Riot Fest 2014 Day 2

Frnkiero andThe Cellabration

Frank Iero at Humboldt Park 9/13/2014

Definitely showed up early to see ex-My Chemical Romance member and one of my heroes play in his new band.  For those of you that don't know, Frank Iero has had the most influence on me as far as music is concerned (more specifically, stage presence) so I was pretty interested to see what direction he has gone in with this solo project.

Frnkiero andThe Cellabration puts on a pretty solid show.  They certainly won't blow you away or leave you awestruck but they sound okay and keep your interest for the whole set.  For those of you curious, Frank is still using the Epiphone Wilshire that he used in the last couple of years with My Chemical Romance.

Anti-Flag

Anti-Flag at Humboldt Park 9/13/2014

Anti-Flag brings to you about what you would expect and a whole lot more.  They sound pretty close to their albums and give a passionate performance about sociopolitical issues that they want to raise awareness about.  For as early on in the day as they performed, they managed to get the crowd into it causing a well-maintained mosh pit with an occasional circle pit for the whole show.

I've been waiting for awhile to see Anti-Flag and they certainly don't disappoint.  Anti-Flag will stand out even among the best punk shows at Riot Fest.

Streetlight Manifesto

Streetlight Manifesto
at Humboldt Park 9/13/2014

Prior to Riot Fest, I had heard a lot about Streetlight Manifesto's live show and how great it was so I had to check it out.  Although it didn't quite live up to the hype, Streetlight Manifesto is still a pretty incredible ska show.  Like most ska shows, the crowd was incredibly into it and really formed a sense of community instead of just brainless smashing into each other.  However, in my opinion, these kinds of pits aren't necessarily better than the traditional punk pits, just a different flavor of the same thing.

 Though I failed to see what made Streetlight Manifesto a better show than any of the other major ska bands, I still thoroughly enjoyed their show and would put it right there with Reel Big Fish.

I still have no doubt in my mind that Slapstick is the best ska band I have ever seen live.  They sound fantastic and the show truly turns into a party.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
at Humboldt Park 9/13/2014

Another pretty good ska show to add to the lineup, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones put on a solid show as well.  Although their show is pretty good, you will struggle to find anything that's particularly memorable about The Mighty Mighty Bosstones other than their red jackets.

Oh, and their backup dancer.  He's freaking awesome.



Dashboard Confessional

Dashboard Confessional
at Humboldt Park 9/13/2014

Quite frankly, Dashboard Confessional blew me away.  Considering the difficulty of the vocals on the albums, I expected this show to not sound that great.  Well, I was completely taken by surprise!  Not only did Chris Carrabba sound just like the album (for the most part) there were some pretty high parts that he decided to take up an octave, it was truly incredible!

Dashboard Confessional proved to be a great change of pace for Riot Fest with a slow paced show with acoustic guitars and clean guitars.  They don't play live much anymore but I would love to see Dashboard Confessional again in a more intimate setting rather than a giant festival since their show is rather low key.

If you get the chance to see Dashboard Confessional, I would certainly not let the opportunity pass.  Even if you're not a fan of emo music, I think they're still worth a shot.

The Used

The Used at Humboldt Park 9/13/2014

I didn't get to see much of The Used but from what I saw, they played a high energy, high production show that really drew the crowd in.  They also sounded particularly good, especially for an emo band (which I've found emo bands have a general tendency to lose quite a bit of sound quality in their live shows opposed to their respective studio albums).  All in all, a really good show and I wish I could have seen the whole thing.


The Descendents

The Descendents
at Humboldt Park 9/13/2014

What a great way to end the night!  The Descendents were freaking awesome despite the lack of light show or gimmicks (a true indication of a great live band in my opinion).  It was a special night because they played through their ground-breaking Milo Goes to College record with their original bass player Tony Lombardo.  This doesn't sound very significant but those familiar with Milo Goes to College know that there are some pretty nifty bass parts throughout the album.

Despite their age, The Descendents truly rocked the Riot Stage.  Their energy reminded me a lot of Bad Religion last year.

The Descendents are definitely a band worth checking out if you are into punk and have not listened to them before.  Just do a YouTube search of Milo Goes to College, you will not get lost. 




Images:

Frnkiero andThe Cellabration:  http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_ITgzrmRRTM/maxresdefault.jpg

Anti-Flag:  http://cache1.asset-cache.net/gc/455443588-justin-sane-and-chris-head-of-anti-flag-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=GkZZ8bf5zL1ZiijUmxa7QXFUDkzbBSOvLQvnRbYrj%2BwhzuZsmIVqVB2KdOcN%2BZqG

Streetlight Manifesto:  http://rubyhornet.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Riot-Fest-2014-Streetlight-Manifesto-by-Geoff-Henao-2-of-10.jpg

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones:  https://s3.amazonaws.com/vice_asset_uploader/files/1410707682DSC_1429.jpg

Dashboard Confessional:  http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_TQvKas_EHg/maxresdefault.jpg

The Used:  http://www.altpress.com/images/made/chrootimages/uploads/photoblog/RiotFest-Chicago-2014-Day2-Bakerink/TheUsed6-3534011825-O_900_600_70_s.jpg

The Descendants:  http://www.altpress.com/images/made/chrootimages/uploads/photoblog/RiotFest-Chicago-2014-Day2-Reed/10_Descendents_-10_900_600_70_s.jpg