Riot Fest Preview
By aaroncynic in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 5, 2010 4:40PM
Tomorrow, the five day marathon punk show better known as Riot Fest begins. For fans of nearly every sub-genre tangentially related to the nebulous term “punk,” Riot Fest should please even the most jaded guy or gal who hung at Medusa's or the Fireside back in the day. The festival, which spreads nearly 75 bands over 5 days begins with the Busted at Oz reunion show at the Double Door. The show features some of Chicago's oldest punk bands including Silver Abuse, the Subverts and Naked Raygun.
On Thursday, the full fest begins with shows at the Metro, Double Door, Subterranean and Cobra Lounge. We'll be at the Metro to interview Canada's finest political thrash punk band, Propagandhi, who play alongside Fat Wreck Chords artists Cobra Skulls. In addition to incredible touring bands, the Metro show also has locals like Brendan Kelly (Lawrence Arms, Slapstick) and Elgin's mighty Brokedowns. Meanwhile, the Subterranean hosts an all Chicago show featuring the legendary Bhopal Stiffs alongside Mexican Cheerleader, No Enemy and Squared Off. Afterwards, if you still have the energy to stand and can travel fast enough, you may have time to catch New York Hardcore heroes Agnostic Front.
Friday night features plenty of tough choices. Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine headline the Metro with Articles of Faith and Shot Baker, but the main event at the Congress Theater will be a nostalgic evening of circle moshing to Bad Religion and the Circle Jerks. Sludge metal stars Corrosion of Conformity return to their original lineup at the Metro. Subterranean will feature an evening of suits and skanking with the Toasters and Skapone. Finally, if you're a lucky three or five day ticket holder, you can gamble on secret shows at either AAA or the Exit.
Saturday and Sunday will be two more days of choosing between incredible options. We'll take a closer look later in the week at those days and have plenty of pictures and reviews next week of the whole extravaganza. If you need to start scheduling, download this handy list of set times.