Riot Fest Unveils “10 Years. 10 Essential Albums.”
For Chicago & DenverTen Bands To Play Their Seminal Albums at Riot Fest
On the heels of announcing Riot Fest in three cities within the past week (Toronto, Chicago and Denver), organizers have released the first big surprise in celebration of Riot Fest’s 10th Anniversary, entitled “10 Years. 10 Essential Albums.”
“During last year’s Violent Femmes’ set at Riot, where they performed Violent Femmes unannounced in its entirety, it dawned on me that if we ever did an album play thing at Riot, we should make it something that the fans would remember years from now,” said Michael Petryshyn, Riot Fest partner. “So, I literally was walking back to my trailer after their set and it hit me… ‘10 Years. 10 Essential Albums.’… and yeah, it grew from there.”
To help celebrate Riot Fest’s 10th Anniversary, ten bands have joined in to play their seminal albums either at Riot Fest in Chicago or in both Denver and Chicago. Nine of the bands have been released today:
Jane’s Addiction: Nothing’s Shocking (Chicago)
The Offspring: Smash (Chicago)
Weezer: “The Blue Album” (Chicago & Denver)
Slayer: Reign in Blood (Chicago & Denver)
Samhain: Initium (Chicago)
NOFX: Punk In Drublic (Chicago & Denver)
Descendents: Milo Goes To College (Chicago)
Naked Raygun: Throb Throb (Chicago)
The Get Up Kids: Something To Write Home About (Chicago)
There is one more album organizers are holding close to their chests, but have promised to unveil it in a separate announcement in the upcoming weeks, as well as additional 10th Anniversary surprises.
“We have one more band playing an album that we’re immensely excited about… but it wouldn’t be Riot if we didn’t tease a little beforehand,” chuckles Petryshyn. “No matter what though, this is really about thanking our fans. The work put into the lineups this year and things like the essential albums plays is for them… as clichéd as it may sound, it’s the truth. We’d be nowhere without them and maybe the way we thank them is by giving them a fest where we can all sing along."
Riot Fest is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year, and to celebrate organizers have assembled three festivals in North America this September: Toronto's Riot Fest & Expo (9/6-9/7) at Downsview Park, Chicago's Riot Fest & Carnival (9/12-9/14) in Humboldt Park, and Denver's Riot Fest & Sideshow (9/19-9/21) at May Farms.
Tickets for all 3 Riot Fests are on sale now via www.ticketfly.com. More band announcements are forthcoming as well as a few more 10th Anniversary surprises.