we made it out to the first two days of Riot Fest. My wife got sick during the weekend (and still is) so with the rain delay and that, we decided to skip Sunday.
Friday, we saw part of Ani DiFranco, all The Breeders, all of Turnstile, and most of the Foos. Saturday, we caught some of Warpaint, all of Corey Feldman, White Reaper, Death Grips, Death Cab, QOTSA, and Postal Service.
Riot Fest continues to book more acts per capita that I truly love than any other Chicago area fest, but I think it really is time for them to reevaluate their operation. Food and beverage operations inside continue to lag behind all of the other major Chicago fests. The layout in Douglass Park has stagnated to the point that almost certainly one stage is going to be plagued by sound issues because of all the other stages going on at the same time (this year, it seemed to be Rise). they continue to book the Rebel stage in a way that puts too many people in a small area that is also one of the main banks of restrooms. There's also a dire need for an extra entrance like they had the first couple years they were there. This is all aside from the true elephant in the room - the very vocal neighborhood contingent that just plain doesn't want them there anymore.
Musically, they are always on point with their lineup and I've never had a bad time there. But this year, the vibe felt markedly different and I think they need to reconsider what Riot Fest is and especially where it's held.