Here’s a look at some of the sets from day one of Riot Fest 2022:
My Chemical Romance
Throughout the day on Friday, there was no mistaking the fact that most fans on this day showed up to see My Chemical Romance, many of whom camped out in front of the large Riot Stage for hours, enduring the daytime humidity and the acts that played before their heroes.
By the time the band came on at 8:30 p.m. for their 90-minute set, the entire crowd of Riot Fest — usually scattered over five stages, was focused on the Riot Stage to see the last band of the evening.
My Chemical Romance, which was active from 2001 to 2013 and then reunited in 2019, was set to head out on a reunion tour in 2020, a tour ultimately postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Headlining Friday night at Riot Fest, it was worth the wait. Although lead singer Gerard Way detests that the band is often described as Emo, it’s an apt description, as well as post-hardcore and gothic.
Way came out Friday night wearing what appeared to be a black overcoat, large dark sunglasses (despite that it was night), and a headscarf that resembled a babushka. He eventually lost the overcoat but kept the shades and headscarf on throughout.
The band started with a song released earlier this year, “Foundations of Decay,” and then launched into “NaNaNa,” getting the crowd to dance wildly. After three songs, because of the massive crowd, Way implored fans to take a step back so that people in the front didn’t get crushed. He repeated his request a couple songs later before launching into another tune, telling the crowd “this one’s kinda chill, so relax.”
He would repeat his request to the crowd after virtually every song and told them a couple times to send up anyone feeling dizzy or having trouble breathing to the stage to be escorted to safety. This created an unwanted pause between several songs, which Way noted by saying “there’s no flow to this show.”
Despite that, the crowd, perhaps the most fervent fans of the night, never lost their enthusiasm throughout, especially on songs like “Helena,” “This is How I Disappear” and “Welcome to the Black Parade.”
Way was in fine form, and his bandmates — drummer Jarrod Alexander, lead guitarist Raymond Toro, bassist Mikey Way (Gerard’s younger brother), and rhythm guitarist Frank Iero kept the crowd in a frenzy for their entire set (save for the pleas to not push forward toward the stage).
It got so bad that with about 18 minutes left in their set, the band was forced to leave the stage briefly and their production manager told the crowd to take a few steps back or he wouldn’t bring the band back out. The crowd quickly complied and the band resumed after about a two-minute delay.
They finished the night with “The Kids from Yesterday” and “Cancer,” a song they rarely play; there was no encore.
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio, a hometown band that released their debut album in 1998, is proof that pop-punk has some legitimacy to it.
Led by Matt Skiba, Alkaline Trio never gained the mass popularity of Green Day, another pop-punk band which emerged about a decade before them — but arguably has just as much talent.
Perhaps Skiba took a cue from Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, who wore a Metro T-shirt when he headlined Lollapalooza in August after playing the North Side club the night before. Thursday night, Alkaline Trio rocked Metro and tonight, Skiba wore a Metro T-shirt under an unbuttoned, collared shirt on stage at Riot Fest.
Though the band drew a large audience, a large portion seemed to be awaiting My Chemical Romance, slated to start on the adjacent stage immediately following Alkaline Trio. While that was too bad, it exemplified their fate as a perpetual bridesmaid.
Regardless, they played an inspired set and paid homage to their hometown on a perfect weather evening, with Skiba telling the crowd that he never saw Chicago look so beautiful — the skyline being visible to the crowd as they looked east toward the stage.
They played 21 songs at Metro Thursday night and while not as many tonight, many of their fans sang along as they did the night before. In addition to wearing the T-shirt, Skiba also gave Metro a shout-out, saying that they played their song “Bleeder” really well the night before and hoped it would be as good on this night. Judging by the response of the Alkaline Trio faithful as they launched into it, they delivered. And as they did the night before, they followed “Bleeder” with their song “Emma,” and then “This Could Be Love” — which seemed to encapsulate the feeling about the band for many in attendance.
This is the 25th year of the band’s formation, and on Friday night they looked like they could continue on for many more.
Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday proved there is still a market for whiny, poseur punk rock with an evening set at Riot Fest that should have gone to a better group. The band, originally from Long Island, which released their first album in 2002, hasn’t put out anything since 2016 when they released “Tidal Wave.” Perhaps it’s time for them to hang it up.
To be fair, Taking Back Sunday is more of a mediocre rock band with punk influence than a punk band. So, while they don’t come close to having the punk credibility of bands like Descendents, who played before them, or Bad Religion, who plays tomorrow, they have always had more mass appeal and record sales.
However, mass appeal is not always synonymous with good taste and that was proved again on Friday during their 60-minute set. Despite some-hard driving guitar licks from guitarist Shaun Cooper, the set proved repetitive and boring, and the fact that they went on at 6:20 p.m. only added to the already long food lines.
Descendents
Seminal California punk rockers Descendents have become a Riot Fest favorite over the years, and rightfully so, as their late afternoon set on Friday proved yet again that they merit a headlining spot.
Led by biologist/lead singer Milo Aukerman, whose caricature adorns the cover of five of the band’s seven studio albums, the group wasted no time in getting right to business.
Aukerman, the only member of the band to wear shorts on this humid day, came out with a water thermos strapped across his chest and wore a pair of sunglasses that he said he borrowed, telling the crowd he wears prescription glasses normally. He then launched into “Everything Sux,” which was appropriate since Riot Fest appropriated its “Riot Fest Sucks” branding from the band.
The band’s last album, “9th & Walnut,” released in 2021 — 39 years since their debut “Milo Goes To College.” In between, they’ve put out a lot of songs, most short and fast, and influenced hundreds of bands, many of whom have slots at this year’s Riot Fest.
On Friday they played more than two dozen songs in an hour-long set, while a good portion of the crowd up front slammed around in a mosh pit and crowd surfed to the high-energy, skater-punk tunes being played.
The last time Descendents played Riot Fest they were on the smaller Radical stage. Presumably the organizers took note that they attract a crowd worthy of one of the largest stages and made the appropriate decision to have them on the fest’s Roots Stage on Friday.
Whether or not they ever headline in the future may depend on whether enough of the younger fans in the audience learn to appreciate them, and if they release another album. They made a strong case for it on Friday.
Lucky Boys Confusion
Twenty-five years after Lucky Boys Confusion played their first party in the western suburbs where they grew up, the band showed on Friday at Riot Fest that they are seasoned professionals.
Fest organizers slated them at 1:25 p.m. on the first day of the three-day fest, which can be tricky as lines to enter were stretched for blocks. Despite that, they still drew a large crowd for their hour-long set.
Before they began, they could be seen taking pictures with people backstage, probably a hazard of playing near their hometowns of Downers Grove and Naperville, and then walked onstage to chants of L-B-C from an adoring crowd.
The band, making their Riot Fest debut, played a dozen songs in 51 minutes, and seemed to be having as much fun as the crowd, which sang along on many songs.
Lead singer Kaustaubh “Stubhy” Pandav, who has made no secret of his multiple sclerosis, told the crowd that “the last five years have been a real struggle” and told them the band they will be playing their annual benefit MS Sucks: Singing For A Cure in the coming months.
Perseverance seems to be the defining trait of Lucky Boys Confusion. In the quarter century the band has gone through a lot, most notably the death of founding member Joe Sell in 2012, and a four-year run with Elektra Records that resulted in two albums but ended when they were dropped in 2004.
During their set Friday, Pandav addressed the Elektra stint, saying “A while back we were signed to this label that made us a lot of promises; they lied,” before launching into their song “Closer to our Graves.”
Other crowd favorites were “Commitment,” and “Atari” — both off Elektra alums; as well as “Stormchaser,” “Breaking Rules” and “Cigarettes.”
The types of things Lucky Boys Confusion have endured would likely end most bands, but they have persisted. Their last album dropped in 2017, but today’s show had fans hungering for more — perhaps even another album.
More reviews to come...
