The world didn’t shift on its axis when Riot Fest announced its lineup in May, even though it’d landed arguably the biggest prize of the 2019 festival season: reunited riot-grrrl pioneers Bikini Kill. Riot Fest has made something of a specialty out of booking (or even bringing about) unbelievable reunions that fans never expected to see in this time line: the Replacements in 2013, the Original Misfits in 2016, Jawbreaker in 2017. But because organizers rolled out this year’s lineup more than a month after Bikini Kill played their first batch of reunion shows, and because Bikini Kill didn’t have any midwestern dates at the time, the big reveal was almost predictable—like getting exactly what you’d asked for at Christmas.
Riot Fest Fri 9/13, 11:55 AM-10 PM; Sat 9/14, noon-10 PM; Sun 9/15, noon-9:45 PM; gates open at 11 AM all three days
Douglas Park, 1401 S. Sacramento, riotfest.org, $50-$550 for single-day passes, $100-$170 for two-day passes, $150-$1,500 for three-day passes, all ages
Other repeaters include Patti Smith, Jawbreaker, Hot Snakes, the Wu-Tang Clan, and Slayer, playing their final Chicago show as part of their final world tour (though without drummer Dave Lombardo and late guitarist Jeff Hanneman, maybe it’s more apt to call them “Slayer”). I don’t mean to imply that Riot Fest only knows how to repeat itself, of course—Bikini Kill are hardly the only historically important act making their first appearance at the festival. You can catch fabulous new-wave weirdos the B-52s (also playing their final Chicago show), thrash veterans Testament, indie-rock heartthrobs Bloc Party, shoegaze faves Ride, and what’s left of the Village People.
Which acts shouldn’t have been booked, and who would we like to see?
The festival has its traditions, and it’s hard to hate Andrew W.K. or Gwar—but here are some bands we’d like to see.
