Riot Fest's Daily Schedules Are Out To Break Our Hearts
By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 19, 2015 7:35PM
Andrew W.K. plays Riot Fest this year, photo via his Facebook page
Riot Fest released their daily schedules for this September's event in Douglas Park, and as we feared there are some heartbreaking conflicts. But what else did you expect when faced with a line-up where even the undercard is populated by acts that can still headline their own large-scale tours?
When the daily line-ups were released we raised a couple fears that didn't end up manifesting themselves. However, we didn't expect those potential conflicts to give way to even harder choices. Friday night in particular is weighted with acts we want to see—all playing at the same time.
The good news? Faith No More is playing an early evening set Friday that isn't facing off against other bands that might draw the same fans.
The bad news? The Friday evening top slots are occupied by No Doubt, Ice Cube and special guests performing what's being called the "Straight Outta Compton Remix," and Motörhead. What?! Our only hope is that someone fast tracks the possibility of cloning so we can Black Mirror ourselves and hit all three simultaneous sets. It's really the only option.
Saturday's headliners—System Of A Down, Taking Back Sunday, and Iggy Pop—are all different enough that, again, depending on your personal tastes there probably won't be any hard decisions. Though earlier in the evening having to choose between Merle Haggard and Drive Like Jehu, or Billy Idol and Rancid (performing ....And Out Come The Wolves) will surely lead to some spilled tears.
On the plus side, all three days have pretty stellar early acts, with everyone from Fishbone to Hum to Swervedriver, taking slots during the afternoon. So unlike some other music festivals, it appears the solid talent is on display through the entire day and not just the dusk to evening hours.
Look at each day's schedule and see what tough choices (or section of the park you're going to stake out).
Riot Fest is Sept. 11 to 13 in Douglas Park and tickets are still available.