Riot Fest: Five days of punk rock in the Midwest
Punk rock doesn’t exactly scream the Midwest, but during October 6th-10th, the Midwest’s largest punk fest, Riot Fest, will take invade various music venues across Chicago. Over the course of the five days, 100 new and iconic bands will perform from their definitive catalog of zeitgeist music.
In the late 70's and early 80's, punk rock and hardcore rebelled against the political climate, big corporations, and mainstream culture of the times, so bands used their creative freedom in the underground scene to make bold statements. New York and London were mainly the catalyst cities, but surprisingly, Chicago had its own punk scene. On October 6th, the first night of the sixth annual fest, the Busted at Oz lineup at Double Door will showcase and reunite Chicago bands Naked Raygun, the Effigies, and Silver Abuse, all of which helped put Chicago punk on the map.
Even though many of the bands are now much older than when they started out, the fiery passion from their youths still burns inside of them. The weekend will feature L.A band Bad Religion, which was at the foremost of the California punk movement in the 70's. Political activist Jello Biafra, who made a name for himself in San Francisco with the seminal band the Dead Kennedys, will debut his new band called Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine.
Besides punk, the fest will also feature ska bands like popular group the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, who had a couple of major hits in the 90's. Some bills will have as many as nine bands performing at one venue, but those events usually start earlier in the evening.
For Congress Theater shows, a weekend-long VIP pass is available that entails access to all shows, free beer, and closer sightlines, but individual show tickets or a full three-day Riot Fest pass (five day passes are sold out) are also available for purchase. Throughout the fest, a few secret shows and after parties will be announced to continue the filth and the fury that is punk music.
Posted by Garin Pirnia
