Fans – Riot Fest 2018 Day 3
Riot Fest Day 3 proved to be a hot one. But the heat and humidity couldn’t stop tens of thousands of dedicated festival-goers from converging upon Douglas Park on Sunday, Sept. 16 for the third and final day of Chicago’s premiere punk rock & more festival. The day was jam-packed with sights and sounds, including stand-out performances from Johnny Marr, Blondie and Father John Misty aka Josh Tillman.
Tillman’s set on the Roots Stage was most certainly something to be seen. A perfectly curated collection of songs from the artist’s four albums left fans entirely fulfilled yet somehow still calling for more. From the crunchy guitar-laden opener “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings,” off the former Fleet Foxes drummer’s first album under the Misty moniker Fear Fun, to the closing number, “I Love You, Honeybear,” the title track from his second LP, devotees sang along with each and every note.
Father John Misty – Riot Fest 2018 Day 3
There were a lot of people on stage at Tillman’s Sunday night Riot Fest performance — a bassist, a drummer, a couple guitarists, a trio of horns and a few on keys and synth. The sound was fantastic and full, especially during the more explosive moments like “Hangout at the Gallows,” where Tillman, sans guitar, yowled and worked the entirety of the stage until the track’s final bit, which peaked with frenzied white silhouette-inducing strobe lights.
The early one-two punch of “Mr. Tillman” into “Total Entertainment Forever” made for some doubly-delightful melancholy bliss while the artist’s rendition of “Ballad of the Dying Man” pushed fans’ senses to their very limits, building to an intense climax of light and instrumentation before ending with some soft, soothing Tillman falsetto.
Father John Misty – Riot Fest 2018 Day 3There was surprisingly little banter during Tillman’s hour-long set, though the artist’s sarcastic wit did manage to peek through from time to time. “Playing acoustic guitar in a white suit at a punk festival is ironically punk,” commented the singer after a mellow rendition of “Disappointing Diamonds Are the Rarest of Them All.” Gentleman Tillman was also on the premises, with the frontman, at one point, putting the show on hold to ensure the safety of a few distressed audience members.
Tillman’s performance was all-encompassing. Packed with incredible energy and peppered with delicate vulnerability, it ranks as one of the best of this year’s fest.
Earlier in the day, New York punk and Riot Fest veterans Blondie performed a solid set for the masses, seamlessly blending the band’s new material with a handful of decades-old classics. Donning a playful green wig and a cape that read, “Stop F*cking The Planet,” lead singer Debbie Harry, along with her fellow bandmates, took the stage to the sounds of buzzing bees — a shout-out to last year’s solid LP release Pollinator. “We’re speaking up for the little honey bees because we like honey,” declared the animated frontwoman, prior to launching into the infectious and endearing “Long Time” — co-written by Harry and Dev Hynes of Blood Orange fame.
70s hit “One Way or Another” and the 2017 single “Doom or Destiny” had listeners moving with the music, as did the group’s performance of “Atomic,” which saw guitarist Tommy Kessler wailing solos from one end of the stage to the other. Bassist Leigh Foxx took the opportunity to show off his fast fingers on “The Tide Is High,” while Clem Burke dished up a drum solo intro on “Call Me,” paving the way for some welcome keytar (who doesn’t love the keytar?) action from Matt Katz-Bohen. The group aptly ended the hour with “Heart of Glass” with Harry bidding festival-goers a fond punk rock farewell. “Peace out, Motherf*ckers!”
Johnny Marr – Riot Fest 2018 Day 3
Johnny Marr’s early afternoon set on the Roots Stage saw the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist expertly serving up a fusion of his solo work with a side of Smiths’ fan favorites including “How Soon Is Now” and “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.” Call The Comet tracks “Bug,” dedicated to right wingers everywhere, and the upbeat “Day In Day Out,” which saw Marr doing a tad bit of shredding on the guitar, both landed well with audiences, as did the ever-catchy “Easy Money,” from his 2014 album Playland.
Other Sunday highlights included Suicidal Tendencies’ volatile, crowd-surf & circle pit-heavy show on the Riot Stage and jam metal / blues group Clutch’s performance on the Rise Stage, which featured rocking renditions of “D.C. Sound Attack!” and “Electric Worry,” among others. Bad Religion, who performed a cluster of songs from their expansive discography, along with 1988’s Suffer in its entirety, fought off some rough Riot Stage sound-bleed, impressively powering through close to 25 tracks in a tight 60 minute slot.
Incubus, Alkaline Trio, The Wonder Years and Calpurnia — the indie rock project feat. Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard — were all big draws throughout the day, which closed out with modern hip-hop legends (and rumored Bauhaus replacements) Run The Jewels.
Run The Jewels – Riot Fest 2018 Day 3
Sunday was inarguably a great day of music in Douglas Park. “It’s a beautiful night,” said Tillman during his set as he gazed out into the Chicago night sky, “A beautiful night to not die.” We couldn’t agree more.
Thanks, Riot Fest, for another great year!
See our complete photo gallery from Sunday below and check out our photos and coverage of Day 1 here and Day 2 here.
(Photos by Laurie Fanelli)