location was closed to cars. Not sure who’s fault that was but it was annoying.
The drinks were crazy expensive. I was just in Chicago for Pitchfork Fest and they were nowhere near that much.
Riot pop sucked it was so gross.
Still had a blast and everyone I talked to was awesome!
I loved the riot pop NA options. so good for being NA and so thankful to have had multiple NA options for once at a fest. I can’t speak to the taste of the alcoholic ones but you’re not the first I heard complain about those
Okay, that's definitely fair! I had the 8% one, but I agree - I love to see a fest have N/A options! And I had the purple nurple flavor - maybe the others ones weren't as bad.
AFI was SO disappointing. Maybe it's because I'm an old school fan and I've seen them before. Their energy wasn't as exciting and that crowd had the most amount of assholes IMO.
I saw them in like 06 (?))and they didn’t even play older stuff then. Set lists I have seen if recent shows, they MAY play days if the Phoenix. But it’s usually sing the sorrow and later albums material
At least back then they'd open with Strength through wounding. I felt the transition to their newer material on this set because even when I saw them in Seattle earlier this year they opened with that and had a couple older songs.
An exit for easier pink line access would be cool. Riot Fest Sucks for not having one!
FestiBowl is an awesome food vendor, please have them back next year to avoid a Riot Fest Sucks post about it in 2024 :)
I really don't get why they couldn't let people exit, through the emergency exit on the southeast part of the Riot Fest grounds. At least I'm damn certain back in the 2019 RF they were letting attendees exit the fest, via that emergency exit.
They absolutely should, but something tells me the neighbors said no. Chicago is just one big NIMBY city. Everyone complains about anything happening in their neighborhood.
My only major complaint was during The Cure I was in the non-used stage side pretty out of the crowd but had a good spot to see a huge band like that and had girl dancing a little too close and getting into my personal space. If I was on the side with the huge crowd, yeah no shit everyone everywhere is going to get into my personal space but move over or ask if I want to join in where I can politely decline and move to another place on my own.
Sleep Token got boned by being on the Rebel stage. Awful sound bleed and overcrowded not to mention sound/lighting issues made them start a half hour late. That stage had issues before Corey Feldman too.
-VIP needs a larger / another entrance. Shouldn’t be waiting in line just to get into VIP
-the bacci pizza was terrible / drinks over priced which is par for course though
-maybe a reason, but why is there not another entrance on pink line side
-maybe another reason, but why is the roots stage not the main stage. Riot stage is totally cut off on left side by multiple tents, cuts off entire people standing far out left view.
There’s a second VIP entrance near the line of food trucks on the east side of the park. I used it every time the VIP line got long.
Also a bar over there that had a VIP line that few people knew about. Let’s keep that amongst us, k? 😼
It was jamming up the route that the ambulances take to Sinai hospital (people were walking in the street, generally being dumb). Not causing issues for the hospital has been a sensitive issue--one year a lot of fest folks were parking in the hospital garage too which caused issues for hospital visitors.
There is a hospital where a hypothetical pink line side entrance would be. It would interfere with something like an ambulance trying to get in or out so they don’t do it there.
I went to the Harley Davidson anniversary festival in July where they had a Lou Malanati’s where they constantly made fresh pizzas and was good quality Lou’s. My first Riot Fest they had Pizanno’s that was delicious, not sure why they have gone with the shit Bacci year after year that makes me sick since. Didn’t touch it this year
I didn’t know Taco in a Bag was out of business. I was hoping they would be one of the food vendors. Oh and I paid $20 for 7-11 style / quality nachos.
People camping rail and then not being respectful enough to watch the bands throughout the day while waiting for the one you want - and getting upset when fans of those bands want to enjoy them. Especially if you are up front and reading a book literally 10 feet from the band in broad daylight as they are performing their hearts out.
I came to bitch about Lolla stealing Deftones from Riot Fest. That really SUCKS, i was hoping to catch them there.
This is a late bitch but it took the Foo Fighters 21 minutes to get through their first 3 songs. I got really bored.
Did the same thing at Louder Than Life. It was really sucking the energy out of the venue. Sucks because I hadn't seen them in about 15 years and went in excited.
They really did make me sleepy. Worst headliner of the weekend for sure. I’m super excited for this year! Never seen slipknot before!
Drain crazyness [https://youtube.com/shorts/yxM-HtTm7Zk](https://youtube.com/shorts/yxM-HtTm7Zk)
My only contribution to this is I'm still raw over having my 2022 adopt-a-port-a-potty name listed on their social pages for every poll, being one of the winning submissions, and then someone else being given the tickets. Their response when I emailed about WTF was "ReASonS!"
Damn that sucks. How TF did someone else get the tickets?
The official line I got was because the winner submitted their name, which was the same as mine, *before* my entry was submitted. Except my name was listed under the entry on the poll **the entire time** that voting was open. So again rEaSOnS.
I only go to this festival because my friends go, and I like my friends. Without them, this festival is nothing. Otherwise it's just an odd conglomerate of situationally unaware white and semi-white people descending onto a neighborhood of predominantly non-white people who don't want us there.
Okay thanks for letting us know
They used to announce the next year's dates as soon as the festival was over. My work has a bidding system for PTO every December so I made by best guess for when I think it'll be (usually second weekend of September) but knowing my luck they'll move it this year.
omg i need an update on how this person feels that they did move it. are you okay? damn
I don't think the week of the fest filled up with PTO requests so I can just get it moved, thankfully.
Honestly, Camp Punksylvania and Xtreme Folk Fest were way better experiences for punk music. Riot Fest has lost it's soul
A better handicap area would have saved me 5 bruises and to the people at Frank turner who keep moshing when we told yall to go the other way cause there was a wheelchair fuck you to the people that picked me up thank you to the girl who I pushed out of fear of flying over a wheel chair a 5th time I’m sorry I was honestly just sick of flying over this guy https://preview.redd.it/0tnqggzyc3rb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a06c72f2f764a9baf462d2a5dbb23ab4316fa949
I saw no upside to the VIP passes. Someone convince me otherwise.
The VIP is in an awful spot. It’s not in a convenient spot so if you need to hit the bathroom real quick it’s faster just to use one of the green goblins near a stage. Also, not enough tents for food and beverage. Every time I went back during the middle of the day there was a long line. If you’re charging people more for a VIP ticket have better options than half ass baci pizza
I got a random free VIP pass on Sunday, someone in the line had a friend not show. I didn't use it once.
Ik this is a thing with all festivals but can we please get actual competent security guards? The fact that people were getting their water bottles confiscated that were perfectly in line with the rules was shitty. Also the icp/Mr bungle/postal service scheduling was ASS. Edit bc I have more to say lol: 1) I know whoever did the scheduling for ICP and TPS prob thought those bands wouldn't have much overlap (tbh they had more than i thought lol) but since this is most likely TPS and ICPs last tours (definitely moreso for TPS) It kinda sucks that they were scheduled that way. 2) Security is always an issue at fests and concerts ik bc outside companies usually don't give a shit or give too much of a shit but like, it was still really shitty to have a brand new water bottle that was not only a gift from my gf but also perfectly in line with all of riotfest's rules confiscated and then later stolen when security put back everyone's water bottles out at the end of the night. 2 ½) On the topic of security, can riotfest PLEASE be more open on their whole spikes/no spikes rule? Like, it's called RIOTfest, and they seem to advertise to the punk and metal crowds, so forgive me if it's baffling when security doesn't let me walk in with a shitty lil spiked bracelet that has dulled tips, only for me to go in and see people with huge spiked vests and jackets. (if i had to drop my vest all the way back home i'd be pissed ngl. Very thankful that I didn't wear it tbh) 3) More water stations. I beg. 4) Whatever has to be done to get Pedialyte back as a sponsor needs to be done ASAP because there's nowhere to sit, and having pedialyte in the past made the $5 water a little better ngl. Ik expensive as fuck water isn't just a riotfest thing but when you have security taking people's water bottles that they brought so they DON'T have to pay for it, having the extra electrolytes and an actual place to sit is rather lovely. 5) More areas to sit/shaded areas. A lot of people here are getting older, and a lot of us who are younger need to sit the hell down. I'm 22 and my gf who's 23 has early onset RA so having a place to pop a squat that isn't VIP area shit would be pretty lit too. 6) Ik someone brought this up in the bitching thread last year but..more of the fun vendors who gave out free stuff or generally more stuff to do outside of pay out the ass for carnival tickets to ride like, 3 rides and or pay out the ass for carnival games. I miss Hellzapoppin. That's about it. I'm not gonna bitch about food vendors or concert etiquette considering a lot of people have done so already. (They're right to do so btw. Vendors should have their prices in big font so you're not standing in line for nothing, prices are more than fucking insane (even for riotfest), and people need to be genuinely less shitty and more attentive at concerts. Between DCFC and TPS this year and MCR last year, ik some of y'all elder emos have disposal income and can make it to these shows now but pls be a lil less shitty to others. Not just yall but with the three bands I mentioned I felt like I had to say something bc some of yall are wild.) Hope to see yall next year.
A little tip, my whole group brought gardening kneeling pads that we'd use for sitting and standing. They kept our asses dry and they're a lot softer than the compacted grass areas so our feet weren't so bad. I also stand by hiking boots as they're made for long duration walking and standing.
Why go to a concert and talk through entire bands? During Death Cab this guy held his phone up with the flashlight pointing backwards for like the first 4 or 5 songs. People were yelling at him to turn it off. His wife or GF finally showed up and she faced him and talked about everything but the band. I think I heard her mention something about towels. Save your money and stay him. Cure also had a lot of people fight their way up and then chit chat the entire time.
Ugh! I'm with you. So annoying. See my post below. Were you near the "WOOOOOO"er up front for Cure near the rail separating GA from Deluxe? Also, I had Deluxe last year and the chit chat in there was even worse.
omg she fell on me like a dozen times during tmv lmao
Luckily I did not hear that. I don't get it.
People yelling WOOOOooo!!! over and over *during* songs. I'm kind of joking and kind of not here. I get it, people are there to have fun, blow off steam, show enthusiasm, etc. Yelling WOOOOOOOooooo makes sense when a song starts to show you recognize it and like it. It makes sense when the song ends to show you liked it. But during the song, over and over, in a really high pitch like Ric Flair but longer in a big crowd with people standing right in front of you and right next to you? Not so much. One guy during The Cure...
I promise I’m not bougie…but we bought Deluxe+ tickets after having them in 2021 (wanted deluxe but it sold out) and loved the individual cabanas. Having one platform for everyone just doesn’t work. People would post up there all day for the headliners so there was never a spot later. They advertised they would have TVs streaming the main stages but there were not and they conveniently took that out of the description later. The bar lines were much shorter and the food was actually decent this year but not sure it made up for the price difference.
Food prices were high which is expected at festivals, but some of them were realllly not worth it. Can they just not invite the hot dog food truck that was in deluxe back? A regular sized hot dog isn't worth 15-20 just because it has cereal and whatever else on it. Waste of space. Food vendors should also be required to list prices, generally speaking. Echoing the need for at least one more water station. We managed fine between bottled water in deluxe and access to the new one in VIP, but for GA folks one doesn't feel like enough. Artist merch should be in multiple locations throughout the festival grounds instead of one tent by the entrance where you can't actually even see everything until you get up there. And it's been said, but canceling everything before 2 on Sunday sucked. And I get being snarky is their whole schtick on social, but at a certain point, idk...read the room? You could simply just not say anything as people complain about the delay and cancelations, instead of keeping the negativity going.
It seems like the single biggest issue impacting RF long-term is the park situation. It would just be nice to look forward to the fest each year without spending 3-4 months worrying if it will happen or finally get kicked out of Douglass. Chicago should work with all the other fests that utilize the City to create a new permanent festival ground somewhere--kinda like what they did in Vegas), it could have turf sections that won't die or get trampled with good drainage to help prevent mud and flooding. Some permanent stages that could be utilized for other events, better parking,--and if they wanted to get really fancy, they could even create an entire 'entertainment' district around these grounds with hotels and restaurants. Even if Lolla wanted to stay in Grant Park there have to be at least 3-4 other fests that could utilize this space in addition to other events that could utilize it....
I know it's been said time and time again but it feels really bad to attend the event when it's so clear "MANY" members of the community are unhappy with it in there backyard and I am sick of people handwaving it like "people are just whining and are babies". It genuinely shocks me how many people who are punks and generally willing to overlook this issue. when it's a loud festival right outside there doors making it hard to travel, sleep, and in general not be to nice to the community. What I wish more is for riot to build a better relationship with the park if they stay and address the community and not just profit off someone's else park with heavy continuous support.
[удалено]
Not going to make a big response cause imo stuff like this is exactly why I made my post of people who throw up as much defense as humanly possible for a company. But also still shock that someone going to shows like this would really drop some "this is racism against me for being white" like calm down dude that's some straight up skinhead talking point shit. Also I've only been to the fest the last two years and don't have the most rosey look of the event cause the last two years were of this tension was unavoidable for me.and I'm simply trying to advocate for a better communication with the people who live there to alleviate some of this like this year I did see some pluses like better organization with trains!! I'm similar trying to push for us to get better! I want to hear more good stories from the community not bad :)
While I agree that they can be a little dramatic, like I saw Twitter and Instagram posts that call riot fest an "occupation" which I think is clearly trying to compare this situation to the Israeli Palestinian conflict or some sort of settler colonialism. As a Chicagoan I find it frustrating to be told I can't use a park that's not in my neighborhood when there are plenty of events you have to pay to attend in other parks around the city. With that said, calling it racist against white people is not accurate. There is an undeniable racial element to a group of predominantly white people taking over a park that's in a predominantly black and brown neighborhood that clearly does not have the same investment from the city as other neighborhoods do and the tension that's there is not racism against white people.
wish they could have it in denver again, take pressure off the chicago one. book heavier bands in denver and more popular bands in chicago.
Toronto too
best ones i went to were the denver ones. i kinda just go to riot fest now since they’re the only fest like it left. nothing like watching bad religion while the sun sets over the rockies
For the love of god PLEASE spread out the watering stations. I’m not even that fed up with the lines, i’m just sick of walking from one side of Riot all the way to the other just to fill my bottle. Please just scatter the water carts around the park, it will make life so much easier for so many different reasons
Legend Valley uses 5 or 6 hose spigots and it works great
Agreed, brought my wife to her first riot fest and she was so confused by this.
This was my second- went to bonnaroo this summer and it was a shock how much worse the water situation was at Riot
Except Friday when Mexican Independence Day was being celebrated, we had a pretty easy time getting out of the park via Uber. We stay in Bridgeport, but any destination south of the park would work, and walking out to 18th and California and hitting up an Uber from there to flip around thru 18th and back south was super handy. About a $40 ride, which isn't the worst given the chaos after the shows. And the PUP aftershow ruled.
I feel kinda guilty for going. Had no idea the traffic from the fest blocks off 2 hospitals (and a trauma center I think??) I'm a hypocrite cz I def still went. Just felt kinda wrong the whole time.
If you "knowingly" came to Riot Fest with Covid, fuck you. If you're the one that gave it to me knowing you had it, fuckin die
Lol. If you got it from someone at Riot (who could have been asymptomatic,) then you likely gave it to others. Hope you fuckin die too
There I modified it, are you happy? Sounds to me like you might have known you had it and still went....
I didn't have it. I'm just not a moron that doesn't understand being around tens of thousands of people opens you up to that risk. I'm also not a fucking lunatic that wishes death upon people because I got sick.
Listen man, people that don't want to be vaccinated shouldn't need to be. By all means, at this point if they're not vaxxed and want to take obvious risks with their health, playing it loose and fast cause they don't need to worry about it killing their demographic, I'm not saying we should force a vaccine or way of life on anyone that doesn't want it. Be free. But I will say: Keep your unnecessary risks to yourselves. Go to your own shows. Chater your own planes. Use your own gyms. Those same rights those idiots reply on most definitely also shield me from the unnecessary risk they've created for the community and society. I'm allowed to hold people in contempt when I know they could do better but willfully chooses not no. It's not a matter of "option," at this point, it's a fuckin mental sickness. If my dad was the last one of them, I'd remove him myself. Do better.
What are you talking about? I'm vaccinated and boosted. But I still know that just by going to Riotfest, I have a bigger chance of getting covid than if I didn't go. I'm not talking about people who choose not to be vaxed. If you're vaxed, you have a higher chance of spreading it because you may be asymptomatic. How would you like me to do better? Would you like me to join your anti-vax death squad? You sound like a fucking lunatic. Do better.
While it is most definitely true I am a lunatic, it doesn't detract from my original point: Coming to a large gathering knowing you are sick is a dicked move. And no amount of ad hominem attacks is going to derail that. If you're vaxxed and boosted, why does it seems like you're co-signing someones right to show up knowing they're sick? Cause it kinda seems like that's what you're saying here.
My entire point is you have no clue if people knowingly came sick. Try reading what I'm saying, because this is the 3rd time you've said "it seems like" instead of, oh, I don't know, reading what I'm saying? Did you take a covid test before going? How do you know you weren't patient 0 and were just asymptomatic? It seems like YOU are the one who perhaps was sick, and now you're trying to deflect. See how ridiculous that sounds?
Where the hell have GWAR and Andrew WK been?
Touring and or a break. The second Andrew WK is announced is the day that we all rejoice.
If they're going to oversell VIP, they need to increase VIP accommodations. More food vendors, more drink lines. Set up tables in the tree area. If they better utilized the space on the other side of the pond, we'd have less congestion in the main area of VIP. One thing they got right this year was having an actual water station.
Location was not great for a lot of reasons… but as an out of towner who is not super savvy with Chicago public transit, my biggest bitch is the nonexistent parking. Chicago has become increasingly impossible to drive and park in over the last decade, but my god why hold a festival of this size somewhere with literally NO large parking accommodations anywhere? We drove to a parking garage at the hospital, naively hoping it would be open. It was of course private, but the security guard suggested we park right on the street as it was public and open. Ok cool! Welp, still ended up with a parking ticket somehow at the end of the night :/ We loved the festival overall, but likely won’t return if it’s in the same location. The community clearly did not want us there either, so I had some weird gentrification type feelings throughout the whole event as well.
[I parked here last week.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/R7rHy8EycVZWojis5?g_st=ic) It’s a mile walk away from the fest and only cost two dollars. Granted this is info that could’ve suited you last week. But I just found out about it.
Hi, if you ever find yourself there again you should get a hotel and park at the hotel and take the train. I’m from out of town and not familiar with the train and even I found it easy. If Chicago driving/parking is a big concern, I recommend a hotel by O’Hare. That’s what we did our first year and it was easy to figure things out
There needs to be at least one more exit and they need lighting
Right? I understand only having one entrance but multiple exits should be allowed
Parked in same designated handicap spot just like I’ve done for last 7 fests and got two parking tickets on Sunday. Has never happened before in the history of attending Riot. Came out and everyone in ADA area on Sacramento had tickets.
How did you get two tickets and did you have a handicapped placard on your car?
One ticket on drivers side window, another ticket on front window. Everyone had placards hanging on mirror or an ADA license plate. All that I seen including mine were very visible. Riot fest is aware of the issue and are in communication with city officials.
That really sucks. I hope you are able to get it taken care of without all the court hassle.
Yo I got one of those tickets on Sunday. If it was under $100, I would have let the city take my money. BUT ITS $250. F that I’m definitely contesting the ticket.
My friend got robbed at gunpoint leaving the fest on Sunday :(
Wow - do you know where he was about? We walked West down Ogden and stopped a few blocks after the police station to get an Uber. Didn't want to go any further
Is there a reason they continue to have it in Douglas Park? Even our Lyft driver was like “yeah i stay in the area sometimes and it’s fucking sketchy over here”
What other parks could they have it in? Grant Park is pretty much locked down by Lolla & they pay an absurd amount of money to Chicago to host it there. Union Park is too small. Pretty much every other applicable park would run into the same issues as Douglas.
I mean they could move it out to Tinley where they did warped tour but I’m sure that would increase ticket prices and obv that’s a hike to the burbs too. Edit: jeez, just throwing it out there. no need to downvote me lol
Dupage county fair grounds or fuck it rent a farm out in Dekalb ( i'm bias I live there lol ) sure it's a bit outside chicago but they would be much better acccomodated and actually welcomed.
Not gonna downvote you, but the problem with any suburban location is boozing and lack of public transportation. If I'm hanging at a 3 day fest, Lord knows I'm gonna need a few (i.e. many) beers. I love that I can hop on the L or bus, get there for a few bucks, and never have to worry about endangering any one's life (or my own). I'll also add that I left every night by 9:30 or 9:40'ish (not really a fan of any of the headliners). The 94 California bus was awesome. No hauling my ass to L station, and it was relatively speedy. Friday night I was able to get to liars club by 10:30 for the Brendan Kelly after show. 94 to Fullerton, and then grabbed a cab (old school!) For 9 bucks to LC.
Yeah boozing is a fair point. And leaving Tinley with the crowd is always a cluster fuck too. Just wish we could enjoy the fest without having to intrude on an iffy neighborhood that already doesn’t seem to want us there.
The neighborhood issue is tough, but it's definitely not black and white. Yes, there are some residents that don't want the fest, but there are a lot of residents that do want the fest in that neighborhood. The fact that the alderman was on board with Riot Fest staying in Douglas Park, in my opinion, says a lot. If the fest was that divisive, you can bet that he would have been. opposing it. I also think it's important to consider that riot fest is always in September and after Labor Day. We're not taking away a park in the middle of summer when kids don't have school. You're never going to get a 100% consensus, but for now I'm still comfortable with it taking place there. If the alderman starts opposing it, then I'll change my tune too.
Holy sorry that happened
As usual, the primary problem I have with the festival is public transportation out of the fest. Getting in, it is fine. Getting out, you need to leave early in order not to be massively delayed. This may be an unfixable problem (assuming bottlenecks are inevitable at el stations after Pitchfork and Lolla). There was not bottleneck at the Pink Line, but I took the pink line because no buses were going to my area (despite being nearly parallel to the fest--the kedzie/califonia/kimball buses). Last year after NIN, I found a bus right outside the festival gates and it felt miraculous. On Friday, I tried to walk to the bus on Kimball (despite getting mugged for $1 in that area doing that in 2021). This may be a city issue and not a fest issue, but I wonder how much they actually care about it. You really do get stranded down in that area. Something about it this year just felt more cynical and greedy. I can't put my finger on it. I didn't come for Saturday because Friday wore me out. Sunday would have been OK except for what happened to me during the Cure. I made the mistake of getting into a good spot for Mars Volta while wanting a good spot for the Cure. I was stuck there til the end of the set and tried to move over and into a better position. This was fine until I came up against an old guy (i know there are a lot of older people at this fest and I love it but some old people are cranks) who very aggressively told me that I was not going to cut in front of him and if I wanted to keep going I could go with all the other a-holes on the left that were cutting. I was somewhat taken aback and wasn't sure if he was messing with me or something, so I stood there another minute or two and he looked at me and asked what I was doing there, to go f\*\*\* myself, to get the f\*\*\* away from him. I didn't want to stir up any more drama so I moved away and saw him from a distance to see if he might freak out at anyone else. This kind of soured the whole set for me, and I heard it was a very good one. Isn't this normal fest concert behavior? Was this guy just a bad egg, or was I being an a\*\*hole? (I wasn't aggressively trying to cut him, just trying to politely walk around, and this was pretty far back from the stage, way behind soundbooth.) I left early out of panic that I would get stranded there late on a Sunday and be exhausted for work the next day. I got in for cheap from buying a ticket from someone at the last minute on Friday. So ultimately I spent under $180 (I didn't buy any drinks on Sunday) and wasn't a total waste, given concert ticket prices seem more inflated as ever. However, I don't know if I would go back next year because it just seems a little less fun each year (sometimes the bands are good enough that this is overcome). It seems like people around there really do not want the fest in Douglas Park anymore. If they move it, I'll go. I'm curious how other people feel about other options around the city for a better venue.
Public transit was a shitshow and I don't know why the CTA wouldn't add more Pink Line cars to each train, even if they can't add more trains, that day. It's not like fest snuck up on them.
Sounds like that guy was just an asshole. If you're leaving space between yourself and the row in front of you, you should expect that space to be taken by someone.
Boomer headliners brought in an awful crowd of entitled people.
Which ones?
The amount of times drunk dudes would come into an area of the crowd that was clearly not a spot where people wanted to mosh and just start aggressively shoving people to start a pit and then get angry when no one wanted to join in was way too damn high. How is it 2023 and we don't know pit etiquette still? Also just generally drunk men and their complete lack of spatial awareness in the crowd was insane.
Drunk guys and girls with giant backpacks and zero spatial awareness. Hell, not drunk people just colliding and pushing people when there’s room to pass 🤦♂️
I had some blonde lady walk directly into me and keep going and everyone around me was like WTF. It was super weird.
This happened at Gaslight anthem and was incredibly frustrating. The vibe was clearly more sing along and suddenly five people decided to do this 75% of the way through the set
i fucking hate drunks
Needs 1-2 more porta potty areas, esp by the main stage where there is room in the corner of the park. If you have to pee during anything on the main stages and you're walking 20 mins thru dense crowds. Poor soul who had to go during the cure.
I had the best time tbh. Ya prices for food and drinks are insane but I was prepared for it. Just eat before you go, take some protein bars for the day and get free water at the barricade. No alcohol needed to have fun. My only complaint is more light at night in the fields so you can see by the porta potties. The vendors were cool this year and I got a few pins and magnets. Everyone I encountered was super chill and nice and made some new friends! Prices will only be going up so if you are bitching about money stay home or start saving for next year 🤘🏼 I supported a small business by getting some tacos from their tent and they were delicious. Overall had a great time minus lighting at night and the mud.
My protein bars were confiscated at security the second day. But I managed to sneak in plenty drugs and a flask. So I still won until I got hungry.
I went back to VIP this year after doing GA the last few years. Not enough options for food, could use 1 more alcohol tent, and maybe 1 more tent to sit and relax. The main VIP entry was a shitshow all weekend. I feel like the VIP ticket wasn’t worth it this year. It was easier to grab food outside of vip than it was inside. The lack of acts playing at the end of Friday and Sunday at the rise and radical stages was dumb. This year has more bands booked than previous years and Radicals stage had nobody play past 8 PM. Have a band close out the stage till at least 9 so other bands before the main act can have extra time.
Seriously. Let a few more bands play at night
Not possible because of the hospital close by. I've worked there during a festival day and even far away it is still LOUD.
It was a bit dark in parts of the festival grounds at night. Hard to get around with ease after a while. And then exciting through the VIP section, holy shit! All the lit up trees? It was magical! Is that really a perk of that section, just being able to see where you’re going? Start listing that on the amenities then. It’s a simple fix. Doesn’t have to be in every tree, but it would be nice to have a better way to see around there.
They for sure needed those generator lights by the porta potties. Had to bring my phone out for light in the pisser
California Pink Line is 1.4 mile walk to the fest gates, not “blocks” as advertised.. then after the last show ends and you exit along with 20k other people and it’s complete chaos because there was no cell reception so you can’t flag an Uber and can’t get directions back to the train other than asking people “which way is the train station” while you walk around the west side complete crack town at 10pm looking lost AF and a snack to criminals.. lame Riot Fest security checked my bag, just came from the dispensary before the show and they snatched a couple pre rolls and some edibles.. didn’t hide it because didn’t think it was a big deal.. went to Lolla, Salt Shed, Tinley Park, etc all checked my bag and I always had a doobie if not a few.. nobody ever said anything but these POS losers obviously can’t afford to smoke dispo weed so they snatch what you have.. 25 bucks for a dam mixed drink, 17 dollars for a burger, 5 bucks for a cheap bottle of water.. stage setup, SUPER LAME.. you have one band playing on one side then bam, it switches to the other side.. even Dave Grohl was roasting the crowd Friday night saying WTF is up with all you WAY OVER THERE.. he was talking about the crowd way off to his right where the previous show was playing..then all the strollers, babies, wasted, laying down LAMES all over the field you are always stepping over and around people nearing stepping on em as you walk through the crowd at night it’s annoying AF.. Riot Fest is the lamest music fest ever, I’ll never go back, I’ll never give a dime again no matter who’s playing I’d rather drive out of state to see my favorite band(s)
> California Pink Line is 1.4 mile walk to the fest gates, not “blocks” as advertised I just checked the RF site and they say this: > Once off the train, head north on California, make a left (west) on 19th St., then a right on Albany Ave. Head north on Albany Ave, then turn right on Ogden Ave. and the Riot Fest entrance will be on your right at the corner of Ogden Ave. and Sacramento Dr. Total distance is only .71 miles. I just checked google and that is approximately correct. Not only is that much less than 1.4 miles, but there is another stop that is even closer, which is the Kedzie stop at 0.4 miles, which is about 3 blocks. > then after the last show ends and you exit along with 20k other people and it’s complete chaos because there was no cell reception so you can’t flag an Uber and can’t get directions back to the train other than asking people “which way is the train station” while you walk around the west side complete crack town at 10pm looking lost AF and a snack to criminals Not really sure how this can be blamed on the fest. There will inevitably be poor cell phone reception when 10s of thousands of people are all using the same small amount of cell towers.
Well this is the Mega Bitch thread
Sorry man, my feet hurt because my shoes got worn out. I bet they use the same shitty grass as at Soldier. Guess I'll stand the whole time next year to show how punk I am.
I brought 4 joints and a pint of fireball in each day. I kept the joints in my pocket and the bottle in my bag. Didn’t get searched or have my bag looked through for more than 10 seconds. Being just a tad bit subtle will go a long way.
Part of me believes this HAS to be satire, but if not, I guess the trash took itself out. Byeeeeee. Side note: probably not a good idea to call people who need to sit down “lames” 😬
Sounds like you should stick to the suburbs and stay away from music fests ya grump lmao It’s really easy to find the cali stop, we live on a grid street system and have a lake you can use to reference your orientation. And while it’s not the best neighborhood in the city, it’s not full of crackheads, it’s a blue collar neighborhood. Sorry there’s no McMansions like your home out in Naperville
"Riot Fest Presents Danzig" is an all time ironic title
Was upset Danzig was during the cure, totally would’ve hit that set.
Yeah, that was pretty dumb. We ended up going to Reggies for Escape from the Zoo, which was lit af. The after shows could have been better placed, in my opinion.
Why with the RFID chips on the wristbands this year? Surely they haven't had that big of an issue with.... what.... counterfeit wristbands? The line stretching out and cutting through the main thoroughfare to get into VIP was stupid. People who can't figure out how to scan a wristband are stupid. Needing to scan a wristband while you have spillable food and drinks in your hand is stupid. Those slow-ass scanners are stupid... If you can't make it work the *instant* a valid chip touches it, you need different tech. Here's how I gauge "fast enough": I should be able to proceed through an empty entrance without needing to adjust my gait. But I really tried, and they failed. I stretched my arm in front to touch as soon as I could reach it, and had my arm stretched behind me and still had to hesitate and twist back before it finally turned green.
People who pay VIP to goto a music fest are stupid lol
Honestly it was worth it for me to sit somewhere with back support.
Why did Mars Volta play noise and saxophone noodling for ten minutes? I'm sure it's great at their own show with a proper dedicated stage build where they can set the right mood, but not for a festival set with a hard 60-minute cutoff. What a waste.
Yeah, I was disappointed. They didn't have the original drummer, and it wasn't as cool while waiting for the cure to go on. They should have been a dual headliner against Foo Fighters, on a smaller stage. Would have set a better mood and kept all the Foo fans away.
Thats their whole schtick.
The saxophone wankery has been present since their second album (Frances the Mute) and has only become more prominent. It might make me basic, but I'm a bigger fan of their first two albums and like songs here or there but kinda fell off. In their defense, their last song in their set is over 12 minutes long just on the first album. It has a dueling guitar solo leading into kind of a noise interlude that then goes into a building instrumental/solo that leads to the last chorus. It was a bit indulgent but fit the song structure well. And Omar threw a few referential lines in there too, like part of a noise interlude/solo from a completely different song. It's definitely not for everyone, and maybe not even me anymore after being a fan. But it works for what they have pretty much always done and is not very surprising to me.
I also thought the bass from the Radicals stage was drowning them out.
I wasn't on enough, or any acid, for that moment.
Clearly you have not listened to The Mars Volta. The best part about them is how they incorporate these whimsical interludes and slowly build up. I appreciated the fuck outta their entire set.
As someone who’s been a fan for 20 years but had never gotten a chance to see them, I was super excited for this set. And I was blown away for the first 45 minutes, and then they spent the last 15 minutes basically proving the haters right. Was definitely not a strong way to end what had started as an amazing set
They're actually the artist I was most excited to see! I love the interludes on the albums. And, again, I'm sure at their own show where they have complete control, I would have been awed. But in a festival environment, I just wasn't getting sucked in, even though I was 30 feet from the stage, and I felt the crowd get kinda bored and I was bored and I wish they'd played one more banger instead of, like, 80% of that. Do a whimsical interlude! Just do like 2 minutes instead of 10.
stfu
Why?
Beers being $13 is the first year I didn’t buy one. These prices are just insane for low-tier craft beer. Food was also overpriced…it usually is but it seems like it’s just getting worse. Sound was overall pretty bad for most bands besides foo fighters and the cure. Cutting all the bands before 2pm on Sunday instead of moving everyone 2 hours later and playing during the giant lapse in schedule for the cure was a huge middle finger to fans. Too many uncoordinated people and smokers in the crowd but that’s nothing new. Mars Volta, The Used and The gaslight anthem playing at the exact same time was insane when there was so much extra space on the schedule. Of course, even with the rain delay.
I have a theory that the new sound configurations setup for this year affected the overall sound. At the radicals and rise stage in spots where in the past the music was loud it was almost quiet. Move 20 feet over and the volume hit. It was weird.
Disagree with the sound as I thought it was pretty good overall and moving everyone around Sunday would have been a logical nightmare. They did about as good of a job with that as they could.
The rise stage had pretty poor sound. Ls dunes had a crackling mic for the entire show too on radical stage
Yeah, that stage sucked all weekend.
Radical stage was ass all weekend. I'd say especially Sunday, bc vocals, but Fri and Sat it was literally just bass and drums coming through the mains. Origami Angel is literally just a 2 piece, guitar and drums and I couldn't hear guitar or vocals AT ALL.
The Pup set sounded AWFUL. Could barely hear one of the guitars, the vocals were a mess, and the whole thing was QUIET
If every fest was like this, with all we didn't like, I'd take it every time if it meant we still got two bands per year on the level or Foos and The Cure. Maybe we'll get Green Day and RHCP next year
It'll be Tool the last night and Primus the 2nd and perfect circle the first.... bet?
😑
Please no Red hot chili pedos
Please God no.
Biggest complaint is the lack of urinal troughs for the lads. They take up less space and would keep the portas cleaner for those that need them. Lolla does it and I never waited more than a minute or two.
Awesome weekend but I was at the QOTSA stage early while Death Cab was playing and this guy a few rows back was shouting pretty loud about how much Death Cab sucks. Like you don’t have to enjoy it yourself but let everyone else listen and have a good time :/
Had a great weekend as usual but... Why is there a Deluxe/Deluxe+ entrance if security never uses it that way and lumps it all in as VIP? I know this probably comes off a bit like "privileged people problems" but like honestly it's an advertised perk that is never actually offered any year I've gone. The snacks in Deluxe get more and more non-existent every year. This year was particularly a joke. Again, a privileged problem but with the price hikes and it being advertised I expect the experience to get better or stay the same, not regress. Every year the fest seems to move away from the carnival theme and I get as they get bigger they have to homogenize but I kinda miss the vibe.
Yeah… virtually no snacks at all for Deluxe… and the price point jump to Deluxe+ isn’t worth it imho. They should just stop even listing snacks as a perk of any kind for Deluxe. The better sight lines, open bar, and AC restrooms with actual running water are fine enough… just resign yourself to the food trucks in Deluxe and know that going in…
Just wondering what the snacks were and what they are now as I've only done GA, but would consider it if executed correctly.
If you're buying Deluxe for the snacks I would say it's definitely not worth it. In the past (pre-covid from what my foggy memory serves) they would have some decent finger food. Mini sandwiches, pita & hummus, and fruit. They'd put stuff out pretty regularly until about dinner time. Nice way to break up the diet of booze and fest food. Last year wasn't as good. Same type of food but I think I was only able to get to it twice before they ran out. This year was even worst, didn't even see any snacks. From what I heard it was like little cups trail mix that ran out immediately when they were put out at like 2:00pm.
They were giving out bags with some combination of chips, off-brand peanut butter mini-Ritz crackers, a Nature Valley granola bar, a couple mini-chocolate bars, plus other random things like Skittles. We didn't see any of it on Friday until later, and then they had drop schedules available at the concierge. A person would appear in the tent carrying white paper bags containing the snacks and hand them out until she ran out.
Right… why even list it as a perk! We are into you RF!
> I get as they get bigger they have to homogenize but I kinda miss the vibe They're big enough and need to stop getting bigger.
While on a personal level I completely agree, it's just an unrealistic expectation IMO.
The Postal Service, Mr. Bungle, ICP conflict broke my heart. I wanted to see all 3 so badly, but it was impossible to get between quickly. And I couldn't miss Postal Service :( Maybe there are other weirdos like me who like all 3, or maybe I'm just weird.
You are not weird. I felt same way and it was a game time decision o we went with Mr. Bungle! Glad I did, they were insane, and we cut out just before they finished, went to the L station just before California, got in the train (so packed no one could get in at Cali) and were downtown by 10:45!
I did want to check out all three, but saw most of Bungle and a little bit of ICP just because I had to see it for myself and was easy to check out from the Rise stage. Missed Postal Service entirely so I hope you had a blast during it!
it was a spiritual experience I cried the whole time
Sounds great! I saw Sigur Ros with a 41 piece orchestra in Minneapolis last month and that was incredibly emotional the whole time so I imagine it was similar. Glad you enjoyed!
Oh my god I could die happy after seeing that. Wow. I want to see that!!
No I am one of those. I was very disappointed I ended up catching the first half of ICP And then finished with bungle. I took the L for postal only because I'm gonna see them this week. That and Mars Volta godspeed conflict really bummed me out. I would think Mars Volta fans would also be into godspeed so I was a little perplexed at that schedule choice.
I really hated that Volta/Godspeed conflict. Looking back, I kind wonder if I should've walked over to the stage Godspeed was playing on, as I had seen Volta once before. I always did like Volta, so that narrowly won out.
Never saw either but I kinda figured I might not ever see Volta again. Godspeed is always on your.
Are there rumors that Mars Volta was possibly doing their last tour? That's good if Godspeed isn't going to break up, anytime soon.
Just not holding out since there was such a large gap in them not playing. I really hope not because that was awesome and their jamming was top notch.
Related, please post videos of ICP, I need them to live
The people running this fest are legit shit at organizing a fest in every way but pulling good bands. It's truly incredible how this fest is as successful as it is but the relatively cheap tickets helps bring the people back year after year.
Thank you FINALLY
VIP oversold. VIP lines being the longest lines of the fest.
The alcohol options were terrible! I don't mind beer, but if I want to get drunk and not feel heavy and have to pee every five minutes that's not what I want. If I DID want that, there were 99% IPAs and only a few options for decent beer. If I wanted liquor, I only saw one bar that had cocktails and they tasted like they had a drop of liquor in them and so much sugar I felt like I was going to go into diabetic shock. And then the only other options were redbull cocktails, whiskey shit, and Malort (no). Not everyone wants a redbull cocktail, not everyone is in their 20s anymore guys. We have high blood pressure and would like a cocktail option without that horseshit. Do better. Tried to get drunk repeatedly and couldn't lol
Yeah really, who wants Malort Spritz for $15? Not as many are into drinking the crap known as Malort, as all the hype would make one think.
I worked the Reggie’s beer Trent. I can’t argue with you about the drink options or the the many complaints about the prices, but I know we we’re making actual mixed drinks in the tent
That's good! I must have missed them on the menus. What cocktails were you making? I kept going to Cobra Lounge because they had some listed.
Just so happen to be taking a break from drinking right now and it was perfect timing because yeah, the options seemed terrible and even more expensive than normal.
Same same. Blew so much money trying
Interrupters aren't the only Ska band.
I paid $20 for some mid ass cheese fries not knowing they were gonna be $20. If I said, “I don’t want them anymore” am I still obliged to buy them? Because fuck I would rather starve until 10pm out of spite.
I basically boycotted all the food. I wanted to get an ice cream push up and it was $10, most of the food I wanted as $20+. I just basically ate a huge breakfast each day and waited until after to eat again.
This is the way (maybe sneak in a granola bar or 2)
Last year I got a skinny piece of chicken on a stick and a hand full of fries that tasted microwaved and it was $30. Not making that mistake again
They should really require all the food to have PRICES LISTED in a big ass font on all the vendor signage. Some of them had prices listed but most notably that big vendor with two booths that sold the cheese fries bucket had no prices listed anywhere, and it’s always annoying having to wait in line to ask how much something will be :/
I remember getting absolutely burned by the carnival food stuff by the rides last year and swearing them off forever. Almost feels like a Riot Fest right of passage at this point. No way a carnival corn dog should be more expensive than the food truck stuff.
That’s not really that surprising though lol, if ur buying food at a music festival I think it’s safe to assume in this day and age it’s gonna be like 15$ minimum for something.
I know I just wish there was something to be done about it. it’s nuts how expensive all food at fests has gotten
I had a great time but I wish there were 2 water stations or that it was at least more centrally located. Saw some people pass out Friday and the line for water was insane. I was really disappointed in the fact that the ride share location was closed to cars. Not sure who’s fault that was but it was annoying. The drinks were crazy expensive. I was just in Chicago for Pitchfork Fest and they were nowhere near that much. Riot pop sucked it was so gross. Still had a blast and everyone I talked to was awesome!
I loved the riot pop NA options. so good for being NA and so thankful to have had multiple NA options for once at a fest. I can’t speak to the taste of the alcoholic ones but you’re not the first I heard complain about those
Okay, that's definitely fair! I had the 8% one, but I agree - I love to see a fest have N/A options! And I had the purple nurple flavor - maybe the others ones weren't as bad.
I was also at Pitchfork this year and felt everything was cheaper, at least in terms of food and beverage.
AFI was SO disappointing. Maybe it's because I'm an old school fan and I've seen them before. Their energy wasn't as exciting and that crowd had the most amount of assholes IMO.
I saw them in like 06 (?))and they didn’t even play older stuff then. Set lists I have seen if recent shows, they MAY play days if the Phoenix. But it’s usually sing the sorrow and later albums material
At least back then they'd open with Strength through wounding. I felt the transition to their newer material on this set because even when I saw them in Seattle earlier this year they opened with that and had a couple older songs.
An exit for easier pink line access would be cool. Riot Fest Sucks for not having one! FestiBowl is an awesome food vendor, please have them back next year to avoid a Riot Fest Sucks post about it in 2024 :)
They had an exit on California the first year in Douglass, but I think the hospital had an issue with the placement and it hasn't been there since.
I really don't get why they couldn't let people exit, through the emergency exit on the southeast part of the Riot Fest grounds. At least I'm damn certain back in the 2019 RF they were letting attendees exit the fest, via that emergency exit.
They should have an exit close on the Kedzie side - that's the farthest you can get from the hospital.
They absolutely should, but something tells me the neighbors said no. Chicago is just one big NIMBY city. Everyone complains about anything happening in their neighborhood.
My only major complaint was during The Cure I was in the non-used stage side pretty out of the crowd but had a good spot to see a huge band like that and had girl dancing a little too close and getting into my personal space. If I was on the side with the huge crowd, yeah no shit everyone everywhere is going to get into my personal space but move over or ask if I want to join in where I can politely decline and move to another place on my own.
The drunk chick who said her mom died, this was her favorite band, and she had to act a fool?
Idk, she was in a group of people.
Sleep Token got boned by being on the Rebel stage. Awful sound bleed and overcrowded not to mention sound/lighting issues made them start a half hour late. That stage had issues before Corey Feldman too.
i slapped that ST Full Set on my YT channel :P
-VIP needs a larger / another entrance. Shouldn’t be waiting in line just to get into VIP -the bacci pizza was terrible / drinks over priced which is par for course though -maybe a reason, but why is there not another entrance on pink line side -maybe another reason, but why is the roots stage not the main stage. Riot stage is totally cut off on left side by multiple tents, cuts off entire people standing far out left view.
There’s a second VIP entrance near the line of food trucks on the east side of the park. I used it every time the VIP line got long. Also a bar over there that had a VIP line that few people knew about. Let’s keep that amongst us, k? 😼
STFU!
There used to be an entrance/exit by the Pink line but it may have only been the first year. Not sure why they don’t have one now.
It was jamming up the route that the ambulances take to Sinai hospital (people were walking in the street, generally being dumb). Not causing issues for the hospital has been a sensitive issue--one year a lot of fest folks were parking in the hospital garage too which caused issues for hospital visitors.
There is a hospital where a hypothetical pink line side entrance would be. It would interfere with something like an ambulance trying to get in or out so they don’t do it there.
I went to the Harley Davidson anniversary festival in July where they had a Lou Malanati’s where they constantly made fresh pizzas and was good quality Lou’s. My first Riot Fest they had Pizanno’s that was delicious, not sure why they have gone with the shit Bacci year after year that makes me sick since. Didn’t touch it this year
I didn’t know Taco in a Bag was out of business. I was hoping they would be one of the food vendors. Oh and I paid $20 for 7-11 style / quality nachos.
I was crushed by this. It was the first thing I hit everyday during RF
This broke my heart on Friday. Taco in a bag has been my go to every year
People camping rail and then not being respectful enough to watch the bands throughout the day while waiting for the one you want - and getting upset when fans of those bands want to enjoy them. Especially if you are up front and reading a book literally 10 feet from the band in broad daylight as they are performing their hearts out.