3:15PM: Pesky rain pushed the Riot Fest gates today. A bunch of the bands on the front end of the lineup lost their set times. A true bummer, but a festival reality.
4:08PM: Brit rock and shoegaze pioneers, Ride seem to have coaxed the sun out of hiding. Their songs are the perfect musical accompaniment to the much appreciated warm rays.
4:55PM: AFI’s Davey Havok pauses their high energy emo punk set to give some love to this evening’s headliners, The Cure. “Every band playing here…was influenced by The Cure.”
6:12PM: The Dresden Dolls are performers through and through. They look to be having the time of their lives up there—the fans sure are! The reunited duo also busted out some great covers, including Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” and Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right” with surprise guest, former Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur.
6:59PM: It’s been a bit of an anticlimactic day because of the rain delay and photography restrictions for certain bands, such as The Mars Volta. I feel like the day has just begun but we’re winding down to a close. While I would’ve loved to photograph The Mars Volta, I’m grateful to have been witness to their commanding, hypnotic set.
8:31PM: There’s no shortage of tears during The Cure’s Riot Fest finale set. It’s an emotional and fitting ending to a weekend packed with memorable moments.
RIDE
AFI
THE DRESDEN DOLLS
THE MARS VOLTA
THE CURE
RIOT FEST, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2023
