Riot Fest This Weekend

10/05/2011
. (Screen Door) Since 2005, Riot Fest has outdone itself annually, presenting the best bands from every genre under the umbrella of rock and punk, with epic reunions being a hallmark of the festival. In 2011, Riot Fest steps up the game to a new level: killer headliners abound, from Weezer and the Descendents to Social Distortion and X (playing their iconic Los Angeles album in its entirety).

There is also a very special Danzig "Legacy" performance with Glenn Danzig reuniting for Performances with Samhain Members, an onstage Reunion with Doyle from The Misfits as well as a blistering Danzig set. Tickets are nearing sell out, fans from all over the world travel to Chicago for the festival, which as grown exponentially in the past 7 years. A new addition to the bill is much loved locals the Smoking Popes, who'll play a free show Saturday night at Double Door!

It's never been disputed that music fans love nothing more than a good debate, from top 10 lists to best album by an individual artist, the arguments are heated and passionate to say the least. Weezer has inspired countless disputes as fans battle over the artistic primacy of The Blue Album vs Pinkerton advocates for each spool out their opinions on huge online threads worldwide. Weezer heard the voice of their fans! The Blue Album won the WXRT-sponsored voting and will be played in its entirety on Sunday, October 9th at Congress Theater. Urge Overkill, Teenage Bottlerocket and White Mystery will play with Weezer at this landmark show for their fans.

The line-up: Danzig * Weezer * Social Distortion * Descendents * X (play "Los Angeles") * Smoking Popes* Youth of Today * Suicide Machines * ALL (Scott, Chad and Dave) * Helmet * Down By Law * The Business * Strike Anywhere * The Tossers * Macabre* Nachtmystium * The Flatliners * Flatfoot 56 * The Menzingers * Banner Pilot * The Pavers * Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band * Shot Baker * The Copyrights* Cheap Girls * Larry and His Flask * Chinese Telephones * The Crombies * The Holy Mess * Neutron Bombs * The Infected