Riot Fest 2025
Green Day ft. Argyle, Beach Boys ft. John Stamos,
Weird Al, and Too Much Butter
The 20th anniversary of Riot Fest is something special. So special that the Mayor of Chicago declared September 21st “Riot Fest Day” in the city, so that every year we know when to expect the festival to take over Douglass Park.
From cameos, to an amazing arcade, to mini-marts, to seeing a butter statue from a farris wheel, Riot Fest made sure the 20th anniversary was memorable. Below is a breakdown of many of the bands we saw through the day including 100+ photos and interviews. You can also check out our Instagram stories playlist to see everything for yourself, including photo-pit footage and media viewpoints.
Green Day
The closing act of Riot Fest was the band not afraid to discuss the current state of the world, and Riot Fest was decidedly a place to do it. The band made their statements heard through new renditions of “American Idiot” along with other songs as they closed out the three day festival in Douglass Park.
A great moment that is now going viral was when a fan was separate from their mother through the crowd. By being a smart child and knowing what to do, they were able to get close and be pulled on stage to sing while Billie Joe Armstrong was feeling under the weather. Argyle lived out thousands of fans dreams and was then able to meet up with his mom to the side of the stage.
When I was that age I got separated from my mom at the mall. It didn’t end as fun. Good for Argyle and Green Day. Check below to watch the Argyle performance.
Bad Religion
My first time seeing Bad Religion and my first time hearing some of the classic punk that many bands would be inspired by through generations. Bad Religion played Suffer in entirety to a massive Roots Stage in the late afternoon.
Dr. Greg Graffin (yes, he has a legit PhD) has been the driving force of Bad Religion since 1980. 45 years later and you still see in his presence on stage that he loves the crowd and performing for people that care about something bigger than a song.
The Beach Boys ft. John Stamos
After years of teasing and in-jokes to get John Stamos to Riot Fest, the man finally appeared on the main stage to play with The Beach Boys. It was a surreal moment to see him walk on stage with guitar as if it was normal, but at a festival with a butter statue in Stamos’ likeness and a John Stamos look-alike contest, the moment could not have been built up in any better way.
The Beach Boys played the classics on a rainy Chicago afternoon, John Stamos dedicated “Forever” to Bob Saget, and ladies within a 1,500 ft radius all where enthralled with Stamos as he mounted the drum kit. Hearing the shrill “I WOULD DIE FOR YOU JOHN STAMOS!” at barricade is something I’ll remember for a long time.
Below the photos is a short recap of the shenanigans on TikTok as well as the drum mounting photo. It’s safe for work, but keep in mind employees may give confused looks.
Blink-182
Closing out night one on the Riot Stage was the pop-punk icons reformed and as immature as ever. Blink-182 started their set with a Bruce Buffer UFC intro leading into “Rock Show” that fit the perfect tone for Riot Fest on Friday. As Alkaline Trio played earlier in the day, it was natural to bring out Matt Skiba to perform with Blink. Much of the material from Blink’s set ranged over the years but it was worth pointing out how the hits were all covered and everyone got exactly what they thought they would with Blink-182 on stage.
Cliffdiver
I was recommended by many people to see Cliffdiver before going to Riot Fest. I had seen them briefly at Warped Tour DC this past summer, but seeing them in Chicago made a much better statement and presence than in the chaotic Warped environment. The band opened with “Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving!!!”, so it was the perfect song for the audience and perfect introduction for new listeners.
Girl In A Coma
Riot Fest featured the return of Girl In A Coma who reformed last year and confirmed on stage that a new album is in the works. The true punk attitude came out with this group in a pop-punk and emo heavy weekend. The group finished their set covering Selena which was a great tribute and added something unique to the Riot Fest sound.
IDLES
Arguably my favorite set of the weekend came from IDLES on the Rise stage Sunday afternoon. Guitarist Lee Kiernan didn’t wait and went directly to the crowd to play while surfing. Singer Joe Talbot marched along stage and later would bring out Jack White to shred along side the British punk band. This set felt like it had everything.
A favorite moment was a photographer standing next to me in the pit after “Gift Horse” had finished. He said “That’s my new favorite band!” and I told him to check out Joy As An Act Of Resistance from 2018. IDLES is still making new fans with every performance.
Knocked Loose
Before the light-hearted shenanigans of Blink-182 on Day One came the anger and intensity of Knocked Loose on the Roots Stage. Along with a massive Wall of Death to close out the set, it looked like Knocked Loose was going for the title of heaviest set at Riot Fest. There is an argument that they won that title with this performance as well.
Loviet
Opening up Riot Fest on Day One was Loviet from Canada. The best way to describe her sound would be Taylor Momsen with a bit of grunge flair. We were able to speak a little bit with Loviet after her set as the new song “Stiffy” had dropped on the same day. Scroll below to see what Lovietsays.
Mac Sabbath
All good things come to an end, and that includes Drive-Thru Metal. The farewell tour for Mac Sabbath came through Riot Fest on Weird Al’s stage during Day One. Ronald Osbourne made sure to show off his nuggets the best way he knows while everyone gave praise to the fast food phenomenon.
In a Post-Ozzy world, it seems fitting that this will also soon be the end of Mac Sabbath, but the music and cholesterol will live on.
Marianas Trench
Marianas Trench are embarking on a North American tour that stopped through Riot Fest. The world needs more upbeat rock like these Canadians provide. We spoke with the band to hear their Dad Joke game and talk about the tour.
Militarie Gun
I have been a fan of Militarie Gun’s sound for a while and my first time getting to see them live was worth standing in the rain. I wanted something with a bit more grit and energy that early in the day and even through the grey weather I could feel the bass carry everyone. It’s good to have a stronger sound and vibe like Militarie Gun on one of the main stages.
The Paradox
After amassing over 1 million followers on Instagram since forming in Atlanta just over a year ago, we got to briefly talk with The Paradox after their set on Day Three. The new EP NSFW is available now and worth hearing as this is pop-punk that has an great sound to it. The band also has a message on how specifically to listen to NSFW.
Senses Fail
Some post-hardcore sound came on Day One and it was styled as characters from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. It was the perfect homage to Chicago and added something special that everyone all related to in the windy city. With an hour long set, Senses Fail took people back in time to their sound while making sure Ferris got back before his parents found him out of bed.
Touché Amoré
It had been almost a decade since Touché Amoré played Riot Fest. Even in the rough heat on Friday afternoon and some microphone difficulty, the California based group riled the crowd up to the point of endless crowd surfing. It was safe crowd surfing mind you, the fans at Riot Fest made sure people got around safely. It’s a good festival community for that.
Weakened Friends
Maine’s Weakened Friends opened Day Three and we had the opportunity to speak with them about the new song “Nosebleed”, the music video, and learn how they know about crusty bus stations and busty crustaceans.
Weird Al Yankovic
The legend arrived to Chicago with the biggest audience I have ever seen at a Riot Fest sidestage. It was to the point that much of the audience could not see (or hear) Weird Al play through classics like “Dare To Be Weird”, but that shows the endless demand for the weird one.
The audio issues weren’t so much from the stage but due to bleed over from Alkaline Trio and eventually Knocked Loose. My sole complaint from a great Riot Fest this year was that Weird Al should have been put on the Rebel Stage to accommodate the large crowd and viewing issues.
Regardless, Weird Al was the professional and amazing spectacle that he always is. Over 30 years after pretending to be Kurt Cobain, the man is still making every parody song work.
On the final day, after the Chicago Bears won at home and a loud “F*** the Cowboys” chant broke out, the city felt like it was built on a huge positive community that wanted to stick together. 20 years of Riot Fest has helped to curate what a community with music and art (along with butter) can become. This was my third time at Riot Fest. For many in attendance, it was also not their first Chicago rodeo. I hope the rodeos keep returning.
