Let me start by saying I have never seen so much mud in my entire life and I probably never will again. Sadly, I did not mosh today as I didn’t want to be completely covered in mud like many other people that I saw throughout the day. The rain was also unpleasant, causing a late start, but I am glad Riot Fest did not cancel the shows because I still had a great time.
I went on my third and final ride, this time with my dad: the Ferris wheel. This was probably my favorite ride out of the three because it was great to get to see the bands preform from so high up and just see the whole festival. Despite the horrible weather conditions, Riot Fest has been one of the best festivals I have ever been to and I would love the chance to go back in the future. I highly recommend it to everyone.
The Beths
My friends have been telling to listen to The Beths for a while. I’ve tried, but honestly I didn’t like their studio recordings very much. But seeing them live is completely different. They were so charming and enjoyable to watch, especially because of the rain. There is something so euphoric about dancing in the rain to any music but specifically the soft indie rock that The Beths played. I also loved the fact that they included rain in their visuals. I wonder if they added this after finding out there would likely be rain during their show? Overall, this was one of my favorite shows of the weekend and I would happily see them again.
William Shatner & The *Uckers
Let’s begin (as Shatner would say before every song): Honestly I was expecting to have a fun time but not actually like the music, but the set turned out to be really great. The *Uckers were a very talented group of musicians and Shatner brought so much joy and passion to the stage. I particularly loved his last song about the pains of being old. Even though I am not old yet, I found myself imagining what it would be like to be old like Shatner (who’s 95), and I think the imagery in the song helped me do that. The visuals were also a highlight of the set. They were definitely bizarre but in a way that made perfect sense for a band such as this. I really hope they go on tour and I am excited to listen to their album when it comes out.
Patti Smith and Her Band
I was unaware of Patti Smith, but my mom absolutely insisted that I go see her. I saw most of her set while in line/riding the Ferris wheel, but I liked what I heard. She has a very deep and powerful vocal style that worked really well with the band and the subject matter of her songs. She was able to include a lot of political messaging throughout her set such as sharing that we all need to use our voice. She also talked about how her heart went out to the Palestinian people and how she wrote a song for them 25 years ago in the hopes that things would change and she still hopes that someday things will change. This was very moving and got the crowd going. I can definitely see why she is such a legend.
Photo by Frank Sennett
