Actor/musician Corey Feldman, Insane Clown Posse, Pennywise, PUP, Mr. Bungle and Frank Turner highlighted day two as Riot Fest continues in Chicago.
Despite early rain, Riot Fest went off without a hitch on day two in Chicago’s Douglass Park.
Saturday featured some of the more unique weekend bookings, boasting rare sets by comedian Hannibal Buress in his guise as rapper Eshu Tune alongside performances by actor/musician Corey Feldman and a rare festival set from horrorcore hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse (plus headlining sets by Queens of the Stone Age, The Postal Service and Mr. Bungle).
“It’s a great day,” said guitarist Steve Sladkowski of Canadian rockers PUP. “It feels like the freak day a little bit. ICP are here. Us. And I think that’s a cool thing that Riot Fest does – jams a bunch of stuff that maybe there’s a little bit of overlap, like 100 Gecs, and just are kind of able to just make that make sense. It’s really a fun thing to be a part of,” he said. “We didn’t realize we were going to get like all of Viagra Boys right now. Which is awesome. We are fans” said the guitarist Saturday backstage, taking in the band’s nearby set as he conducted interviews. “The Postal Service and Death Cab. A couple of us are pretty big Mr. Bungle fans. It’s fun.”
PUP overcame early sound issues Saturday over the course of 45 minutes on the Rise stage, delivering an engaging set nevertheless.
“What the f–k is up, Chicago?” asked singer Stefan Babcock at the top of the set. “I’m gonna do less talking so we can do more rocking in the next 42 and a half minutes,” he joked, following up “Totally Fine” with “My Life is Over and I Couldn’t Be Happier” during the group’s return to Riot Fest for the first time since 2014.
“It’s been nine years. We played when it was at the old location. And, basically, that feels like essentially the beginning of the band,” recalled Sladkowski. “And I feel like that, at that time, it was probably the biggest crowd we’d ever performed to. So, it stands out. Actually, someone just showed us some photos from that day. I looked… less weathered,” said the guitarist with a smile.
“I don’t remember too much about the show. But I remember that it was great,” added Babcock. “I just remember feeling, at the time, when we were just starting out, that that was the first festival we played where it felt like something good is happening here,” said the singer. “It’s definitely kind of stuck in my mind as like a turning point for us.”
English folk punk Frank Turner rivaled Pennywise as one of Saturday’s most energetic sets, plowing through 40 minutes in reckless abandon on the Rise stage.
Alongside four piece backing band The Sleeping Souls, Turner got started Saturday with “Punches.”
“This is an anti-fascist song,” he asserted on the Riot Fest stage, setting up “1933.” “Are you ready, Riot Fest?”
Running left and right, Turner posed from atop his amps, live harmonica driving the socially conscious anthem, scissor kicking as he jumped back to the stage.
Turner spins relatable tales with an emphasis on storytelling, the Riot Fest crowd shouting his lyrics right back at him throughout Saturday’s set.
“I very distinctly remember the first time that anyone had sung along with a song that I’d written – which is now quite a long time ago – and being slightly arrested by it,” said Turner backstage Saturday prior to his set. “And then, thankfully, realizing pretty quickly that what I need to do is not spend very much time analyzing that. Because I would find that paralyzing as a writer I think,” he said. “To some degree, it’s currently working with me not spending too much time thinking about how people are going to receive my songs.
