– X Joyfully kicks off Saturday
As X approached the Roots stage, their beaming smiles put their audience in the perfect mood to have fun and dance to some punk music. Guitarist Billy Zoom’s was visible from anywhere in the park as it . His gnarling guitar distortions kicked off a number of X’s songs, many coming from their magnum opus, Los Angeles, a twisted DNA of driven punk and rockabilly. Vocalists Exene Cervenka and Joe Doe delivered their harmonies that followed such a start with clarity and enthusiasm, whether they doubled their catchy choruses or playfully exchanging dialogue evoked from their vocal chords. The band wore the same demeanor throughout their hour set sans random stage banter, leaving overly positive impressions for long-time fans and handfuls of newcomers.
– Glassjaw Unleashes an Impressive Wave of Distorted Technicality
Going to Riot Fest, I wasn’t expecting to see any hardcore bands. Glassjaw proved such thinking to be downright senseless. The post-hardcore outfit cranked their amps up to a volume that challenged the sound system’s speakers; blowing fans’ cheeks back immediately upon their first strums. While Daryl Palumbo’s screeching screams, which were fantastic in their own way, might have chased casual fans away from their stage, their instrumentation stimulated even more daunting impressions. Each track embellished riffs that shattered eardrums with rigorous waves of distortion, whether they surveyed winding scales across the necks of their instruments or purely creating shrewd noise effects, which were mastered by guitarist Justin Beck. Some even opened suspenseful pauses coated in a sparkling daze, cued by almost-whispered drum hits while the band peeks in-and-out with aggressive filler, each movement being more devastating than the last.
Guided by Voices Serve an Act of Their Own
After witnessing the series of continuous toe kicks and joyful leaps bound from the Roots Stage, Guided by Voices frontman Robert Pollard rightfully earns the title for best frontman fitness. As he threw his arms around with his sidekick, a bottle of whisky, his adrenaline behind his lyrics and support of his equally driven bandmates, especially Tobin’s impressive vocal contributions, drove the performance to fit the festival crowd. Die-hard fans found the set’s largest compliments to stem from performances of “Teenage FBI”, its first performance since 2004, “Mincer Ray”, and as assortment of highlights, “The festival rock,” according to Pollard.
Guided by Voices isn’t a punk headbanger by any means, so instead of stimulating rowdy mosh pits, Pollard was able to evoke a handful of laughs. Whether he was talking about falling in love with your mother, complementing Blondie’s ass, or crossing a goal off his checklist with the simple words, “Up next Blondie!,” it was hard not to break a smile during the band’s hour set.
– Keith Morris Drives Flag as Aggressive as Ever
Despite the feud between the two reunited forms of Black Flag, Flag proved that they were certainly top dog of the punk game. After Keith Morris’ usual rant about things that piss him off, the band exploded into a 23-song set list that fueled possibly the most violent put of the fest. Watching kids walk out with bloody noses and stained t-shirts was almost as typical as it would be at a Gwar show, expect the blood is 100% real. Fans felt liberated as they threw punches and fashioned their inner aggression as they ripped through “Fix Me”, “Rise Above”, “Six Pack” and “Gimme Gimme Gimme”, some of which were aided by Dez Cadena on vocals. While he got the job done, nothing beat Keith Morris’ legendary delivery throughout the set.
– Violent Femmes Revisit their Debut with Pristine Colors
After a day of consistent punk, it’s refreshing to have some variety thrown into the mix. The Violent Femmes dedicated the evening in honor of the 30th anniversary of their self-titled debut album, which influenced the number of middle-aged attendees to question where all of the time went. The band brought their set to life with a mostly-acoustic set-up, lifting lush layers from a twangy Telecaster, acoustic bass, and standing drum kit with drum flairs. Instead of focusing on the driven, it’s softer approach gave more particular attention what was rendered from each instrument, especially Brian Ritchie’s precise bass exploration and the zany zips and whistles of Horns of Dilemma. Best of all, Gordon Gano’s vocals sound like they haven’t aged a bit, singing his counting sorrows in “Kiss Off” and famous choruses of “Blister in the Sun” and “Gone Daddy Gone” with the same twang as the recording. Even though legends had graced the multiple stages of the festival all day, Violent Femmes sought to make their performance unforgettable and succeeded.
– Blink-182 May Be Older, but They Still Have a Funny Bone
The Riot Stage would exemplify a similar riot as Friday headliner Fall Out Boy’s crowd for Blink-182’s headlining set, pressing eager fans’ rib cages up against the metal fences to get as close as they can to the stage. In avoiding the topic of the hospital trips made after the show (harmed fans are currently safely recuperating), Blink-182 made dreams come true with a set highlighting their biggest hits and most recent material. While their first reunion shows fashioned more songs from their earlier catalog, their Riot Fest set included some selections from their self-titled album, many from their most recent releases, Neighborhoods and Dogs Eating Dogs EP, and the usual Travis Barker drum solo. While their basis of their music matured, Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge through in plenty of sex-related jokes and showed that they will never change.
– Festival Attraction of the Day- Press Tent Show (Use Freak Show Pictures from Day 1)
So, ever wonder what the perks are to doing press for a festival? For the most part, fresh water, air conditioning (in unbearable heat), and shorter bathroom lines are typically the answers at every other festival, but Riot Fest organizers sought to deliver much past that expectation. In the big circus tent smack-dab in the middle of the field, otherwise known as the press tent, contained a private performance of some of the circus’s most twisted attractions. The portraits plastered on each stage were brought to life as performances swallowed screwdrivers and hangars, eating fire, and digging into their faces with power drills. While we quivered in our seats, it’s safe to say that it was all a part of the festival experience.
– Bryan and the Crowd Surfing Done
After noticing an ambitiously aggressive dog surfing in a circle pit, TSOL frontman exclaimed, “Fuck you, dude. I actually thought that was a real dog, and it scared the shit out of me.” Not only did Bryan, the owner, and his stuffed dog cause a series of laughs across the TSOL crowd but was stopped by a number of attendees for his most beloved festival mascot. Not to mention, Bryan was the nicest guy imaginable who loved to give hugs and sported and impressively soft beard. The dynamic duo continued to surf through the fest for the rest of Saturday, and it was perfect.