Friday at Riot Fest: From Slick Rick’s Old-School Swagger to Twenty One Pilots’ Explosive Finale

Recap by Kim Flores // Photos by Jack Iboshi

When you enter the gates of Riot Fest, you’re welcomed by blasting speakers and a lively, kind crowd that doesn’t stop rocking. As you walk toward your stage, people stop to compliment your Riot Fest fit, showing just how welcoming and supportive the crowd can be. One of my favorite aspects is the pop of colors throughout the park and the surrounding Douglas Park community, showcasing how beautiful the festival atmosphere is.

Each set is like no other. The music, ambiance, audience engagement, and performers all bring something unique to the table, creating the energy of the festival. As you jump from one set to another, you leave pumped, excited, and ready for whatever comes next. Each performance sets the bar high, and the following act continues to rise to the occasion. The experience is like no other.

The All-American Rejects

Our favorite American Rejects activated their “time machine” and transported us back to the early days of their music career. Lead singer Tyson Ritter goofed around with the crowd all night long, even having the camera pan to a woman painted in red, bringing humor and fun to the stage.

Ritter continued with the jokes while complimenting how dirty the crowd looked, perfectly setting up one of the band’s biggest songs, “Dirty Little Secret.” Throughout the remainder of the show, he maintained that energy with the crowd before playing “It Ends Tonight,” with fans singing along.

By the end of the show, the band teased their closing song, “Gives You Hell,” making the audience beg and “say please” to hear it. They spent their final moments onstage vibing with the song and their fans, creating what Ritter had described earlier in the set: “This is what matters, f*cking community.”

Twenty One Pilots

Twenty One Pilots started their set with “Overcompensate,” lighting up the stage with fluorescent red lights and beams facing the audience, immediately setting the tone for the rest of the show. Their follow-up song, “The Contract,” brought the crowd together as lead singer Tyler Joseph swung his microphone like a lasso, hyping up the audience while taking in his surroundings.

A few minutes later, Joseph interrupted the set and asked fans to shine their flashlights for those who needed aid, showing his care for the fanbase. Keeping the energy positive, he expressed how grateful he was to perform alongside his bandmate and share the festival with the other artists.

The band played “Heathens,” “Tear in My Heart,” and “Heavydirtysoul,” bringing some of their earlier hits back to the stage as the crowd sang along word for word.

Recap by Amelia Johnson // Photos by Jack Iboshi

Riot Fest so far has been an exceptional festival. As someone who loves the oldies, this festival has fulfilled that love. From rock to R&B, it has highlighted music across genres. The environment is fun, lighthearted, and carefree. For me, Riot Fest is an amazing escape from personal stress, creating a space to express every emotion I have—from happiness to sadness, all the way to anger.

The audience truly felt like a community full of amazing people. People were singing their hearts out to their favorite music, which, in today’s society, is heartwarming to see as a bystander. This festival has changed my perspective on how music affects others and the way it can fulfill them.

Right when you walk through the gates of Riot Fest, you hear the everlasting music of freedom and culture. This festival has many qualities, but culture and community stand out among them. The freedom to sing, dance, and do as you please is part of the beauty of the festival. Riot Fest has taught me not to care so much about what others think.

The people with amazing outfits, extravagant makeup, and impeccable personalities are what make this festival. Sure, the performers are a main part of Riot Fest, but the community is what I found most prominent. The nature in the background and people screaming the lyrics to their favorite songs are what Riot Fest means to me: the freedom to be whoever you want to be.

Slick Rick

Imagine the perfect atmosphere with ecstatic people and amazing music—that was Slick Rick’s set at Riot Fest. The visuals of Chicago and his friends solidified the true meaning of his show: culture. Slick’s vocals started off strong, with good tempo and impeccable rhythm. The lights shone on the audience’s faces with every beat drop and dance move.

Slick featured many different representations of Black culture through images of Black women, past rappers, and even certain Chicago neighborhoods. At the end of his set, he performed a new song that has not yet been released to the public. Let’s just say…it was a banger! Slick’s set was the epitome of what Chicago is: a fun and wild city.

Santigold

The sun was perfectly setting over the Rebel Stage for the beautiful and talented Santigold. She owned the stage as soon as she started dancing, bringing her impeccable style and versatile vocals. The band and dancers were dressed in sleek, all-white outfits, adding to the sense of community Santigold created throughout the set.

She invited several audience members onstage to dance with her during “Unstoppable,” released in 2008. The song was not only liberating to experience as a journalist, but also brought back what festivals are really about: community. The audience was engaged and exhilarated to be in Santigold’s presence, as was I. To end her set, she played “Disparate Youth,” leaving the crowd with the feeling of living life to the fullest.