I actually didn't mind the setup either. If you got to Roots/Riot a set in advance, it was pretty easy to make your way to the corner, where there was a lot of breathing room. Rock was pretty cramped with the trees in the back, which is part of the reason I didn't love The Hives' set (honestly, they could have switched places/set times with Smoking Popes and it would have made more sense). I had such a fun time, and I'm definitely planning on getting the holiday presale. Already starting to think of who might play next year.
i want to hear more about the misfits set....the only set i care about. I knew if I had gone to this thing, camping out much earlier for a good spot would be essential, was that the case? The final headliner, a hot final headliner to boot with a shit ton of moshing, had to have been absolute chaos!! Yes or no? When Danzig played a few years ago it was perfect because they played during Fall out boy! Hah no problem getting into that pit/set. :)
Anyone know how many copies of Mutiny! were pressed for Riot Fest? I am trying to update my DeadFormat page.
Well, it was a fine weekend. I didn't come out of it feeling one way or the other. Best way for me to describe it in my fifth year...meh. We've decided that we won't do this next year. We'll do our best to avoid hearing about it and getting sucked in by a line-up like this year. There will be some pain in missing some bands I want to see but I’ll gladly do the after shows.
Same here. It's just a hassle getting to the park and finding a place nearby to stay all weekend. Warped Tour is still my favorite festival. And I like Open Air for the simple fact that it's in the suburbs.
I'll never go to another Warped Tour again. At least not until Kevin Lyman is no longer running it. It's a hassle even for me living in the city. This year also felt like it was cheaply done. Sound was awful all weekend, layout was poor, near complete lack of water... I'm done funding the amateur hour.
Warped is overpriced, and I wouldn't give money to it especially when Lyman runs it. Band quality dips every year, and the super short sets aren't worth it.
Even at my old age, I still love getting in the pit and jumping around all day. At Riot Fest I'm just trying to pace myself. I can do that at Warped and then relax the next day.
Sure, but until he acknowledges that part of his job is providing a safe place for everyone and not ignore the misogyny that occurs on his festival then I'm not giving him a fucking cent.
It did seem like they were trying to cut some costs this year. There was one less stage (two of you count the riot speaks stage from last year) and the rise and rock stages were smaller this year. They also had screens for those stages last year. The lack of carnival rides was fine, but another area that wasn't there.
I heard that there were no carnival rides in Denver, either. I figured losing the one stage was the result of noise complaints from Sinai because that corner of the park was dead quiet. Those two stages only had video last year because they shared it with the "main" stages.
Definitely crazy. But I don't think it wasn't life threatening where people were getting stampeded like system of a down last year. They didn't have to stop the show so that was an improvement. I honestly expected more people to be camping all day. As long as you got there before Deftones played you could work yourself up for a decent spot. I only missed out on Me first and sleater Kinney and to me that set was without a doubt worth it. It not being a mud pit helped make it not a total disaster and death trap. It did end up pretty packed though. I hope that they keep it going and you get to see them because I would 100% suggest going. I had pretty big expectations and wasn't let down at all. Tldr: a ton more people than when Danzig and Doyle last played misfits songs.
The weird thing about the carnival rides being absent in Denver is that all the rides were in the parking lot on Friday like they were going to set them up but it was cancelled last minute or something.
Really? This is just getting strange. It's like Riot Mike looked at the ledger and realized they had nothing left.
I can't imagine how anyone calling themselves a fan of punk music living in the Chicago area could justify missing this festival. I'll gladly make the trip from Toronto for a 3rd time next year if the lineup is this good.
Whole weekend was a blast. The weather was solid, all the bands I saw were fucking awesome, and I had zero trouble getting to/from the fest from the North Side. Looking forward to next year. My back hurts.
Curious question how did the out of towers go about getting to the fest? Parking was stressful for me, because you had to walk through some of the neighborhoods at night no matter where you parked.