CHICAGO ROCK, HIP-HOP FESTS GET GEEKED

Chicago’s fiercely independent Riot Fest has carved out a unique niche in the festival landscape for nearly 20 years by spotlighting cult classic, reunited and established names amid the wide varietals of rock, punk and alternative music. Among them: The Replacements, The Original Misfits, Jawbreaker, Nine Inch Nails, Faith No More and Iggy Pop.

Created by Mike Petryshyn (pictured) and Sean McKeough, the event began as a club-based extravaganza in 2005 before moving to the first of two public parks in 2012, but due to a long-running dispute with residents and city leaders over its local impact, Riot Fest will be on the move again this fall.

The 2024 edition will inaugurate its new home at the 28,000-capacity SeatGeek Stadium in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview 9/22-24 with an eclectic lineup led by Fall Out Boy (CAA), Beck (CAA), Slayer (Pinnacle), Offspring (CAA), Pavement (The Billions Corp.) and the reunited Sublime (Paladin).

The switch has perturbed fans who purchased presale tickets assuming they’d be back in West Side Chicago's Douglass Park per usual but will now have to find their way to Bridgeview, which is limited in its public transport options back and forth from Chicago proper. Riot Fest’s X account has engaged in a number of testy back-and-forths with ticket buyers on the subject, underscoring the event’s underground, take-no-prisoners ethos.

Riot Fest is the latest large-scale music event to descend upon SeatGeek Stadium, which will this weekend host the massive hip-hop gathering Summer Smash. Produced by local promoter SPKRBX and media company Lyrical Lemonade, it will feature the first collaborative performance of Travis Scott (CLG) and his Cactus Jack crew tomorrow (6/14), Playboi Carti and disciples the following day and drill legend Chief Keef’s first hometown show in 10 years to close things out on Sunday.