Riot Fest 2018 - September 14-16 - Douglas Park, Chicago Tour • Page 61

I’m thinking:
Tool/Op Ivy/Green Day

 

I think it would be fun to see Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Heads Will Roll would be a great time haha

I'd like to see Beck too. It's actually a good setting for me to see him, cus I probably wouldn't go to his own show but if I was already there, then yea I think it'd be a good time, and I kind of like headliners like that. (It's how NIN was for me last year).

I truly have no interest in Tool. I'm sure they're great live and all, but I'm not into their music, especially cus they make it so damn difficult by not streaming haha

 

Honestly I rarely am able to accurately predict the headliners. For all we know they got a reunion we haven't even thought of, or went a completely different direction.

 

bad headliners wouldn't keep me from going if there were a bunch of other bands i'd want to see.

 

Yeah, those top three would make me hesitant to even buy a single day ticket.

 

Considering all things that are potentially in play? This would be my ideal -- and would get me incredibly excited for it. I could see it being a bit "flipped," though and having Green Day be the #1 with Tool at #2, and Operation Ivy at #3.

Rancid lower on the bill doing an Operation Ivy cover set would get me there too. And that, to me anyway, feels a bit more likely than an actual Operation Ivy reunion (though I'm still holding out hope for that).

Don't get me wrong -- I'm into all of those bands. But I saw Tool last summer, and while they were amazing? Not quite "travel across the country specifically for them" amazing. Haha. If those are the headliners, it would have to be a really special undercard.

Do we remember who was heavily speculated for headliners last year? I feel like they all came out of absolutely nowhere last year.

 

I feel like the headliners come out of nowhere a majority of the time with Riot Fest. The only one recently that I really remember knowing for sure in the last couple of years was No Doubt.

 

So... There's hope. Hah! In that case, though, even No Doubt was a rare get for the festival. We knew but it wasn't like they were touring or doing a bunch of festivals.

I keep coming back to Beck not being a headliner. He's definitely a major artist, but the fact that he's already announced a full US tour alone makes me think he won't be a headliner. He'll probably be up there but I have to think there's somebody higher on the bill than him, if for no reason other than he's already playing shows. And if it IS two acts like Green Day and Tool? That knocks him down to the second-rung.

QOTSA did a full US tour last year, but that wasn't announced until a few weeks after Riot Fest was announced. That's probably a bit of a factor too.

 

am I wrong or was Beck featured on one of the posters that leaked a few years back, but then was not actually featured on the festival when it was really revealed, along with a few other bands?

 

I don't recall this but it did happen with Good Charlotte last year

 

I'd love the main/side project aspect of Green Day/The Longshot and Tool/A Perfect Circle.

 

i dont think it was a poster, but some non-riotfest email (a Do312 sort of site) announcing upcoming Chicago shows or something along those lines

 

I remember it happening with Sleepwave and some other bands once too. For some reason, I swear he was on one of them, and at the time I think it was subheadliner status

 

He was but I don't remember which year. And I am pretty sure he wasn't listed as a headliner.

 

Seems like I'm in the minority but I couldn't care less about the headliners. The main headliners draw tens of thousands so you usually can't get anywhere close anyway unless you're camping out there for an hour. I'll catch the Green Day/SOAD/Blink-size bands at their headliners with proper floor tickets and enjoy the smaller and mid-sized bands at Riot Fest.

 

Personally, if I'm going to a festival I just sort of assume I'm not going to be getting anywhere too close to the stage for the headliners anyway... But I did manage to get relatively close for Jawbreaker last year.

My point about the undercard is that, unless it's a truly special combination of bands with a few special gets/exclusives? It's just not worth the trip. If the headliners are all "whatever" and it feels like there's enough for me to have a blast each day? I'd go.

But for me, the Riot Fest undercard tends to be primarily acts I've seen recently or will see as they tour around the festival... So it's usually one of the headliners that typically what draws me in. 2014, though, I did go just because of the whole thing. I don't think I watched a single main stage headliner that weekend. So it's not a make or break, but I do think it's a big part of it.

 

Yea I get that, this is definitely coming from a perspective of knowing I’m going no matter what cus I live close and get free tickets (though even if I had to pay I would still go every year).

I can’t remember if QOTSA was speculated or not, but that would be the most obvious one I think, since they had a new album coming.

 

For me, I almost felt like some of the after shows are a big draw as well. A good mix of the top lines and undercard and then cool after shows is what I look for. I was bummed I missed NIN last year, but catching Jawbreaker was awesome. And then having the Lawrence Arms and the Menzingers along with cool stuff like Danzig and Wu Tang made for a nice mix in my opinion.

 

Totally. I'm the same way with Boston Calling. It doesn't matter if I'm only into 3-4 bands per day. It's a train ride away, so I'll go... But I can't for the life of me figure out why anybody would travel to that particular festival, haha.

I don't recall QOTSA being heavily speculated. I'm sure the name was tossed around some, but nothing too heavily. All this talk is making me feel like we may get a surprise. Haha. That's really what each Riot Fest announcement hinges on, as I think about it...

It would just be a hard pill to swallow to go from the last few years to a line-up with a top 3 of relatively predictable/obvious festival choices (Tool, Beck, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs). Again, solid acts. But in the grand scheme of things? Just kind of "nothing special" if that makes sense.

 

im there for all of it. all 3 days get there at 11 am, leave at 10 pm and just enjoy whatever i do inbetween

 

I'd be stoked if Mineral played again. Didn't get a chance to catch them when they toured that year.

 

i moved away from Boston a year or 2 before this festival started and was super bummed as i love the city and a fest in it would have been a killer experience... i heavily debated traveling last year just for that Sunday run of Piebald-> RTJ->cage the elephant->weezer->tool

 

Sunday last year was exceptional. Hah. This year kind of mirrors last year in that regard -- there's four "must-see" acts I want to see tomorrow (two of which directly overlap) and Saturday is just a run of greatness for me from start to finish, haha.

 

Honestly I've considered traveling to Boston Calling the last couple years cus they just put together incredibly solid line ups all around. But basically like you said, when I really start looking, I realize I'm usually seeing or could see all those bands in some capacity anyway. So I get it for sure.

 

I really hope they book Gaslight Anthem playing The '59 Sound, as I'm flying from another country and this will be my chance to finally see them