Friday marked the first day of Riot Fest, a marathon weekend of punk, rock, and alternative music of all sorts, where I develop an increasingly outlandish big tent definition of what counts as nu metal. The weather, reported by beloved meteorologist Tom Skilling, was absolutely perfect for a day in Douglass Park. Here's who I saw:
Fleshwater
Their 1:45 set was too early for their own good; the overcast but still bright midday light contrasted with the moody atmosphere they were trying to evoke and washed out their projections. Still, they made the absolute most of it, performing a strong set for an enthusiastic crowd. This was my first time seeing them live, and their stage dynamics really highlighted the interplay of their multiple vocalists.
Violet Grohl
She’s not nu… yet, but I caught the tail end of her performance while waiting for 3OH!3 and maybe it's just post grunge convergent evolution, but I think she could get there. The sludgy yet still pop track "Often Others" is just a little bit of bounce away.
3OH!3
There’s a real generational divide between those who understand what I mean when I say that crunkcore was nu metal reincarnated for the digital age, and those who can’t believe I found an even more offensive genre to compare to the “worst” genre in music history. If you don’t get it, you won’t, but if you do, 3OH!3 did not disappoint. Live guitar, and drums by Jess Bowen of The Summer Set did a lot to solidify my claim. The rock reimagining of "IMNOTYOURBOYFIENDBABY" and "PUNKBITCH" were especially strong.
Much like Limp Bizkit in their “Dad Vibes” era, the Denver duo knows they’re old, they know the cultural trappings of the era that launched them to fame are gone, but they’re still here to have a good time as the elder statesmen of crunkcore.
JVB
By the time Joey Valence & Brae took the stage at 4:40, the sun had banished any trace of the morning's clouds from the sky, and Twenty One Pilots fans had already started to stake their claims to the barricade. It can be hard to get a Riot Fest crowd to dance, let alone when you're playing the mainstage once fans of the headliner have started to camp out, but wow, JVB did not have that problem. I was only able to watch about half their set, but it was a blast. They seem to be taking a step away from some of their more nu-influenced work, but my mother described them as “sort of like if you put The Beastie Boys in The Prodigy” so I think we can still consider them part of our orbit even if not exclusively. This is the pair's second time playing Riot Fest, and they commanded the bigger stage, later time slot, and bigger crowd like it was nothing.
The Callous Daoboys
The Callous Daoboys were resplendent in their Riot Fest debut. Something I deeply love about this festival is how the eclectic lineups encourage a multigenerational crowd. I had the privilege of watching a father teach his son, a kid who couldn’t have been more than 7, how to mosh and practice helping people up if they fall. Someone’s dad was in the pit throwing down with us. When vocalist and industry commentator Carson Pace called for “one hundred crowd surfers,” several of the people around me said, “I’ve never done this before, but can you lift me?” They threw in a little bit of Jimmy Eat World, Nat Lacuna, formerly of The Holy Ghost Tabernacle Choir and the artist behind many of the Daoboys most iconic merch designs, joined in on vocals for a song. It was a short but sweet 30 minutes of unbridled joy.
Twenty One Pilots
Look, I know a few weeks ago I said TØP were the heirs to later Linkin Park’s rap-meets-arena-rock legacy, and that may have been true in 2015, but I don’t know if I can stand by that statement. I did my best to give them a fair shot, but when after three songs vocalist Tyler Joseph stopped the show for several minutes so a handful of people having medical events could exit the crowd, I decided to take my leave as well. They were emphatically not for me, but they were clearly for somebody. Their fans were all over the festival, sporting DIY costumes, body paint mimicking Joseph's tattoos, and friendship bracelets for trading. I hope they all had a great time.
