Switchfoot seems possible? They're playing with more Riot Fest-adjacent bands than usual this year and they're in Indiana on the 17th. I haven't seen them in well over a decade and they were always awesome live even after I stopped caring about the records as much.
I agree they'd be a pretty fun get! And from what I know about the band... They'd enjoy it too because they would inevitably be playing with bands they don't normally get to be around, etc. And you could pair them with a bunch of different artists and genres and have it work nicely. Ska-punk, reggae, hip-hop, certain hardcore acts, and so on. Could very well be that the right deal/offer just hasn't "clicked" yet. MxPx is in a similar situation (as per Mike) where they regularly get offers from the festival and maybe start discussions but the money isn't right or their set time wouldn't be what they want. That kind of thing can gum it up. And I think 311 is in an odd spot where they could headline a stage but might be less of a draw than others - or they would need to close a stage but the "slot" they would fill in wouldn't work. A lot more goes into all this than "hey, wanna play k cool you're in!" Riot may put out offers for certain bands and the manager just says "no" for whatever reason without checking in with the band because it doesn't meet certain pre-specified parameters based on where the band is at in their careers, current goals, etc.
This probably takes a few undercard names out of the running unless they're doing a very quick fly-in/out from Arizona. Set Your Goals, Comeback Kid, I Am the Avalanche, and Stateside are all bands I would have liked to see this year. Definitely catching IATA later this week now though.
As a huge 311 fan, I would absolutely love it. But they're playing Chicago in July, so they are out. Maybe next year for the 30th anniversary of Transistor, though. I'm buying what alkalinexandy said - seems like they maybe have a specific time or slotting they want.
That's interest info and I wonder how much of that goes into the discussion. Do semi-prominent acts take a lower fee if they get better poster/set time and vice versa? 311 doesn't feel like headliner but feel like they could possibly play second on a main stage leading into a larger band.
I'm not an expert by any means, I just know the anecdotal stuff I pick up from podcast interviews. And I'd imagine it's different from fest-to-fest, from artist-to-art, etc. And the manager. Certain artists will do things just because it's "cool" or "fun" for them. But I don't imagine that ever involves a paycut. I know When We Were Young booked bands that first year without really telling everyone who was playing just buy throwing money at them. In contrast, Dance Hall Crashers finally said "yes" to Riot last year not because they threw more money at them but because they got to play on a stage with a bunch of their old friends and be on the same poster as like, "Weird Al" Yankovic. The way they described it was that they didn't just want to be one of 20 ska bands on a festival. They wanted it to be a cool, unique experience "like opening for Devo in Japan." Riot has a history of booking like that too, and curating heavily around certain artists. Booking solo acts they hope to eventually get a reunion for. And so on. But that only works if you can get through the manager first. LOL RE: 311 though, I don't think there's a scenario where they are big enough to be a headliner unless they have some sort of viral moment. But they could easily be direct support or close out a set of the 'smaller' stages depending on who they were paired with. Some of it depends on who all else is booked too, what bands have built into their contract as far as scheduling and stage designations, etc. They're out this year anyway but... They're definitely one of those "weird they haven't played it" bands at this point. Kinda shocked they knocked out the Foos and Green Day before them, TBH. LOL
Riot has such a thin line between what is or isn't a Riot Fest band. Switchfoot is right on that line along with Third Eye Blind, Eve 6, Lit, Everclear, etc. I'm sure there's a scenario where they might book them but it would be a one-off and I would put money on them not being their first choice if it were to happen (see also: Slipknot). No shade toward these artists or anything. And I'm sure some of them would want to play Riot but they don't really tick the boxes the fest usually tries to tick (e.g., influence, indie-cred, irony, blah blah blah).
I always feel like the 90s rock bands they book are either ironic or meme bookings (Hanson and potentially stuff like Eve 6 or Smashmouth) or they have some following in the RF crowd (TEB).
No Chicago, 1 free day during riot, vaguely Midwest… but he doesn’t have 3 straight show at any other point, so I’m guessing he’s out, but still technically in play for Sunday
Yeah, Al did both last year! I think he's big enough at the moment to justify it and I would imagine (for Riot) it was a get that was viewed as a huge bonus for many but not necessarily a key draw. He's a weird exception (no pun intended).
Depends on what 90s rock bands you're talking. They tend to dip into the indie/college rock scene pretty regularly. Like, it wouldn't shock me if they were to book the Lemonheads at some point. But most of that late 90s "nice guy" pop-rock that had like, 1-2 songs on rock radio before only pushing singles to Top 40 is justifiably ignored by them. Third Eye Blind is an interesting one, though, because I know there's a segment of people younger than me who take them seriously, they influenced a bunch of pop-punk bands or whatever... But if you're in the 40+ demo, and not a music nerd, I think the majority of people just don't take them seriously because of the 90s push. Which is probably why they haven't played. But would be a fun get for the festival and I know a bunch of people would be really into it! Given his age and the Ravinia date, unfortunately, I think he's probably out. If there was one more free date in either direction I'd be thinking very differently about it. Haha.
Mars Volta are likely out too. Technically free on the 19th but they've got shows from the 15th-18th and another on the 20th. Six days in a row would be nuts. LOL
Less sure on TGUK since they're playing Chicago in the summer with Jimmy Eat World, but I won't complain about another chance to see them.