It was time once again for Chicagos very own Riot Fest to take place this year celebrating its 20th anniversary.
The first day saw the likes of The Pogues reuniting and pop punkers Blink 182 headlining but the real attraction included Weird Al headlining a stage and curating that stages entire day.
Kicking it off early was Sabbath worshippers Mac Sabbath bringing their brand of humor and theatrics mixed with crushing riffs early on. Doing a complete 180 though shortly after was Puddles Pity Party, as seen on Americas Got Talent, bringing a set of covers done his way to a crowd that gathered. Puddles even went into the crowd after his set to meet fans who wanted to take photos.
His stage also got fans the chance to catch more rare acts like Sparks or Camper Van Beethoven all who drew their own fan bases to the stage. Comedian Emo Phillips also made a rare appearance showing up a few times between sets for a quick 5-10 minute run of stand up. It was great to see the legendary appear again and the crowd be so receptive to him.
One of the highlights of the day happened early though as The Barbarians Of California made their Riot debut. Featuring vocalist Aaron Bruno of Awolnation fame the band blasted through a set bringing their brand of southern metalcore similar to Every Time I Die to fans who were all there for it.
It was the moment though when an overcrowd of people pushed as close in as possible that it was time for Weird Al. While it was vastly overcrowded the king of parody showed why hes bigger than ever in 2025. Blasting through a set of songs with various costume changes and set pieces, videos in between, banter, and plenty of accordion.
Meanwhile Chicagos own Alkaline Trio celebrated 25 years of ‘Maybe I’ll Catch Fire’ with playing the album in full. Skiba and company also blasted through a handful of other hits including some new music from band.
Photo Galleries :
2025.09.19 – Weird Al Yankovic
2025.09.19 – Mac Sabbath
2025.09.19 – Puddles Pity Party
2025.09.19 – The Barbarians Of California
2025.09.19 – Emo Phillips
