Riot Fest @ Humboldt Park, Chicago, IL

On the last day I wanted to get there early enough to see Kurt Vile & Billy Bragg.  We were there on time but walked to the smaller stages as The Whigs came on.  These guys were great a rocking show, not what I expected for an early afternoon opener.  So Kurt Vile was put aside for this Georgian 3 piece.  Will look for some of their albums when I get home.

Because The Hold Steady started as the Whigs finished we stayed in the same area, skipped Billy Bragg, and I saw THS for the 4th time.  And every time they are just as good as the last.  Craig Finn's narratives were kept to a minimum as their 50 minute set contained just about all songs that I knew.  Sequestered In Memphis is always a favorite, but the 3 song ending of Your Little Hoodrat Friend,  Southtown Girls and Stay Positive was the icing on the cake.

Missed the start of Superchunk as we made the increasingly harder trek to the other stages (a lot more people here today - could be the lineup, the good weather, or the fact that a majority of the mud had dried and life was easier underfoot).  The indie faves blasted through a solid set.  I am not familiar with their music but do I remember the same reaction from the Coachella 09 crowd when they broke into Slack Motherfucker

Next up was an in-the-distance listen to Naked Raygun.  We took a break and sat way back from the stage and listen to some Chicago punk legends - that the hometown crowd were stoked for.  Sometimes at these festivals you just need a place to sit, recharge and be away from the throngs of people.  That's what we did listening to Naked Raygun.

Tegan & Sara were my surprise packet for this festival.  They seemed not to be quite the right fit for the Riot Fest ethos, though there were plenty of fans they interacted with down the front.  I have a few of their songs in my collection and they were played with perfection.  Made me wish I'd pulled my finger out and seen them in Charlotte earlier in the year.  Wedged in between Naked Raygun and Dropkick Murphys, Tegan & Sara held their own and hopefully (deservedly) won over a lot of new fans.

Back to the smaller stages again for Hot Snakes.  It was now close to impossible to get from these larger stages, past the Dropkick Murphys crowd, and too the smaller stages.  However we succeeded and again we found a shaded area that we could relax a bit, but this time have a good view of what was going on.  I enjoyed this set and it wasn't until a long time later I realized why.  This is a John Reis band - he of Rocket From The Crypt.  While song names were never known, that sound RFTC is associated with could be heard as an undertone of Hot Snakes.

After waiting 14 years to see Mudhoney, I have now seen them twice within a year.  And happily so.  Erik and I stood right behind the sound booth to have a clear view of the stage and watch Mark Arm & crew tear it up.  Again the outdoor sound was not great but the performance itself as undeniably good.  From the new I Like It Small to FDK to Flat Out Fucked, Mudhoney played with an intensity of a new upcoming band.  I got to hear an all time favorite Touch Me I'm Sick again and the the blitzing final song - Black Flag's Fix Me - was just jaw droppingly hot.

GRRRRRRRR!  This was the band conflict that I hated most, because I saw a band I didn't particularly want to see.  Cheap Trick were on straight after Mudhoney and were playing the 1978 album Heaven Tonight.  The crowd went apeshit when they came on stage and they blazed through Surrender and On Top Of The World.  It was there that we decided to leave in order to get a prime spot for the Cure - the sole reason we came to Chicago.  While it took a while to get where we wanted to be, it seemed like an eternity before Social Distortion finished their set.  I never got into Social Distortion and understand that it may be a southern California thing - because that is who worship them.  I think because all I wanted to see was the Cure, there set seemed to drag on and on.  Not even the Johnny Cash Ring Of Fire cover could appease me - mainly because they had gone over their set time and were cutting into Cure time.

It was a shame in a way that Primus and Weezer were playing elsewhere, while the Cure were on the main stage as these are bands I love to see (and had already this year) but it was also a blessing as a lot of people went to see them instead of overcrowding the main stage.  As always the Cure were incredible. While sound was a problem for the opening 2 songs Open & Fascination Street, once sorted, the band played gem after gem.  In Between Days was the first song to get a huge rise from the crowd.  And it just got better from there.  Lovesong, Just Like Heaven, A Forest, Close To Me, Hot Hot Hot, Friday I'm In Love - how can you go wrong?  Not only do I love the Cure in general but I am a huge fan of the fact that each of their shows last a long time (135 minutes in this instance - only stopped by stupid curfew at 10pm) and they play so many songs from a huge catologue - 27 songs covering 11 albums.  I didn't want it to ever end.  This was the reason we came to Riot Fest and fantastic way to end an awesome weekend of 24 bands.  I really don't think I can do festival retirement again while line ups this good are still around

The Crap Facts:
This is my 381st concert.
This is my 3rd concert at Humboldt Park.
This is my 3rd concert in Chicago.
This is my 3rd concert in Illinois.
This is my 189th concert in the USA.
The Whigs are the 452nd band I've seen.
This is my 4th Hold Steady concert.
This is my 2nd Superchunk concert.
Naked Raygun are the 453rd band I've seen.
Tegan & Sara are the 454th band I've seen.
Hot Snakes are the 455th band I've seen.
This is my 4th Mudhoney concert.
Social Distortion are the 456th band I've seen.
This is my 3rd Cure concert.