julien baker fires up the crowd on surprise fourth night of BK residency

julien baker fires up the crowd on surprise fourth night of BK residency

Julien Baker Week descended on New York City with a flourish, the rush of which resembled the city itself. With three sold-out nights at Webster Hall, tickets were highly coveted. This was even reflected in the line prior to doors, as fans began to line up around 2-3pm, gunning for the first row. 

On the second night, however, Baker suffered from a stomach bug and had to end the show after 40 minutes. Thankfully, she added a date to make up for the shorter set, this time at Brooklyn Steel, where she has played three times in the past. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the show was added last minute, Baker didn’t have a second opener. She then enlisted her Boygenius bandmate, Lucy Dacus, to do a short interlude after singer/songwriter Katie Malco’s set. 

As Lucy Dacus took the stage, armed only with her acoustic guitar, the ear-piercing screams that greeted her would have had one convinced that she herself was the headliner as opposed to Baker. The crowd sang along, providing enthusiastic accompaniment. Dacus was smiley and chatty, joking around between songs and telling stories, even debuting a brand-new song. Ending with “Night Shift,” Baker and her band joined in to do it electric, mimicking the exact feeling of the night.

When Baker took the stage, the energy shifted to one of quiet reverence. After her band played the intro to her second LP, Turn Out the Lights, “Over,” Baker began to sing “Appointments,” the opening track. Performing songs from each of her records, 2015’s Sprained Ankle, 2017’s aforementioned Turn Out the Lights, and 2019’s Little Oblivions, the setlist covered the span of her career, including some of her EPs, such as tracks like “Tokyo” and “Red Door.”  She also played two new songs, “Middle Children” and “High in the Basement.’ Further, Baker excitingly rearranged some of her songs, giving them a new emotional pull. She also had her band backing her up (which has only occurred on the Wild Hearts tour) as opposed to her earlier shows with only an acoustic guitar. 

Baker next heads to San Francisco and LA, where she is playing a 3-show residency in each city. After, she will fly to London for a 4-show residency. 

Lucy Dacus setlist:

  • Hot & Heavy
  • VBS
  • Trust
  • New Song
  • Going Going Gone
  • Night Shift

Julien Baker setlist:

  • Over
  • Appointments
  • Ringside
  • Red Door
  • Relative Fiction
  • Favor
  • Shadowboxing 
  • Middle Children
  • High in the Basement
  • Tokyo
  • Something
  • Crying Wolf
  • Ziptie 
  • Sprained Ankle
  • Bloodshot
  • Even
  • Claws in Your Back
  • Hardline
  • Turn Out the Lights
  • Everybody Does
the vandals put on an epic show at riot fest 2024

the vandals put on an epic show at riot fest 2024

If Spiderman is yelling at you and insulting you right before you go on stage, what is your response? Punk rock band The Vandals chose to have a discourse with the front-row troll shortly before their set on Sunday, and then proceeded to show him — and a giant crowd — that they were still entirely as full of vim and vigor as they were when they started in 1980. Epic performance by an incredible band.

Setlist
Take It Back
Cafe 405
It’s a Fact
Urban Struggle
Live Fast Diarrhea
N.I.M.B.Y.
An Idea for a Movie
The Legend of Pat Brown
People That Are Going to Hell
Anarchy Burger
I’ve Got an Ape Drape
And Now We Dance
Oi to the World
My Girlfriend’s Dead
I Have a Date

laura jane grace + catbite team up for ultimate operation ivy set

laura jane grace + catbite team up for ultimate operation ivy set

The headline says it all. Riot Fest 2024 was an absolute blast, but the Laura Jane Grace and Catbite set on Sunday was a highlight. The two incredible acts teamed up to bring their musical prowess to a crowd that was ready and capable of belting out endless Operation Ivy songs. (Twenty-three, to be exact.)

We grabbed some incredible photos of their mid-day set – during, truly, the most beautiful part of Sunday – below.

Setlist
Knowledge
Sound System
Jaded
Take Warning
The Crowd
Bombshell
Unity
Bankshot
One of These Days
Gonna Find You
Bad Town
Smiling
Caution
Freeze Up
Artifical Life
Room Without a Window
Big City
Missionary
Here We Go Again
Hoboken
Tellin’ in My Ear
Healthy Body
Officer

gwar makes it rain blood at riot fest 2024

gwar makes it rain blood at riot fest 2024

Richmond-bred heavy metal outfit — and our Lords — GWAR took the stage on Sunday to an excitable crowd at Riot Fest 2024. While the rain had died down for the day, people closer to the pit donned ponchos and rain gear. This wasn’t because of the forecast, but because of the GWAR juice that the band is known for, this time in the form of blood immediately raining down at the beginning of their set.

These guys are some serious fun. Highlights below.

the hives reinvigorate day 2 of riot fest 2024

the hives reinvigorate day 2 of riot fest 2024

Have we mentioned that day 2 at Riot Fest 2024 was hot as hell? And The Hives had the audacity to come out on stage and act like we weren’t all absolutely falling over under the heat of the midday sun. In their full, black and white suits, they ran around the stage like it was the 90s, absolutely reinvigorating the worn-out afternoon crowd. Every single person who walked away from this set had a massive smile, which isn’t a common situation at a festival that melts faces like this one.

Setlist
Bogus Operandi
Main Offender
Rigor Mortis Radio
Walk Idiot Walk
Good Samaritan
Hate to Say I Told You So
Come On!
Tick Tick Boom
Countdown to Shutdown

waxahatchee captivated day 2 audience at riot fest 2024

waxahatchee captivated day 2 audience at riot fest 2024

Indie musical project Waxahatchee brought their soothing sounds to the stage at Riot Fest 2024. As a nice night two nightcap for many, they helped to bring the pace to a slower place, regulating nervous systems across Douglass Park. With a name that comes from lead singer and brainchild Katie Crutchfield’s beloved Waxahatchee Creek adventures from childhood, you already know you’re going to be in good company with this band and their fanbase.

We were thrilled to witness the magic of this act on such a beautiful evening in Chicago.

Setlist
3 Sisters
Evil Spawn
Ice Cold
Can’t Do Much
Problem With It (Plains cover)
Right Back to It (Dedicated to Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes)
Burns Out at Midnight
Bored
Crowbar
The Wolves (With band intros)
Hurricane (Plains cover)
Lilacs
365
Tigers Blood
Much Ado About Nothing
Fire

l.s. dunes blows minds during riot fest 2024 set

l.s. dunes blows minds during riot fest 2024 set

Supergroup L.S. Dunes brought their high-octane energy to the stage on day 2 at Riot Fest 2024. Having wandered the grounds earlier in the day with their new music, lead singer Anthony Green (Circa Survive/Saosin/The Sound of Animals Fighting) drummed up some excitement around their set.

This was the only set we caught in its entirety of the festival. Crowd participation was noticeable, and a larger audience was drawn throughout their performance as people began to notice the artistry on stage. We overheard new fans gushing about the performance on public transit after Saturday wound down.

Setlist
2022
Bombsquad
Like Forever
Grey Veins
Benadryl Subreddit
How Dare You
It Takes Time
Permanent Rebellion
Past Lives
Fatal Deluxe

spoon let the heat roll off their shoulders on riot fest 2024 day 2

spoon let the heat roll off their shoulders on riot fest 2024 day 2

Indie rock outfit Spoon may have been dazzling stages with their talent since 1993, but Riot Fest 2024 is where they really brought their shine. In the heat of a bright Saturday afternoon, they stared directly into the sun — and a crowd of thousands — as they regaled us with bangers from every one of their eras. From “The Way We Get By” to “My Babe” and “Inside Out,” through covers from The Natural History and The Cramps, they kept the energy high as the crowds continued to hydrate.

We captured some quick photos of the beginning of their set for you.

Setlist
Got Nuffin
My Mathematical Mind
You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
The Hardest Cut
The Way We Get By
The Underdog
My Babe
Wild
Inside Out
Don’t You Ever (The Natural History cover)
Do You
I Turn My Camera On
TV Set (The Cramps cover)
I Summon You
Rent I Pay

nofx say “farewell” to chicago in style with 3-night residency at riot fest 2024

nofx say “farewell” to chicago in style with 3-night residency at riot fest 2024

Los Angeles-based punk rock outfit NOFX has embarked on a far-reaching farewell tour that helps the band honor their decades-long contribution to music. They brought their quintessential energy — and, at times, fully childish behavior — to all three days of Riot Fest 2024. Through sunshine and heat and endless rain in Douglass Park, Chicago, the guys sang from a catalog that would impress most, with love from fans emanating throughout the aptly named “NOFX World.”

We were lucky enough to capture some magic from night 2.