Riot Fest 2017 Wrap-up - 100 Acts on 5 Stages

Riot Fest brought out metal, alt, emo, pop, ska, and hip-hop heads for three days and five stages. 

Headliners Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, and rockstar ladies Peaches and M.I.A. all performed at the Chicago festival. 


Danzig returned to Riot Fest and set the crowd on fire. Prophets of Rage ripped the stage with Chuck D of Public Enemy. And Mike D. of Beastie Boys gave a heartfelt solo performance.


Day One – a sunny Friday Riot Fest kicked off with LIARS and Saul Williams rocking the big stages. Chicago rapper Vic Mensa gave an electrified show. Newcomer rapper Action Bronson also performed. 

Death From Above, Buzzcocks, Dirty Heads, State Champs, Ministry and New Order all hit the stage before headliner Nine Inch Nails closed out the show.

Check out Nine Inch Nails..






and Ministry performing "NWO"




Day two of Riot Fest was a sweltering Saturday, but fans who braved the heat saw GBH, Fishbone, Knuckle Punk, Fidlar, Bayside, The Smith Street Band, and Shabazz Places rock stages. Danzig held it down with a fiery performance.

Later that night, New Found Glory, Taking Back Sunday and the Wu Tang Clan ripped it. 

On the way from the Wu Tang heading to Queens of the Stone Age, I got a pleasant surprise from the Heather Owen Stage where Streetlight Manifesto performed with a five-piece brass band. Streetlight Manifesto cleverly blends punk rock, ska, and uptempo Jazz bridges to create their unique sound.

Later then night Queens of the Stone Age and Taking Back ended the perfect Chicago summer night.

Check out Wu Tang Clan an Methacal performing "M.E.T.H.O.D. Man," 





a performance from Mike D,





Knuckle Punk’s full set,




and a performance of o"We Fall Together" from Streetlight Manifesto





The final day of the Riot Fest brought out the Orwells, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Beach Slang, Dessa, and Engine 88 earlier in the day.

Check out 2 performances from Prophets of Rage





Paramore peforming "Misery Business,"  



and Pennywise from Sunday afternoon




Recently reunited, veteran punk rockers Jawbreaker closed out the festival with a bang.

Check out Jawbreakers Riot Fest performance!



Riot Fest is the official end to Chicago’s summer festivals. Each year the lineup gets more diverse - as does the crowd. Festival goers of every background can rock out, juke, head-bob, and dutty wind together to their favorite bands, and discover an artist they never heard. My only suggestion for next year – sell more liquor with the beer. 

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