Riot Fest 2012: Day One Recap
By aaroncynic in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 15, 2012 7:00PM
Last night Riot Fest opened at the Congress Theater with a lineup reflecting the more diverse taste in bands organizers seem to be going for, while still managing to keep punk at its core. I managed to get in the doors just before Pegboy, who delivered the most energetic and engaging set of the night. Frontman Larry Damore headed offstage and into the crowd almost as soon as the first chords rang out from the stage, and the hometown band never let up, putting the cherry on top of an already amazing block of favorites with a cover of Mission of Burma's "That's When I Reach for My Revolver."
Neon Trees hit the stage next, and though their upbeat poppy and dancy sound made some punks turn their noses and earned a row of middle fingers from the pit for a song, they put on a fun show. The Offspring closed out the Congress, opening up with a strong combination of mid-90's hits, but quickly dropped off into their later repertoire. Their early energy was electric, but as the evening went on, the liveliness seemed to slowly drain.
The night was still young however, and after a relatively quick jump to Subterranean, I managed to worm my way in just before Dan Vapid and the Cheats went on. The small, two-level club was packed beyond capacity, and it appeared that more than a few people were turned away at the door. Any energy that may have been lost at the Congress exploded when Naked Raygun hit the stage and the crowd crushed forward. They burned through every favorite, and I found myself still singing along well after walking out the door at the end of the night.
Overall, day one of Riot Fest got off to a bit of a slow start but finished strong with the Raygun aftershow. Considering the volume of bands playing today and tomorrow, a slow steady burn is exactly what was needed.