Riot Fest 2024 Review Part 2: The People
Obviously the main selling point of a multi-day festival is the bands. That's who you're there to see and that's where the majority of your attention is going to be. Not many people give a lot of thought to the crowd that they're going to be sharing that experience with, largely I imagine because you can't really control a crowd so why bother? Plus, since you're all there to see the bands, it might be a fair assumption that your shared musical interests will result in a decent vibe while interacting over 3+ days. You pick a college based on the classes you want to take, not on the people assigned to the floor of your dorm.
But if you stop and think about it, the crowd is a huge part of any live musical performance, something that's compounded by the performance being spread across multiple stages and days. If you want to enjoy the music, you have to interact with the people. But not every crowd is built the same, even amongst fans of the same artist. Sure, you might live on a floor of other science majors, but some might be Dream Theater fans while others might lean more toward a band like Dillinger Escape Plan. And those crowds are wildly different and may not exactly mix well when combined.
And that's one of the very best things about Riot Fest: the people. I haven't been to too many festivals in my years, but it's hard to imagine one more accepting and forward-thinking and just plain rad as Riot Fest and its attendees are.
The late summer weather makes Riot Fest the very best place to try whatever crazy or ridiculous style choice you've always wanted to but never had the chance to. No ironic Space Jam jerseys here, friend. But matching his and hers hot dog onesies? Not only encouraged, but probably didn't get a single second glance the entire weekend, other than people that needed a second look to truly bask in all its glory.
The potential downside of mid-September dates? It can be HOT. And it was incredibly hot as Friday kicked off. Fall Out Boy wouldn't take the stage for another 8 hours, but that didn't phase their die-hard fans who had already grabbed their spots at the barricade ready to swap war stories and friendship bracelets. There was no shade to be had where this stage was and the FOB army made the very best of it with smiles on their faces.
Riot Fest is just a constant stream of crowdsurfers for three days, pretty much at every stage. Sometimes it's a crash test dummy. Sometimes it's a guy in an inflatable t-rex outfit. One time during Jimmy Eat World a few years back I saw the crowd lift a guy in a wheelchair. The crowd surfing is a metaphor for the entire Fest crowd and mentality: everyone does what they need to do to pitch in and make sure everyone is having a great time. Being selfless and helping someone have the time of their life only takes a few seconds, costs nothing, and comes easier the more people there are pitching in.
I saw this guy multiple times over three days, never out of that mask no matter how windy or hot or dusty things got. And not once time did I see anyone give him a hard time. Not once did he pass a group looking his way where that group didn't stop him for a high five. He was as accepted in the food lines as he was in the heart of the mosh pit, just as everyone has been every year I've gone.
Name me another festival as respectful and fun for the tiny rockers out there than Riot Fest. From babies to pre-teens, I've seen head bangers of literally all ages at Riot Fest and every single one of them was either 1. sleeping, in the case of a few really young babies or 2. having the time of their lives. Look at the kid above. I know the most common reference for a ruined time is rain on a parade, but rain on a festival has to be a close second on the disappointment factor. Did this pint-sized Rob Zombie fan let that stop her from living it up? Absolutely not. We should all strive to be more like this kid.
No better way to enjoy the Riot Fest crowd than bringing one of your own. These dudes were childhood Slayer friends who came together from all parts of the country just to see Slayer take the Riot Fest stage one last time. Riot Fest: Keeping friends together for over 2 decades (especially if one of them looks just like one of the Workaholics guys).
This dude had a LOT to drink. And I know this because he told me. A bunch of times. He also told me that my life wouldn't be complete if I didn't take his picture (he was right). Far removed from the crowds, he was content just chilling in his mankini sitting in the shade and just livin' life. Riot Fest: where even the inebriated are super chill.
Man, all of these slogans would make the worst possible t-shirts.
Just hell yes to all of this. You aren't seeing these kinds of messages at Lollapalooza.