Riot Fest 2025: Rain, Shine, and Stamos

What can go wrong when you combine Chicago humidity, Douglass Park, rain, and a shit ton of bands? Honestly, pretty much nothing.

The walk into Douglass Park is a long one, and we took the L in on the first day (we ended up opting for rideshare the rest of the trip because let’s face it, mid 30s and our knees hurt). Once we were in though? Smooth sailing.

We made the trek to the back of the festival to plan the day to try and hit as much as we could, and this would become our daily ritual for the duration of the fest. There is so much to see and SO many stages and bands, you would have to be in 5-6 places at once to catch it all, but there is literally something for everyone here.

Day 1 Highlights:

Puddles Pity Party: We caught this as our first set for the day, and he did not disappoint. I’ve been following Puddles since he appeared on AGT, but he’s been doing his thing since the 90s! A fun highlight during this set was when Ronald Osbourne (from Mac Sabbath) joined Puddles on stage for a bit. The crowd was wild and packed during this small 8 song set. I think he definitely should’ve been on a bigger stage.

Rico Nasty: Dude. Getting a set with THREE live debuts is unheard of! But we were here for it. Mixing hard rock with rap is not new, but she takes it to a whole new level.

Sparks: The only thing louder than vocalist Russel Mael’s yellow and burgundy suit was the crowd singing along to “The Number One Song in Heaven”. This is a band I never thought I’d see live, much like a few others over the weekend, but I found myself dancing along with the folks around me, singing along to every word.

WEIRD AL YANKOVIC: Okay… We know Weird Al had his own stage for the weekend, but seriously if Al is ever back at Riot Fest, can we PLEASE get him on a main stage? This was the best stage all weekend, and Al’s set was so packed, that if you weren’t there waiting all day, there was no way in hell you were going to get a spot. You know those horror stories you hear about concerts and festivals and people being crushed to death? I literally thought “this is it, this is how I go” as I got shuffled around to the sounds of “Smells Like Nirvana” and “Dare to Be Stupid”. I tried to get myself back into some kind of air or some kind of view, and it was so packed for this set, that I ended up getting pushed back to the festival entry gates! Didn’t think I’d ever compare a Weird Al set to a metal mosh pit, but there I was. This was my first time “seeing” Weird Al after growing up on his music (Bad Hair Day was in my regular rotation as a child), and even though I was convinced I was going to be trampled, honestly what better way to go. I would say I was “stuck” during this set, but I was happy to be able to hear it even though I couldn’t see anything over the heads and the shoulders I was pressed against.

Sure, Blink 182 was the headliner that day, but we opted for a chance to catch The Pogues, and we were glad we did. The crowd was smaller in comparison, but that intimate setting made for a perfect night before heading back to the hotel for Malnati’s and beers to do some quick edits and rest our feet for day 2.

Day 2 Highlights:

Cliffdiver: OKLAHOMA IN THE HOUSE! The energy of this band, especially vocalist Briana Wright is one of the most high energy female vocalists I’ve seen, and she’s a sweetheart of a human to boot! We ended up chatting for a while in the press tent and she was so fun.

GWAR: After the passing of Oderus Urungus (Dave Brockie) in 2014, I figured my days of attempting to see GWAR were done. However, GWAR at Riot Fest? Can’t turn that down! They definitely did not disappoint, and they did not fail at pissing people off yet again. The blood. The gore. They took their political stance as they always do, in typical GWAR fashion. Although, they made they joke of “We know this is kind of old news, but there’s so much shit happening we can’t keep up and we only have so much prop budget!”

James: This is the entire reason I hopped on for Riot Fest. Getting the chance to see James live? Something I’ve wanted to do since I was a child? Yes please. This was the only set the entire weekend where I stood there the whole time, at the front of the crowd, enamored. I looked around seeing other people dancing and singing along to every word, but one person caught my eye in particular. This kid, who could not have been more than 13 or 14, singing every single word. That gave me some hope for the future.

Gallery.

The Beach Boys: Riot Fest did it. They got John Stamos to attend, and not just as a giant statue of butter. He played a fantastic set on the drums and on some bass. The coolest part of the set? It began absolutely pouring during “Surfin’ USA”. The rain showered all of us in the crowd as we sang and danced along to the band’s 20 song set, and aside from Weird Al Yankovic on day 1 of the fest, this appeared to be the most crowded set. Folks of all ages just enjoying themselves, rain or shine.

The night closed out with Jack White, who sounded incredible, and Weezer who we’ve caught on numerous occasions. As we walked through the surrounding neighborhoods of Chicago, the sound was still as clear as day as it bounced off of the brick walls we passed.

Then we got fat on Portillos and more beer.

Day 3 Highlights:

Day three was a toll physically and mentally, so we took a bit of a break from the bands for a bit and roamed around the rest of the park into Riot Land, which was just as incredible as the areas of the stage. A wedding chapel, the Riot Land sign, John Stamos looking like a Greek God in butter, and of course… the wrestling.

The wrestling ring was a treat to witness. It was chaotic, ridiculous, and everything wrestling should be.

We had the BEST tacos and lemonade I’ve had in forever, and I live in the Southwest, where a good taco is easy to get.

As far as the bands?

The Paradox: These guys have been climbing and climbing in popularity for a while, and it is so well deserved. Not only do these dudes have amazing stage presence and catchy tunes, but they are some of the kindest and most fun people I’ve ever had the pleasure of chatting with. We talked with them for quite some time and it felt like we were just hanging out with old friends. The Paradox are going to go places, and you need to catch them when they are in your hometown.

Dance Hall Crashers: The return of Dance Hall Crashers is something that took up space in everyone’s minds during the Riot Fest weekend. Admittedly, I was not super familiar with them, but definitely walked away a fan. They were very high energy and delivered a fun, non stop set, leaving those in attendance begging for more.

Hanson: John Stamos strikes again, performing the band’s biggest hit “MMMBop” with them, but the biggest highlight of Hanson’s set? A cover of Descendents “Hope” with the band’s guitarist Stephen Egerton. Whether you checked out this set to get a hit of pop nostalgia or not, you got not just that, but you got a hit of punk rock, proving what us elder Hanson fans have always thought, they are a great rock band.

Other honorable mentions of course were Idles and Green Day, the latter of which delivered hit after hit. After seeing Green Day in an intimate club, I did find it hard to enjoy them in a large festival setting.

Overall, as exhausting as the weekend was, it was incredible to see so many different bands of different genres, be around so many different people, and be surrounded by music for three full days. I look forward to the 2026 lineup, even if that does mean a new pair of Dr. Scholls for my aging feet.