13 Sept 14 - Riot Fest Day 2

Who's ready to Riot ...in the mud with SouthSide?!

That's what this reviewer along with thousands of music fans who crowded the mud-soaked stages of Riot Fest over the past weekend, blogspot readers. Let it be known that having your shoes (or boots) caked with sloppy, gloppy mud doesn't stop you from rockin' out to your favorite musical act like The Pizza Underground or Buzzcocks. It will however make you sink in to the soft earth (a little) if you stand too long in one spot. But anyway ...this is Riot Fest! And something like mud was going to stop her from experiencing all of the sights and sounds of this mega local music festival!

 

Tagging along with her friend Andi Williams of Hellhound Music (http://www.hellhoundmusic.com),

 this reviewer spent part of her day wandering around the park enjoying the various music stages ...getting chased by brain-hungry zombies ...viewing the sexy burlesque shows (in between the wrestling matches) and of course, meeting some of the bands/musicians who visited the media area for photo opportunities and/or interviews.

 

There was SO much to see and do at Riot Fest. You could ride the rides ...well, the ones that weren't wet from Friday's rain or try you luck at the many carny games. OR test your zombie preparedness at the Zombie Containment Haunted House attraction. Just be careful, blogspot readers, the zombies had a tendency of hiding right in front of you! There was even a sideshow featuring an array of freak characters like the Wolfman from Mexico. He was such a hairy guy from head to toe! Riot Fest featured a mini put-put golf course or a dunking tank sponsored by RedEye (which remained closed throughout the weekend).

 

Besides the music and fun, there were plenty of opportunities for fest goers to shop at the many merch booths spread throughout the park, blogspot readers, as well as sample some of the many delicious menu choices. Local vendors like What The Rock ...Pirate Press ...Plug Your Holes ..NailMaille and more had many items on display and ready for purchase. SouthSide also took notice of some of the socio-political booths like Amnesty International and PETA2 vying for attention to join their cause. Yet, it was all about the food at this fest. The aroma from bucket-o-fries to huge BBQ turkey drumsticks ...satay chicken on sticks, pizza and so much more hung heavily in the air, blogspot readers. There were also alternative choices at Riot Fest for those wanted a vegan meal as well as food trucks like the one for grilled cheese which had the longest line.

While at Riot Fest, SouthSide had the extreme chance to meet and make new friends as well as saying "hi" to old ones like Jerry Bryant and his crew of JBTV Music Television. Everywhere he and the crew went amongst the stages recording, he was the rock star with the fans. This reviewer met bands like Nostalghia ...Wayne of The Flaming Lips top photo ...Taking Back Sunday ...The Orwells (http://www.TheoRWells.com) ...Pat  bottom photo (ex-drummer of MCR now with Anti-Flag) and more at the media area. She also spent quite a deal of time hanging out at the stages to see music acts like Tokyo Police Club (http://www.tokyopoliceclub.com),an highly energized pop/alternative rock band from Toronto, Canada ...Me First and The Gimme Gimmes (http://www.fatwreck.com/band/index/16) from San Francisco, CA bottom center left photo that turned any popular song (for example Dolly Parton's "Jolene" ["...Dollywood ...there and back less than two minutes..."] or Paula Abdul's "Straight Up") into a fast-paced, punk rock cover ...even Judy Garland's iconic "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" went punk, blogspot readers. SouthSide enjoyed their cover of R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" done on the ukulele before adding the intense punk sound to it at the end. SouthSide ended her day with rockin' out to the last few minutes of Wu-Tang Clan's performance before dancing to "Dead Disco" with Metric (http://www.ilovemetric.com) knee-deep in mud with a swarm of thousands on the field bottom center right photo. This reviewer loved how the band combined digital graphics with video images of themselves from the stage to be shown on the huge jumbo-tron screens, blogspot readers. Other songs performed during the set included "Sick Muse", "Lost Kitten", and "Dreams So Real".

coming next ...Riot Fest Day 3....


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide