As every old school punk in the Chicagoland area prepares to sacrifice yet another pair of shoes (or boots) to the Riot Fest mud god, we at The Shit take special joy in watching this most cherished of Chicago rock festivals increase its foothold among quality-driven music festivals while Lollapalooza goes full "Dance Dance Revolution" in an oddly misguided attempt to become the go-to babysitter for long-in-the-tooth children of jet-setting billionaires and other folks who go to be seen in their neon green.
As this year's Lolla approached, a once-thriving rock photographer texted me with news that she'd be in town covering the festival.
My imagination was instantly abuzz at the thought of being her V.I.P. "+1" for the weekend only to have my dream bubble burst by yet another verse of "Oh, how times have changed" and that she was not only covering her own expenses, but also attending the fest "sans pass".
Seems her employer (a music magazine, no less) had sent her specifically to cover the festival's fashions.
Considering the diversity of artists, this could still be pretty interesting, right?
Long story short, her employer LOVED the pics she and the four other photographers they sent to the fest and is currently working up an entire issue devoted to THE CROWD at Lolla 2019.
Yep, not an artist to be found.
Riot Fest, meanwhile, continues to cater to that "If we smell the faintest wisp of bullshit, we're out" rocker sensibility that makes Chicago one of the best music cities in the known universe, but, sadly, is also a dying breed in this age of Autotuned strippers and mall punk on Broadway.
The festival's curation of bands both old and new has been flawlessly executed.
The move to Douglas Park, maybe not so much.
Can you imagine the Lolla crowd getting a little mud on their flip flops?
Thankfully, those of us with a spray-painted Chicago cop jacket in our closets have come to appreciate such occasional inclemency as a "nice way to scare off the riff raff" and enjoy a festival free of poseurs.
Considering the ease with which one false move could completely "Hot Topic" the vibe of the whole event, the Riot Fest folks have managed to pay homage to punk's pioneers (of which Chicago is home to many) without getting too mired in the nostalgia factor while also injecting just enough "new" and "surprising" (Village People anyone?) bookings each year.
As a result, even those who go in thinking they're merely paying their respects to old heroes come out three days later with a list of new favorite bands, a smile on their face, and a joyously wrecked pair of shoes.
Let us hope that this year is no different.
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Riot Fest