Riot Fest

It sure seems like you can't go one weekend in the summer without a music festival.

Of course it rained. At day three (Sept. 15) of Riot Fest Chicago, where the newly reunited Replacements played their second show -- and first in the U.S. -- since 1991, the gods were bound to muddy the grounds. Throughout their original run, the 'Mats were victims of cruel fate and terrible decisions, and before for these shoulda-been-contenders could make any kind of triumphant return, a few tho

If opening day of Riot Fest Chicago was all about originators -- Joan Jett, Danzig, Bad Religion -- Saturday (Sept. 14) showcased agitators and innovators, artists behind bastard sub-genres and styles difficult to peg. The theme extended from noontime openers Mephiskapheles to main attractions Rancid and the Violent Femmes, and if headliners Blink-182 aren't exactly sonic voyagers, they've found n

Some festivals are all about what's new. Not Riot Fest. At stop No. 2 of the 2013 traveling punk weekender, which kicked off yesterday (Sept. 13) in Chicago's Humboldt Park, there were no 22-year-old techno wizards hunched over laptops, double-clicking up twitchy variants of house music. The only people on computers were likely 30- and 40-something journalist-types tapping out stories about guitar

Riot Fest Chicago is less than a week away, and the second of the festival's three weekend-long stops promises to be one of the year's finest rock 'n' roll outings. As in Toronto last month, the big story is the Replacements, but their return to the stage after more than two decades is just one reason to fly, drive, hitch, run or crawl your way to Chi-Town this weekend. Joining the 'Mats is a Who'

Riot Fest comes to May Farms in Denver, Colo., on Sept. 21-22 with a slew of top-name acts in tow, and Diffuser.fm and Loudwire are stoked to be giving away five pairs of two-day passes. Enter via the widget above.

Riot Fest organizers have added a number of top-name acts to this year’s initial lineup, among them Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Suicidal Tendencies, Andrew W.K., T.S.O.L. and the Pixies.

The Replacements will reunite for Riot Fest shows in Toronto (Aug. 24-25), Chicago (Sept. 13-15) and Denver (Sept. 21-22), according to a press release that's sure to have fans of the legendary Minneapolis punk band scrambling to make summer travel plans. The group hasn't performed live in 22 years, but according to bassist Tommy Stinson, they never actually broke up. Last fall, Stinson and frontm

Back for its ninth annual run, the Riot Fest & Carnival makes a return to Chicago’s Humboldt Park from Sept. 13-15. This year’s three-day bash boasts sets by the likes of Fall Out Boy, Blink-182 and Violent Femmes, plus a wealth of rides and other fun attractions.