Riot Fest Day 3 (Sunday September 17, 2017) After another long hot day on Saturday, I couldn’t quite do the early arrival on Sunday. Although I had a few bands on my early schedule, none were “have to see” bands, so my goal was to get to the grounds in time for That Dog. Temps today were a bit cooler although more humid, but the mostly cloudy skies helped alleviate the intense sunlight from the first two days.
That Dog (that dog.) (Riot Stage) For the third day in a row, I had impeccable timing, arriving at the Riot Stage for the beginning of That Dog’s set. They played their entire album Retreat From The Sun (20th anniversary), an appropriately titled album for the hottest weather Riot Fest I’ve ever attended. Retreat From The Sun is a great album and was so cool to be able to hear it all live. Playing the album at the request of Riot Fest, Anna Waronker noted that they never envisioned themselves playing the entire album in sequence and that it was a good challenge preparing for this opportunity. And she is just a marvelous front woman. She was very personable with the audience and very chatty. She talked between every song, stressed about getting the full album in the allotted time, and as a way to encourage her band mates to start the next song, she frequently turned to them and said, “I can keep going!” It was a real pleasure seeing this band and there were a lot of hard core fans there that were just having a great time dancing and singing the lyrics. (Top photo.)
The Voluptuous Horror Of Karen Black (The Heather Own Stage) I really do enjoy the theatrical bands at Riot Fest, and that was part of what attracted me to this band. I was not familiar with them so I had downloaded their album The Anti-Naturalists. I was a bit skeptical, but it’s actually a decent Punk album, mostly Hard Core with a bit of Garage Punk. Kembra Pfahler is the front woman of the band and she is also a filmmaker and performance artist, hence the stage theatrics. She was covered in red body paint and another band member, a quasi back up singer, was covered in green body paint and wearing the biggest wig you can imagine. The female bass player was dressed head to toe in leather. The band is rounded out with a drummer and guitar player who got in some nice riffs. I believe he is also Kembra’s ex-husband and he paused a couple of the times during the show to take selfies with Kembra with the audience as the backdrop. Kembra is also the sister of Adam Pfahler, drummer for Jawbreaker, who was headlining later that evening. The show was entertaining. Kembra got everyone dancing and pleased the crowd by throwing out numerous band t-shirts throughout the show. (Second two photos.)
The Orwells (Rise Stage) I did not have this band on my schedule because I have seen them twice before, but they were still playing as I walked by their stage and paused to catch the last few minutes. I like this band and being from my hometown, I’m always proud to see them on stage. (Photo next to the truck.)
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (Roots Stage) This was the band I came to see on Sunday. A nine piece Ska Punk band in matching suits that played an amazing show. The horns are the hook and the pace of the music gets you dancing. Singer Dicky Barrett (who is also the announcer on Jimmy Kimmel Live) is an entertaining front man and a powerful singer. There is a big crowd for this show and it was easy to see and hear why. (Photo below The Orwells.)
Built To Spill (Rise Stage) Played all of their 1999 album Keep It Like A Secret. Excellent rockin’ set! Some very nice guitar solos using the wah-wah pedal and sounding a bit like Frank Zappa.
Pennywise (Roots Stage) I had intended to see Minus The Bear at this time, but needed a little food and rest so I headed to my favorite spot to chill, which is the small hill across from the Rise Stage. There was a 30 minute gap on the rise stage so I was able to hear the first half of the Pennywise set from the Roots Stage. It was enjoyable. Good Melodic/Skate Punk.
TV On The Radio (Rise Stage) This band had flown under my radar but my niece Megan suggested I see them and I was glad I did. They are a six piece Indie band with a diverse sound spanning several musical genres. They sounded great and lead singer Tunde Adebimpe is excellent as a front man and very personable with the audience. I watched about 30 minutes of their set and then decided to move around and sample some other bands. (Photo below The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.)
Dinosaur Jr. (Riot Stage) I went to the first 30 minutes of their set. They played their entire album You’re Living All Over Me (1987, 30th anniversary). I generally like the band and that album but I’m not a big DJ fan as their music all kind of sounds to same to me. What I do like about their sound is the heavy and distorted guitar that is pervasive throughout their music. They had a huge crowd for their set. (Photo below TV On The Radio.)
Best Coast (Radicals Stage) Continuing on with my sampling, I stopped for a few minutes to hear this Indie band. They have a very nice sound, leaving me with the desire to explore their music further.
GWAR (The Heather Owen Stage) I had to get me a little GWAR. They are a theatrical Metal band and they wear outrageous sci-fi costumes, have battles on stage and spray the audience with fake blood. They also have a great sense of humor. They play at Riot Fest every year and I’ve never seen an entire set, but they are fun to watch in small doses. This remote area around the small stage was as packed as I had ever seen it.
M.I.A. (Rise Stage) My original plan was to catch part of M.I.A. and then head over to see Paramore. However, the rapping, the dancing and the light show all got me hooked and I ended up staying for the entire set. I can’t say that M.I.A. is something I would listen to outside of Riot Fest, but it was sure a fun show. Maya is captivating, and the interaction with her co-vocalist, the dancers and the DJ made the show flow with compelling spontaneity. In retrospect, it wasn’t great music, but I couldn’t help but get sucked into the party atmosphere. It was a little strange when everyone left the stage with 20 minutes of set time remaining. However, they all returned and fulfilled the remaining time. I’m not sure why Maya chose to do that. Perhaps it was her idea of an encore. However, encores are not something that are done at Riot Fest or probably any other music festival, so it seemed rather odd. At the end, she brought up several people on stage which I presumed were friends and family members of the musical group. It was cool too see these people all joining that party and dancing on stage. The early autumn sunset along with the summer weather added to the ambience of the show. Overall, a different but exciting experience for me at Riot Fest. (Photo below Dinosaur Jr.)
Jawbreaker (Riot Stage) Riot Fest is well known for coaxing splintered bands into reuniting, (Misfits and The Replacements, e.g.) Jawbreaker was their coup for this year. Jawbreaker broke up in 1996 and Riot Fest was able to bring them out of retirement after a 21 year lay off. They are a band that had flown under my radar as Emo is not my favorite Punk genre. (I’m more of a Garage and Hard Core listener.) However, as I started listening to their music prior to the festival, I came to like them. As a power trio, I think their sound had a bit more of a rocking, edgier sound than other Emo or Pop Punk bands I have listened to. Also, with a lot of Emo and Pop Punk, to me it often sounds like the vocal melody and the guitar chords are going in different directions. With Jawbreaker, the vocal melody and power chords are very well synchronized giving their music a more familiar and traditional Rock and Pop music sound. Being the closing band for the festival, they had an enormous crowd. Prior to their set, given the long weekend, I gave myself the option to bail out early if I was tired or not really getting into their music. (As was the case the last two years for closing acts Misfits and Modest Mouse.) However, I really enjoyed Jawbreaker and temperatures had finally moderated to the upper 60’s, so I stayed for the entire set, soaking in the very last drops of this year’s wonderful Riot Fest. (Photo below M.I.A.)