It’s Riot Fest week! The last Chicago summer festival of the season always delivers, and summer 2025 going out with this collection of artists will leave us festival-goers with an extra treat.
From local favorites to artists fit for the carnival side of the fest, check out our picks for the Dope Dozen of artists to catch at Riot Fest 2025.
Friday, 9/19
La Rosa Noir – 12pm @ Roots Stage
One of the fest’s first performances this year will include a band we’ve been following in the local scene. If you’re a fan of post-punk and can appreciate Latin & DIY sensibilities in their art, this is a fun group to vibe out to. La Rosa Noir coming out of Chicago not only makes this a dope inclusion in such a music festival, but it will also help create the kind of atmosphere that only a gathering of a band’s earliest fans can create. The band is playing Riot Fest the same year in which they’ve already shared a couple of singles, so this is a chance to experience some of the first performances of some of their latest material.
Rico Nasty – 4:30pm @ Riot Stage
Riot Fest has been evolving to include a broader selection of artists that can be described as Alternative, which helps artists like Rico Nasty fit right in with this festival. There’s a darkness to her music that sits right with me and the bravado with which she expresses herself, be it with a Alt Rock radio aesthetic or a Hip Hop one, always hits. That versatility is unmatched, and her setlist will surely be filled with anthemic tracks that will get you raging.
Camper Van Beethoven – 3:25pm @ “Weird Al” Yankovic’s Weird World Stage
Hearing bands like Camper Van Beethoven makes me envy the Gen X version of me that got to grow up with this kind of genre-blending, College Rock darling. This year, opening day of Riot Fest will feature a special stage curated by “Weird Al” himself— so you can imagine how fun it’d be to get to experience their blend of camp & artsy sounds as in songs like “Eye of Fatima, Pt. 1” and “Pictures of Matchstick Men” in that stage.
“Weird Al” Yankovic – 7pm @ “Weird Al” Yankovic’s Weird World Stage
If you’ve ever read my work and thought there was something a bit odd about me, “Weird Al” Yankovic had a part in that. I got into this wonderfully bizarre artist in that pivotal time in a kid’s life when they want to find/establish their new social lanes but are still very much children. The song parodies were playful and nerdy, not unlike yours truly, and even when I stopped actively seeking his music, I’ve grown older but I continue to change lyrics to modern songs for the sake of comedy and for that I am thankful. I can’t think of a more entertaining set all weekend, and I hope I see you there.
Saturday, 9/20
Militarie Gun – 1:45pm @ Riot Stage
The Cribs – 2:20pm @ Roots Stage
Panchiko – 3:35pm @ Roots Stage
Dropkick Murphys – 6:25pm @ Radical Stage
Jack White – 7:25pm @ Roots Stage
Sunday, 9/21
The Paradox – 12:40pm @ Roots Stage
DEHD – 4:50pm @ Radical Stage
IDLES – 6:05pm @ Riot Stage
