Feeling Groupie

In honor of my attending Riot Fest in Chicago, I am doing a mini-series where I rank each of the performances I saw.  While I’ve discussed Riot Fest significantly on my podcast, Groupie and Harmony, it is historically a punk festival, though it has branched out into other genres.  This year, the main stages (Cabaret Metro Stage and AAA Stage) are largely genre specific by day (Friday is pop punk based, Saturday is alternative/indie based, Sunday is metal based), the NOFX stage has punk acts with NOFX headlining each day, and the other two stages (Rise Stage and Radical Stage) are kind of a catch-all stage. On Sunday, Slayer was headlining for their first reunion show, and there were other featured notable acts such as Rob Zombie, Sublime, Dr. Dog, Oliver Tree, Something Corporate, Lamb of God, Mastodon (performing Leviathan ), and NOFX.   The acts I saw (in reverse order) were Slayer, Pennywise, Something Corporate, Tierra Whack, Mastodon, Gel, Sunami, and Sprints; I ho...

In honor of my attending Riot Fest in Chicago, I am doing a mini-series where I rank each of the performances I saw.  While I’ve discussed Riot Fest significantly on my podcast, Groupie and Harmony, it is historically a punk festival, though it has branched out into other genres.  This year, the main stages (Cabaret Metro Stage and AAA Stage) are largely genre specific by day (Friday is pop punk based, Saturday is alternative/indie based, Sunday is metal based), the NOFX stage has punk acts with NOFX headlining each day, and the other two stages (Rise Stage and Radical Stage) are kind of a catch-all stage. On Saturday, Beck and Pavement were coheadliners, and there were other featured notable acts such as St. Vincent, Spoon, Manchester Orchestra (performing Cope ), Waxahatchee, Taking Back Sunday, and NOFX (Bright Eyes was originally scheduled to perform, but cancelled their performance late).   The acts I saw (in reverse order) were Beck, NOFX, Pavement, Descendents, S...

In honor of my attending Riot Fest in Chicago, I am doing a mini-series where I rank each of the performances I saw.  While I’ve discussed Riot Fest significantly on my podcast, Groupie and Harmony, it is historically a punk festival, though it has branched out into other genres.  This year, the main stages (Cabaret Metro Stage and AAA Stage) are largely genre specific by day (Friday is pop punk based, Saturday is alternative/indie based, Sunday is metal based), the NOFX stage has punk acts with NOFX headlining each day, and the other two stages (Rise Stage and Radical Stage) are kind of a catch-all stage. On Friday, Fall Out Boy was headlining, and featured notable acts such as The Offspring (performing Smash ), Public Enemy, The Marley Brothers (performing a Bob Marley set), Sum 41, Cypress Hill, New Found Glory, and NOFX.   The acts I saw (in reverse order) were Fall Out Boy, Circle Jerks, Sum 41, Suicidal Tendencies, Hot Mulligan, State Champs, Spiritual Cramp, Pois...

I previously introduced this new series, which is a spinoff of the previous Fictional Festival series, one only featuring artists who released albums in 2022.  This post discusses a lineup for an R&B/Soul festival.  For more information about the series in general, please see  this post . After I finalized this lineup, 1 act cancelled their tour due to medical reasons, so I replaced them with a note. Lineup Friday SZA A Boogie wit Da Hoodie* Steve Lacy Russ Muni Long Robert Glasper Ella Mai Smino Ali Gatie Yuna Mahalia Seun Kuti & Black Thought Foushee KayCyy Gabriels Mdou Moctar Sean Ardoin Kamaiyah Charlotte Adigery & Bolis Pupul Aristocrat of Bands Ruthie Foster Orion Sun   Saturday Janet Jackson Wizkid Kehlani Nav Shaggy Fireboy DML Ari Lennox Surfaces Yemi Alade Tink Tank and the Bangas Tribl 070 Shake Raury Ezra Collective Flo Greentea Peng Sudan Archives Black Party Jimmy Edgar Yaya Bey TOBi John ...

I previously introduced this new series, which is a spinoff of the previous Fictional Festival series, one only featuring artists who released albums in 2022.  This post discusses a lineup for a metal festival that predominantly focused on extreme metal.  For more information about the series in general, please see  this post . After I finalized this lineup, 1 act went on hiatus due to medical reasons, so I replaced them with a note. Lineup Friday Venom Inc. Heilung Fit for an Autopsy Amorphis Cult of Luna Zeal & Ardor Raven Manegarm Eleine Boris Tankard Jesu End Ibaraki* 16 Blind Illusion Holocausto Canibal Abated Mass of Flesh Black Anvil Powerglove Torture Killer Toby Driver   Saturday Darkthrone Napalm Death Tyr Revocation Kublai Khan Corpsegrinder Razor Krallice Shadow of Intent Dark Funeral Dead Cross Civil War Greg Puciato In the Woods… Mournful Congregation The Last Ten Seconds of Life Tombs Dawn of Ashe...