Riot Fest Delivers … Again
In its 19th year, the alt rock, punk, and metal festival in Chicago delivered great performances from The Hives, Spoon and St. Vincent. A rock-lovers summary of our favorite Saturday this summer.
Jeff Joseph, Luckbox‘s editorial director, was on-site at Chicago’s Riot Fest on Day 2. Here are his top performances from the stacked lineup.
The Hives: Big Queen Energy
A subcult of detractors object when Swedish rockers The Hives boast of being the best band in the world.
And while it’s true that loquacious lead singer Pelle Almqvist punctuates performances by literally singing the band’s praises, their Saturday afternoon Riot Fest set was nothing short of electrifying, drawing praise from fans and critics alike.
From the moment the band took the stage, the charismatic frontman took control of the audience, and the band’s high-energy stage presence and infectious punk-rock sound captivated the crowd.
The setlist was masterfully curated. Chopin’s Funeral March was an attention-getting opener, bookended by the braggadocious blasting of Carly Simon’s Nobody Does it Better to close the set. The Hives mixed their classic crowd-pleasers (Hate to Say I Told You So, Tic Tic Boom) among fresh material.
While comparisons to Brit-sounding garage acts like The Libertines, The Strokes and Franz Ferdinand are fair, we liken Almqvist’s contagious high-energy delivery to infamous frontmen like Cage The Elephant’s Matt Schultz and Queen’s Freddie Mercury.
Overall, The Hives’ 2024 tour continues to solidify their status as one of the most exhilarating live acts. Their boasting aside, the band’s performance rivaled the best of the festival.
Spooning
While Texas-born Spoon has been among rock’s most consistent bands over the past 25 years, they do more than simply stay relevant—they just keep getting better. Rolling Stone noted that the band’s 2022 album release Lucifer on the Sofa “might be their best record ever.”
Spoon’s Riot Fest set on Saturday helped further their reputation as an indie rock stalwart. Frontman Britt Daniel’s distinctive voice and commanding energy seamlessly blend with the band’s precise instrumentation, creating an immersive concert experience featuring innovative arrangements and palpable chemistry on stage.
From the mid-set performance of I Turn My Camera On, Spoon’s Wilco-like bass lines and Flaming Lips-like psyche-sound reminded festival-goers of the band’s enduring legacy.
All Saint
St. Vincent’s Riot Fest performance on Saturday night was mesmerizing, proving once again that Annie Clark was born with an portfolio of extraordinary talents.
Her guitar-playing prowess (ranked 26 on Rolling Stone’s Best Guitarists of All Time) was on full display, delivering dizzying distortion and electrifying riffs that rival the best in rock music.
She sang with an ethereal, angelic tone, channeling raw emotion and theatrical charisma that held the audience captive from start to finish. The set was a masterclass in performance art, blending technicality and nuanced soundscapes to create an immersive experience for all.
Our only criticism of Clark is that she leans in heavily on pop-oriented themes that feel excessive at times in the context of her hard-licking guitar chops and the Riot Fest zeitgeist. That dilutes the raw rock essence of what makes St. Vincent so powerful.
But St. Vincent’s the most complete package on stage today—her genre-bending artistry left an indelible mark among the hard rockers and punks in attendance, solidifying her status as one of this generation’s most captivating performers, pushing the boundaries of live music performances.
These are other performances that stood out at Riot Fest during a second day that included The Buzzcocks, The Dead Milkmen, Manchester Orchestra, Beach Bunny, The Descendants, Basement, Pavement, Waxahatchee, Taking Back Sunday and Beck.
Once again, Riot Fest delivered the best rock, metal, punk and alternative lineups of any festival in the country.
Jeff Joseph is Luckbox editorial director.
