Riot Rocks Out

Riot Fest must have prayed to the rock gods for good weather. What had plagued the recent Pitchfork Music Festival did not happen here with sunny blue skies and temperate weather.

Douglas Park was once again the spot for Riot to rock in 2018 on the weekend of Sept. 14-16. For three days the lineup was stellar again thanks to acts like Weezer, Beck and Blondie.

Johnny Marr was especially engaging thanks to set from groups he has played guitar and produced such as The Smiths and Electronic. He was an ol' pro along with many other performers such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Liz Phair and Cypress Hill.

The layout was similar to previous years with a vast array of vendor booths, carnival rides and food to choose from.

The fashion was the usual black t-shirts along with shorts to beat the heat. Some people thought outside of the box with bright colors and tights being popular. There will always be a few mohawks in the crowd until the day Riot closes it's doors.

While some were disappointed that Blink-182 backed out due to health reasons, the sheer number of acts squashed any doubt that this was once again a year to remember. Riot Fest remains a chance for metal heads to blend in with the alternative music folk and all to have a good time no matter what your taste in music is. It is usually an older crowd than Lolla and not as artsy as Pitchfork but contains a solid fanbase to music that sometimes tends to be forgotten. Many of the performers were honored to be there and it showed with the work they did over the three days.

Stay tuned to RiotFest.org for next year's plans. Keep your eyes open and don't forget the Blink!