The remnants of Fall Out Boy’s Friday night confetti drop had barely settled on the lawn at Douglass Park when gates opened for day two on Saturday.
Yet, the leftover scraps could also be seen as recycled décor to celebrate the onslaught of more local talent coming through the park over the next 12 hours.
Starting with the 40-year-long overdue reunion of Evanston’s Verböten to christen the day, the schedule also offers 9-year-old North Lawndale rapper Dat_Boy_Zach (the youngest performer ever to take a Riot Fest stage), dark wave electro trio Pixel Grip, upcoming punks Sincere Engineer and fan favorite rockers Beach Bunny.
Riot Fest has always been a great champion of local talents and flavors, giving them due space over the course of the weekend, and that trend continues in 2024.
Beyond the music, the homegrown spotlight is also apparent in the vendors with Delilah’s, Reggie’s and Cobra Lounge set up with large dedicated drink tents, the Logan Arcade plugged in at RiotLand, and food offerings from local eateries including Big Star, Harold’s Chicken, The Publican, Dark Matter Coffee and others.
The Beyond The Fest Community Corner is another great local attraction where many of Riot Fest’s neighborhood initiatives take center stage, including the youth empowerment program Boxing Out Negativity.
But any activation or area with shade continued to be the big draw as the temps swelled near 90 degrees for the second day in a row, just in time for the last official day of summer.
The Hives
“Ladies. Gentlemen,” greeted Hives frontman “Howlin’” Pelle Almqvist of the Riot Fest crowd. “You have been waiting a long time for Riot Fest to once again include the Hives in the lineup,” he continued. “I think the last time we played here was 2016… but I don’t feel bad about the situation,” said Almqvist deadpan, rolling now. “There’s actually a lot of bands here that we don’t hate!”
Drawing a festival crowd in on a warm afternoon is not always the easiest task. But over the course of just 40 minutes, the Hives did so masterfully, rolling out one of the most energetic, entertaining and enjoyable sets of the weekend so far.
“Put your hands together for our latest album and clap!” said Almqvist, his sense of humor again on display as he set up “Rigor Mortis Radio.”
Touring in support of their latest album “The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons,” their sixth and first in over ten years, The Hives began with that record’s opening track. “Bogus Operandi” was defined by incisive, buzzsaw, garage rock riffs by the five piece group, dressed to kill in black and white suits despite the heat on day two of the fest.
Pelle Almqvist jumps into the crowd as he performs with The Hives on day two of Riot Fest.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
“I think it’s pretty safe to say we’ve done pretty great for the first three songs!” said the always quotable Almqvist on the Cabaret Metro stage, revealing he’s been performing on this tour despite a torn ACL. “There goes my football career!” he joked, setting up “Walk Idiot Walk” as guitarist Nicholaus Arson crowd surfed back to the stage, guitar in hand.
There are times when a short festival set can be a disappointment. But sometimes it’s perfect. Saturday’s Hives set went by in a flash, the type where it just does not matter if something’s a little out of tune — sometimes it makes it better.
“Ladies and gentlemen, you are witnessing history… But you look hot,” joked Almqvist, introducing arguably the biggest Hives hit in “Here to Say I Told you So.”
“Clap your hands, Riot Fest. Now sing the bass line!” he instructed. The crowd complied, with Almqvist delivering his vocals over the murmur as the band cut back in late to drive the frenetic performance.
Wrapping up their set with “Countdown to Shutdown” left a moment for one last quip from Almqvist as Carly Simon’s “Nobody Does it Better” rang out ironically across Douglass Park.
“We have been, we are and we will always be the Hives.” — Jim Ryan
Princess Goes
“Thank you! That’s Peter, that’s Matt and I’m Mike. And We’re Princess Goes,” said actor and musician Michael C. Hall on stage Saturday afternoon at Riot Fest.
Following a successful run on cable television portraying both David Fisher (“Six Feet Under”) and Dexter Morgan (“Dexter”), Hall returned to his roots, heading back to the stage in 2014 following the conclusion of the initial “Dexter” run.
In “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” Hall took on the role of rock star Hedwig, fictional frontman of The Angry Inch, before starring in a production of David Bowie’s “Lazarus” musical the following year (Hall also sings lead on “Lazarus” which appeared on Bowie’s final album “Blackstar” in 2016).
Working on the “Hedwig” production, Hall met drummer Peter Yanowitz and keyboard player Matt Katz-Bohen, forming Princess Goes with Bowie as a north star.
Saturday afternoon, Katz-Bohen created a psychedelic swirl that would wind up being hard to top, as Princess Goes tore into “Offering” to open the set, layering a track throughout that would boil over late.
Princess Goes wrapped up their 2024 touring cycle Saturday over the course of a half hour on the AAA stage, performing in support of their sophomore full-length “Come of Age,” dropping a deluxe edition of the new record last week.
Pummeling drums drove “Vicious” early, a song that would veer toward a more subdued lullaby-like tone later.
Cramming as much as they could into the quick set, Hall eschewed any substantive banter on stage Saturday as Princess Goes melded elements of synth pop, psychedelia and more electronic-oriented rock, with Katz-Bohen moving to bass and acoustic guitar late.
Wiping sweat from his brow, Hall leaned into the anthemic chorus of “Airhead,” a track which ascended from an uplifting early keyboard part, reaching crescendo during an anthemic, rocking chorus that was right at home on the outdoor festival stage in Douglass Park.
“Thank you, Riot Fest for having us!” said Hall as Princess Goes wrapped up. “Drink Water.” — Jim Ryan
Verböten
The long-dormant Evanston punk rockers came ready with donuts to celebrate their first show in 41 long years.
“Don’t worry we have enough for everyone! You get a donut! And you get a donut!” guitarist/singer Jason Narducy shared as drummer John Carroll started throwing out the treats to the hyped crowd, most of whom came prepared wearing Verböten T-shirts.
Singer Tracey Bradford came ready, too, wearing a Naked Raygun shirt in support of another Chicago punk institution, while waving and throwing up heart hands to the excited audience that was all but clinging to the barricade to be as close to the performance as possible.
To say anticipation was high for this special set is an understatement — it’s the first time the band has played a show since 1983, after forming as wonder kids a year prior (some members as young as 10) and then soon disbanding the project.
Verböten has become incredible local lore in the many years since, even the inspiration for an award-winning musical produced by the House Theatre of Chicago in early 2020.
“We formed 42 years ago in a small bedroom in Evanston. Our original drummer had an apartment and we played shows for our parents, changing out the lights to make it a ‘concert,’” Narducy explained, flanked on stage by other original members Bradford and bassist Chris Kean; drummer Carroll is the only new member, who now fills in for Zack Kantor (though Kantor’s nephew, Aaron Shapiro joined in Saturday on guitar).
Verböten’s 1983 show at Cubby Bear has also been the stuff of legend. In fact it’s where a young Dave Grohl got his first taste of punk rock (he’s cousins with Bradford) and has brought up that foundational story nearly every time Foo Fighters have played Chicago (and also in his “Sonic Highways” docu-series). Narducy brought up the memory during the Riot Fest set, too: “We are honored to be here on the Cabaret Metro Stage. In January 1983 we played at Cubby Bear, and we played this song,” he said to introduce “He’s A Panther.” It was the only old song the band dug out of the archives for the set and it still remains a marvel that children could write those solid riffs.
Instead, the band — unbelievably tight and synchronized all these years later — focused on new material, like the punchy punk ditty “No More Indecision” from their upcoming self-titled album (and first album ever), coming out October 4, with material recorded at Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio studios.
The band also used the platform to announce a show at Evanston’s SPACE on October 5, hopefully signaling that this time around Verböten will stick.
“Hopefully we’ll see you in two weeks … this has been really special,” Narducy said to end the set. — Selena Fragassi
Pixel Grip
“You’re probably wondering who the f*** do these b****es think they are? And you’re about to find out,” vocalist Rita Lukea said to begin Pixel Grip’s set — and they spent the next half-hour showcasing their powerful musical merit.
Lukea’s incredible confidence and attitude were matched weight for weight with the synth swagger of Jonathan Freund and the hard-hitting beats of drummer Tyler Ommen for a swoon-worthy trifecta of self-described “goth disco” that had the crowd engaging in a frenetic dance party not unlike the days of NEO (even under the blistering sun).
Like Zheani on Friday, it was a buzzkill to see such beautiful dark art in the daylight, yet seeing Pixel Grip play Riot Fest was a treat regardless. For the band, too.
“This is surreal; this is the biggest show I’ve ever played, the biggest stage I’ve ever been on, I’m gonna cry,” Lukea shared before regaining their composure and unleashing the beast on track “Alphapu**y.”
The trio formed in suburban Crystal Lake in 2017, and in recent years has come out of the underground to become a hot commodity, as an Empty Bottle Staple and touring with acts like Patriarchy and HEALTH (who also played Riot Fest Saturday).
With the material from their 2019 debut “Heavy Handed” and 2021’s game changer album “ARENA” in tow, the trio proved themselves to be incredible art-makers, allies for LGBTQ+ fans and great descendants of Chicago’s Wax Trax! legacy while also pushing the genre forward for a new generation. — Selena Fragassi