Flow State

Day 2 started with Girl in a Coma, a three-piece from San Antonio who set the tone perfectly. They had two guys dancing in front, roping in about fifteen teenagers, and suddenly it was a mini pit of joy. I don’t get in the pits anymore, but it was fun to see a group of kids having the time of their lives. Festivals need that. The band was a nice find early in the day.

Agent Orange

Agent Orange was next, one of the bands I’d circled ahead of time. They didn’t disappoint — though yeah, Mike Palm sounds older (don’t we all?). Toward the end, my wife suggested grabbing food, and I told her, “No, they’ll close with Miserlou and Bloodstains.” Almost on cue, those were the last two songs. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt more like a fan. Nailed it.

Surprise Gems: Cribs, Superchunk, Pachiko

Food in hand, we wandered to another stage and stumbled onto The Cribs — an unexpected bonus. Nice set while I waited for Superchunk, who turned out to be one of the highlights of the day. They ripped through their set and ended with “Slack Motherfucker,” my favorite. No complaints. Technically, this isn’t a surprise because I knew and liked the band before.

We stayed put afterward and were rewarded with Pachiko. Different vibe — shoegaze, trippy, layered — and it worked as a cool-down from Superchunk’s frenzy. My wife loved them (and to be fair, she hated almost everything else since punk isn’t her thing; she’s more of an industrial fan).

James vs. The Bouncing Souls

Next up: James. I only planned to watch for ten minutes before heading to The Bouncing Souls, but James reeled me in. They started a little slow, but by the second song, they were cooking. Tim Booth — looking like Ben Kingsley turned monk — sang one song from the crowd and absolutely commanded attention. After a handful of songs, I stuck to my plan and caught The Bouncing Souls.

They were exactly what I expected — fun, energetic, crowded. The bassist wore a “Bassists Against Racism” shirt. So brave (sarcasm). Nobody at Riot Fest is for racism, and when 99% of the crowd is white, it feels like pure virtue signaling. I left after three songs and hustled back to James because I thought I was missing a better set, which turned out to be the right call. They finished with a strong run, closing on “Laid” with a stage full of dancers from the crowd. That’s a moment.

Evening Stretch: Front Bottoms, Knuckle Puck, Dropkick Murphys

The Front Bottoms were… fine. I like the band, but the live show was just okay. I left early to grab a better spot for Dropkick Murphys and lucked into the last 20 minutes of Knuckle Puck. High-energy, great songs, killer frontman — one of those “wish I had seen the whole set” discoveries.

Dropkick Murphys closed my night. They basically played their greatest hits — non-stop, high-energy, exactly what the crowd wanted. They threw in a few new tracks (all good), but everything else was familiar and loud. Ken Casey dropped political comments, but that’s baked into who they are. You don’t go to Dropkick Murphys expecting apolitical pub songs. You take it with the package, and the music was fantastic.

The Wrap-Up

I’m skipping Day 3. I’m tired, the lineup doesn’t hook me, and I could use the time to prep for the work week. After four Riot Fests in the last five years, I’m not sure I’ll keep coming back. Half the bands are nostalgia acts with one or two original members, and age takes its toll. Still, the 50-50 split between nostalgia and discovery has its moments.

For me, Riot Fest is less about the headliners and more about stumbling onto bands I didn’t know or didn’t expect to like. This year that meant Shonen Knife, Loviet, Girl in a Coma, Barbarians of California, and Knuckle Puck. Throw in stalwarts like The Hold Steady, James, Superchunk, and Dropkick Murphys, and maybe 50-50 is worth it after all.