Run the Jewels perform at Riot Fest in Chicago on Sep. 18, 2021.
On Saturday, Sept. 19 – during the second official day of Riot Fest in Chicago – the nowhere generation mingled with punk rockers, moon stompers, gypsy punks, graceless kids, a Chicago rap favorite and the best hip-hop super duo in the game – Run the Jewels.
Audience chants of RTJ proceeded the appearance of Killer Mike and El-P as fans eagerly-awaited their Riot Stage headlining show. The duo expressed their excitement to be back to share live renditions from their 2020 album RTJ4. “Yankee and the Brave,” and “Ooh La La” got the party started at the top of the set which overlapped with fest-closing performances by Taking Back Sunday, Dropkick Murphys and Andrew W.K.
“We missed our jobs really badly. We’re really f*cking happy to be here, I’m gonna be honest with you. And we’re gonna play a lot of jams, but we’re gonna play a lot of this Run the Jewels Four shit because we never did that shit before and we’re excited to do it,” El-P said before he and Killer Mike launched into “Holy Calamafuck.”
Rise Against performs at Riot Fest in Chicago on Sep. 18, 2021.
It was only four days prior that Rise Against was announced, along with Anthrax, as one of the acts tapped to replace Faith No More and Mr. Bungle when both bands’ remaining 2021 tour dates were cancelled so that Mike Patton can prioritize his mental health. Despite the short notice, fans of Tim McIlrath and company posted up at the Roots Stage to sing along with songs from the Chicago group’s 2021 album Nowhere Generation as well as all the hits. Another local favorite, Vic Mensa, backed by a live band, also drew in a big crowd for his early evening performance.
Rancid performs at Riot Fest in Chicago on Sep. 18, 2021.
Punk fans who enjoy a healthy dose of ska were treated to a perfectly curated day of music at the Radical Stage. Hepcat, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Rancid – who delivered hits like “Roots Radicals,” “Fall Back Down,” “Journey to the End of the East Bay” and “Maxwell Murder” – provided plenty of fuel for skanking, singing and crowd surfing before Dropkick Murphys closed things out.
Best Coast performs at Riot Fest in Chicago on Sep. 18, 2021.
The sun shined down when Best Coast performed their first show back since the pandemic ended touring in 2020. Vocalist Bethany Cosentino expressed her gratitude for fans and shared that she was feeling a bit nervous to be back in front of so many people. It turns out she had nothing to worry about as she, guitarist Bobb Bruno and the entire band sounded superb on songs like “Different Light,” “For the First Time,” and “Crazy for You.”
During the spoken word interlude of “Graceless Kids,” Cosentino took time out to have a conversation with the crowd.
“I wand to say the biggest thank you in the world to every single one of you for supporting Best Coast since 2009,” Cosentino said.
Les Savy Fav performs at Riot Fest in Chicago on Sep. 18, 2021.
Earlier in the day, Joywave, Big Freedia, Gogol Bordello and Les Savy Fav – whose Tim Harrington found impromptu inspiration in colorful powder, a decapitated mannequin head and even unsuspecting members of the audience – also performed crowd-pleasing sets.
Riot Fest continues on Sunday, Sept. 19 with a lineup featuring The Flaming Lips, Machine Gun Kelly, Slipknot, Devo and more. Check out photos from Saturday at Riot Fest 2021 below and click here to find our coverage from Friday. Additional information can be found at Riotfest.org.
