Riot Fest 2024 Day 2: Verböten, Pixel Grip prove they're local powerhouses

The remnants of Fall Out Boy’s Friday night confetti drop had barely settled on the lawn at Douglass Park when gates opened for day two on Saturday.

Yet, the leftover scraps could also be seen as recycled décor to celebrate the onslaught of more local talent coming through the park over the next 12 hours.

Starting with the 40-year-long overdue reunion of Evanston’s Verböten to christen the day, the schedule also offers 9-year-old North Lawndale rapper Dat_Boy_Zach (the youngest performer ever to take a Riot Fest stage), dark wave electro trio Pixel Grip, upcoming punks Sincere Engineer and fan favorite rockers Beach Bunny.

Riot Fest has always been a great champion of local talents and flavors, giving them due space over the course of the weekend, and that trend continues in 2024.

Beyond the music, the homegrown spotlight is also apparent in the vendors with Delilah’s, Reggie’s and Cobra Lounge set up with large dedicated drink tents, the Logan Arcade plugged in at RiotLand, and food offerings from local eateries including Big Star, Harold’s Chicken, The Publican, Dark Matter Coffee and others.

The Beyond The Fest Community Corner is another great local attraction where many of Riot Fest’s neighborhood initiatives take center stage, including the youth empowerment program Boxing Out Negativity.

But any activation or area with shade continued to be the big draw as the temps swelled near 90 degrees for the second day in a row, just in time for the last official day of summer.

Here are highlights from Saturday's stages:

St. Vincent

Can we call her Queen Vincent at this point?

Witnessing her Riot Fest set on Saturday night, it’s clear Annie Clark didn’t get the memo that most peole are lucky to be born with one great talent, not a whole portfolio. She can shred on guitar, she can sing like an angel, she can pull off theatrics that should net her a Tony, she can write songs that we’re maybe not even worthy of hearing.

In the same way, a St. Vincent show is never just one thing — it’s a layered experience that thrives on performance art, technicality, nuanced sound and a commitment to not breaking the fourth wall in order to keep fans immersed in the moment from start to finish.

In the perfectly flawless Riot performance, the only two misses were: A) that she didn’t play any of the takes from the just announced “Todos Nacen Gritando” (out November 15), a Spanish language version of her “All Born Screaming” record; and B) that she wasn’t a night-ending headliner. Sorry Beck, but not sure how he can top this spectacle.

Relying heavily on new album “All Born Screaming” (self-produced by Clark), the hour-long set was a trip through the garden of all the sonic styles that have made St. Vincent so eclectic and exceptional: electronica, rock, funk, chamber pop, noise and experimental.

The night started with a haunting piano intro for “Reckless” before the rest of her band came rushing in with heavy industrial noise and fury not far off from a Nine Inch Nails blitzkrieg. And it all ended with the magnetic opus title track from “All Born Screaming,” accompanied by blinding white lights and spiritual chanting that made you wonder if this is what it actually felt like the day you came into the world.

Through it all, the video screens were filled with alluring stop-motion pieces, a super up-close-and-personal cameraman that Clark gave all access to for near-voyeuristic peeping, and an incredible physicality from the woman of the hour. If Clark wasn’t rolling around on the floor playing guitar, she was cascading into her bandmates, tap dancing on her pedal board, or dancing through a set of artsy onstage archways. It came to a fever pitch on the blowout of “Broken Man,” as Clark threw mic stands, ripped her fishnets, and bellowed into the microphone with primal fury.

And that was just one of her “characters.”

Like Bowie and Prince, St. Vincent is a shapeshifter provocateur with a total dedication to the performance. Gratitude aplenty that the universe placed us in the same timeline as St. Vincent so we could be here to pay witness to her art. — Selena Fragassi

Beach Bunny

Saturday at Riot Fest was a performance slate often dominated by the presence of great Chicago-based artists.

Few festivals represent the city’s uniquely diverse community of artists in quite the way that Riot Fest does each year, showcasing everything from punk (Verböten) to hip-hop (Dat_Boy_Zach), in addition to the ethereal, dreamlike indie rock of local trio Beach Bunny on Saturday night.

“Thank you for moshing!” said singer Lili Trifilio, a former student at DePaul University, from the Rise stage, seemingly surprised.

Beach Bunny began as a Trifilio solo project in 2015, soon swelling to a trio which would find success thanks to TikTok, where singles like “Prom Queen” and “Cloud 9” blew up. Today, Beach Bunny remains at work on their forthcoming third studio album.

Trifilio’s saccharine sweet vocal is right at home under the jangly, catchy guitar of Anthony Vaccaro, who approaches the group’s music from the viewpoint of punky power pop acts like The Replacements and Material Issue.

“You guys wanna do a group activity? I need you to crouch for a bit — and then at a certain point during the song, we’re all gonna jump up and it’ll be sick!” said Trifilio, setting up “Good Girls (Don’t Get Used.)”

Performing as a five-piece group Saturday night at Riot Fest, Beach Bunny worked up their latest single “Vertigo” ahead of arguably their biggest hit.

“Alright, now we’re gonna play the one that everybody knows,” said Trifilio, introducing “Prom Queen” with a smile and a shrug.

“OK… I’ve always wanted to do this…” said the singer, as Saturday’s enthralling 40-minute performance headed for home. “Will some of you get up on people’s shoulders?” asked Trifilio. The crowd quickly complied as Beach Bunny offered up “Cloud 9” from their 2020 debut album "Honeymoon" (one recorded locally at Steve Albini’s North Side studio Electrical Audio).

“Thank you so much. We love you guys!” said Trifilio as Beach Bunny wrapped up Saturday night opposite Spoon across Douglass Park. “See you next time!” — Jim Ryan

Manchester Orchestra

In addition to dreaming up once unthinkable band reunions, full album performances have become a Riot Fest hallmark, with acts like Cheap Trick, Weezer and Jane’s Addiction taking part in the tradition since the fest first moved outdoors in 2012.

Following a Friday night performance of their 1994 breakthrough “Smash” at 30, and ahead of Mastodon’s look back at “Leviathan” tomorrow, Manchester Orchestra ran through their 2014 opus “Cope” Saturday afternoon just about five months removed from the album’s 10th anniversary.

“We’re Manchester Orchestra. How are you?” asked frontman Andy Hull Saturday from the Cabaret Metro stage. “We’re about to play some very chilled out songs from an album called ‘Cope.’ So, sit back and relax.”

The songs that make up “Cope” are anything but chill. Hull’s running through “All That I Really Wanted” solo acoustic came closest. Beyond that, "Cope" is an at times pummeling affair, with “Top Notch” doubling not just as album/set opener but as a mission statement for Manchester Orchestra’s curation of the Riot Fest performance, one which offered elements of indie rock, shoegaze and more, all of which simmered together over the course of a flavorful hour.

“Girl Harbor” was a highlight early, with Hull pounding his chest while gazing out over the Riot Fest faithful as drummer Tim Very pounded away, chipping in throughout the set on backing vocals.

"Cope" marks a unique chapter for the Atlanta-based indie rockers, who, working closely with producer Dan Hannon oversaw the recording of 11 tracks meant to simply celebrate the idea of rock music, working entirely in their home studio for the first time while partially self-releasing the album via their own Favorite Gentlemen label.

“Alright…” mused Hull on stage Saturday at Riot Fest, trailing off as he set up the original record’s self-titled closing track. “Let’s get weird!” — Jim Ryan

Sincere Engineer

If you didn’t come with a corn dog to Sincere Engineer’s set, you were highly under-dressed and underprepared. The Chicago punk act (the project of singer/guitarist Deanna Belos with support from instrumentalists Nick Arvanitis, Adam Beck and Kyle Geib) has made the song, “Corn Dog Sonnet No. 7” their calling card by this point.

The last time the Riot Fest go-tos played in 2022, the performance elicited a massive corn dog mosh pit. This time came with safety instructions.

“Mind your sticks and make sure no one gets hurt please,” Belos cautioned the crowd. One guy, dressed in a corn dog costume, was running late to the party and made a mad dash to get in the center of the action like it was his last mission on earth.

The moment was yet another proud notch in a big couple years for the buzzy locals. Not only were they called “an artist to watch” by People magazine, they’ve logged time at Austin City Limits, made their debut at Lollapalooza in 2023 and been a favorite of local rock station Q101 who have booked them on several events.

So Belos probably should’ve expected a crowd to form at the Rise Stage, but even she couldn’t believe the wild turnout. “This is insane” she kept repeating throughout the brief 30-minute set. “There’s just a few people here.”

Beyond the “corn dog song,” there were also perfect, unpolished deliveries of songs like the oldie “Overbite” and “Trust Me” delivered in Belos’ signature low register growl, while her assembly of musicians reflexively matched her every move.

When Belos asked the crowd how many people were from out of town, a large number responded, leading her to encourage them to try the food in the “city that does it best” and then segue into the next song “California King.” It’s about “leaving Chicago because the winter sucks.”

But we have a feeling that won’t happen any time soon as Sincere Engineer continues to solidify their status as one of Chicago’s best. — Selena Fragassi

Rival Sons

If Willis Tower wasn’t so obviously in the background of Douglass Park, it would be easy to assume Riot Fest had uprooted to Southern California this year. The oppressive heat, the dry, straw-like fields, the dust in the air, and the heavy West Coast presence on the lineup were anything but Midwest. Maybe it’s the NOFX effect — they brought their “world” here and everything else that comes with it.

But beyond all the So Cal punk domination on the bill, Long Beach’s Rival Sons brought something fresh to the regional music offerings with a heavy dose of blues rock and classic rock revivalism. The five-piece — vocalist Jay Buchanan, guitarist Scott Holiday, bassist Dave Beste, drummer Michael Miley and touring keyboardist Jesse Nason — were committed to the role from all angles, from the dapper outfits to the sharp instrumentals that combined elements of slide guitar, organ notes, and high heavens vocals and harmonica courtesy of Buchanan. He has some of the best pipes in the biz — a mix of Robert Plant and Jim Morrison — that matched the give-it-all attitude of the band.

While they are a prime example to refute the idea that rock n roll is dead, Rival Sons have also lived on the periphery of metal for a while, too, in particular finding a following after their slot as the main supporting act on Black Sabbath's 2016-17 The End Tour (and perhaps the reason why so many bodies in Slayer shirts were seen taking in the set).

Regardless of music preference, Rival Sons had something for everyone — singalong lyrics, rock and roll swagger, volume 11 guitar and drums, and unbelievable range. Though the band was short on in-between song banter (Buchanan sounded a bit hoarse and may have been saving his voice) and hit singles, they did save the best for last with “Do Your Worst.”

“Thank you so much for supporting live music,” Buchanan said in one bit of chattiness before bidding adieu. — Selena Fragassi

The Hives

“Ladies. Gentlemen,” greeted Hives frontman “Howlin’” Pelle Almqvist of the Riot Fest crowd. “You have been waiting a long time for Riot Fest to once again include the Hives in the lineup,” he continued. “I think the last time we played here was 2016… but I don’t feel bad about the situation,” said Almqvist deadpan, rolling now. “There’s actually a lot of bands here that we don’t hate!”

Drawing a festival crowd in on a warm afternoon is not always the easiest task. But over the course of just 40 minutes, the Hives did so masterfully, rolling out one of the most energetic, entertaining and enjoyable sets of the weekend so far.

“Put your hands together for our latest album and clap!” said Almqvist, his sense of humor again on display as he set up “Rigor Mortis Radio.”

Touring in support of their latest album “The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons,” their sixth and first in over ten years, The Hives began with that record’s opening track. “Bogus Operandi” was defined by incisive, buzzsaw, garage rock riffs by the five piece group, dressed to kill in black and white suits despite the heat on day two of the fest.

“I think it’s pretty safe to say we’ve done pretty great for the first three songs!” said the always quotable Almqvist on the Cabaret Metro stage, revealing he’s been performing on this tour despite a torn ACL. “There goes my football career!” he joked, setting up “Walk Idiot Walk” as guitarist Nicholaus Arson crowd surfed back to the stage, guitar in hand.

There are times when a short festival set can be a disappointment. But sometimes it's perfect. Saturday’s Hives set went by in a flash, the type where it just does not matter if something’s a little out of tune — sometimes it makes it better.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you are witnessing history… But you look hot,” joked Almqvist, introducing arguably the biggest Hives hit in “Here to Say I Told you So.”

“Clap your hands, Riot Fest. Now sing the bass line!” he instructed. The crowd complied, with Almqvist delivering his vocals over the murmur as the band cut back in late to drive the frenetic performance.

Wrapping up their set with “Countdown to Shutdown” left a moment for one last quip from Almqvist as Carly Simon’s “Nobody Does it Better” rang out ironically across Douglass Park.

“We have been, we are and we will always be the Hives." — Jim Ryan

Princess Goes

“Thank you! That’s Peter, that’s Matt and I’m Mike. And We’re Princess Goes,” said actor and musician Michael C. Hall on stage Saturday afternoon at Riot Fest.

Following a successful run on cable television portraying both David Fisher (“Six Feet Under”) and Dexter Morgan (“Dexter”), Hall returned to his roots, heading back to the stage in 2014 following the conclusion of the initial “Dexter” run.

In “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” Hall took on the role of rock star Hedwig, fictional frontman of The Angry Inch, before starring in a production of David Bowie’s “Lazarus” musical the following year (Hall also sings lead on “Lazarus” which appeared on Bowie’s final album “Blackstar” in 2016).

Working on the “Hedwig” production, Hall met drummer Peter Yanowitz and keyboard player Matt Katz-Bohen, forming Princess Goes with Bowie as a north star.

Saturday afternoon, Katz-Bohen created a psychedelic swirl that would wind up being hard to top, as Princess Goes tore into “Offering” to open the set, layering a track throughout that would boil over late.

Princess Goes wrapped up their 2024 touring cycle Saturday over the course of a half hour on the AAA stage, performing in support of their sophomore full-length “Come of Age,” dropping a deluxe edition of the new record last week.

Pummeling drums drove “Vicious” early, a song that would veer toward a more subdued lullaby-like tone later.

Cramming as much as they could into the quick set, Hall eschewed any substantive banter on stage Saturday as Princess Goes melded elements of synth pop, psychedelia and more electronic-oriented rock, with Katz-Bohen moving to bass and acoustic guitar late.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Hall leaned into the anthemic chorus of “Airhead,” a track which ascended from an uplifting early keyboard part, reaching crescendo during an anthemic, rocking chorus that was right at home on the outdoor festival stage in Douglass Park.

“Thank you, Riot Fest for having us!” said Hall as Princess Goes wrapped up. “Drink Water.” — Jim Ryan

Verböten

The long-dormant Evanston punk rockers came ready with donuts to celebrate their first show in 41 long years.

“Don’t worry we have enough for everyone! You get a donut! And you get a donut!” guitarist/singer Jason Narducy shared as drummer John Carroll started throwing out the treats to the hyped crowd, most of whom came prepared wearing Verböten T-shirts.

Singer Tracey Bradford came ready, too, wearing a Naked Raygun shirt in support of another Chicago punk institution, while waving and throwing up heart hands to the excited audience that was all but clinging to the barricade to be as close to the performance as possible.

To say anticipation was high for this special set is an understatement — it’s the first time the band has played a show since 1983, after forming as wonder kids a year prior (some members as young as 10) and then soon disbanding the project.

Verböten has become incredible local lore in the many years since, even the inspiration for an award-winning musical produced by the House Theatre of Chicago in early 2020.

“We formed 42 years ago in a small bedroom in Evanston. Our original drummer had an apartment and we played shows for our parents, changing out the lights to make it a ‘concert,’” Narducy explained, flanked on stage by other original members Bradford and bassist Chris Kean; drummer Carroll is the only new member, who now fills in for Zack Kantor (though Kantor’s nephew, Aaron Shapiro joined in Saturday on guitar).

Verböten’s 1983 show at Cubby Bear has also been the stuff of legend. In fact it’s where a young Dave Grohl got his first taste of punk rock (he’s cousins with Bradford) and has brought up that foundational story nearly every time Foo Fighters have played Chicago (and also in his “Sonic Highways” docu-series). Narducy brought up the memory during the Riot Fest set, too: “We are honored to be here on the Cabaret Metro Stage. In January 1983 we played at Cubby Bear, and we played this song,” he said to introduce “He’s A Panther.” It was the only old song the band dug out of the archives for the set and it still remains a marvel that children could write those solid riffs.

Instead, the band — unbelievably tight and synchronized all these years later — focused on new material, like the punchy punk ditty "No More Indecision" from their upcoming self-titled album (and first album ever), coming out October 4, with material recorded at Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio studios.

The band also used the platform to announce a show at Evanston’s SPACE on October 5, hopefully signaling that this time around Verböten will stick.

“Hopefully we’ll see you in two weeks … this has been really special,” Narducy said to end the set. — Selena Fragassi

Dat_Boy_Zach

Few Chicago-based festivals have embraced the idea of "local" on quite the level that Riot Fest has since forming in 2005 and heading outdoors in 2012.

Friday night, Chicago’s own Fall Out Boy headlined the fest while local punks Verboten kicked off Saturday’s live performance slate with Beach Bunny yet to come.

Since moving to Douglass Park in 2015, Riot Fest has continually invested in its North Lawndale home, with job fairs, the inclusion of local vendors and more largely defining their “Beyond the Fest” initiative.

This year, Riot Fest launched a talent search throughout the North Lawndale and Little Village neighborhoods, selecting rapper Dat_Boy_Zach, hip-hop outfit VII and hard rockers Alenia to perform on stage at Riot Fest throughout the weekend.

Two years ago, Dat_Boy_Zach remixed the Grammy-nominated GloRilla track “FNF,” collaborating with his mother SableAlexis on a video geared specifically toward children.

Saturday morning, at the age of just 9, Dat_Boy_Zach took to the Riot Fest stage for the first time, unveiling a positive and uplifting performance over the course of 30 minutes on the Rise stage.

“How y’all doing today?” shouted Dat_Boy_Zach, hitting the stage for the day’s second performance, backed by four dancers, a live DJ and SableAlexis, who handled the lead vocal on a pair of tracks. “I can’t hear that!” shouted Zach early, working up the Riot Fest crowd.

“I miss summer!” mused the rapper on stage, rolling out the new “Summer Break” as temperatures pushed north of 80 degrees on a warm Saturday morning in Douglass Park.

SableAlexis explained how she used rap music to help Zach embrace mathematics at a young age. And on stage at Riot Fest, the North Lawndale native rapped about counting and spelling as he broke down his daily school routine, giving an enthusiastic shout out to the idea of recess.

“I like school / School is very cool / I follow all the rules!” rapped Dat_Boy_Zach enthustiastically. “I need all the kids to come to the front,” he implored. “This one’s for the kids!” — Jim Ryan

Pixel Grip

“You’re probably wondering who the f*** do these b****es think they are? And you’re about to find out,” vocalist Rita Lukea said to begin Pixel Grip’s set — and they spent the next half-hour showcasing their powerful musical merit.

Lukea’s incredible confidence and attitude were matched weight for weight with the synth swagger of Jonathan Freund and the hard-hitting beats of drummer Tyler Ommen for a swoon-worthy trifecta of self-described “goth disco” that had the crowd engaging in a frenetic dance party not unlike the days of NEO (even under the blistering sun).

Like Zheani on Friday, it was a buzzkill to see such beautiful dark art in the daylight, yet seeing Pixel Grip play Riot Fest was a treat regardless. For the band, too.

“This is surreal; this is the biggest show I’ve ever played, the biggest stage I’ve ever been on, I’m gonna cry,” Lukea shared before regaining their composure and unleashing the beast on track “Alphapu**y.”

The trio formed in suburban Crystal Lake in 2017, and in recent years has come out of the underground to become a hot commodity, as an Empty Bottle Staple and touring with acts like Patriarchy and HEALTH (who also played Riot Fest Saturday).

With the material from their 2019 debut “Heavy Handed” and 2021’s game changer album “ARENA” in tow, the trio proved themselves to be incredible art-makers, allies for LGBTQ+ fans and great descendants of Chicago’s Wax Trax! legacy while also pushing the genre forward for a new generation. — Selena Fragassi