Punks and rockers gathered in Douglas Park for the final day of Riot Fest, September 13, 2015.
The lead up to this year’s Riot Fest was fraught with accusations, venue changes and a last-minute lawsuit, but the summer’s last music festival went off without a hitch. The event wasn’t without problems—namely the muddy conditions and a stupid food ticket currency system—but the abundance of great music made up for any shortcomings.
RECOMMENDED: See more photos from Riot Fest Chicago
Sunday kicked off with a buoyant set from Alvvays, some high volume riffs from Illinois space rockers Hum and the relentlessly enthusiastic hip-hop of De La Soul. Later in the evening, attendees were treated to an L7 reunion devoid of unsavory projectiles, a giant Tenacious D sing-along and 30 minutes of Snoop Dogg (half an hour late, naturally) phoning it in. By the time headliners Modest Mouse began reaching into its back catalog, a large portion of the audience was already floating on out of the park.
Obviously, it will take some work to get Douglas Park back to its pre-festival glory, but that’s something organizers were undoubtably aware of. With any luck, they'll be able to make repairs quickly, without inconveniencing the community that hosted the event. Aside from some minor complaints, Riot Fest’s first year in North Lawndale was its best yet. Here’s hoping that the majority of the people directly affected by the festival felt the same way.
