Indie Rocking In The Free World: Riot Fest (and Mike) Return To Chicago’s Douglass Park

Riot Fest made a name for itself by remaining fiercely independent and for its carefully crafted lineups that have boasted some astonishing reunions over the years including The Misfits, The Replacements and Jawbreaker. This year the festival went through quite a journey leading up to its Sept. 20-22 edition, including a reunion of its own with the city of Chicago.

A day before Pollstar went to press last week, the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners approved a special event permit for Riot Fest to once again take place at Chicago’s Douglass Park. The lineup is topped by Fall Out Boy on Friday, Beck and Pavement on Saturday and a reunion show from Slayer on Sunday, along with three performances from NOFX as part of the band’s final farewell. Plus, there’s The Offspring (performing Smash), Public Enemy, St. Vincent, Spoon, Rob Zombie, Sublime (Jakob Nowell, Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson), Cypress Hill and Bright Eyes, among many others.

Founded by Mike “Riot Mike” Petryshyn and Sean McKeough in 2005, Riot Fest got its start in Chicago as an indoor event held at indie venues such as The Congress Theater and The Metro. The festival relocated outdoors in 2012 to Chicago’s Humboldt Park and also expanded to include editions in Brooklyn, Toronto, Philadelphia and Dallas, with the inaugural Denver fest held in 2013. Riot Fest made the move to Chicago’s Douglass Park in 2015 and since McKeough’s death in 2016, the Windy City has remained the event’s only home.

That was, until Riot Fest surprised fans by announcing that it was relocating to SeatGeek Stadium in the suburb of Bridgeview, Illinois, with a statement from Petryshyn blaming the Chicago Park District.

“Several weeks ago, I had enough … It became evident change was needed. Riot Fest will be leaving Douglass Park. And — allow me to be as clear as the azure sky of the deepest summer — our exodus is solely because of the Chicago Park District,” Petryshyn wrote in a statement released June 11. “Their lack of care for the community, you and us ultimately left us no choice.”

Petryshyn explained to Pollstar that “there were issues with the Parks District – the process that they had in place for [permit] approvals and a litany of other things.”

The June statement announcing the move praised Alderwoman Monique Scott as “righteous, caring, passionate. She is one of us.” Mike added “The hardest conversation I’ve had regarding our departure was with her. It was filled with tears and sadness because Riot Fest has real meaning within the 24th Ward and vice versa.” When speaking to Pollstar Riot Mike also gave Scott a shout out, saying that Scott is “the mother Chicago needs.”

Chicago-based PBS member television station WTTW reported, “In 2022, the Park District’s code was amended, giving the board of commissioners final approval on permits for events — like Riot Fest — with an expected 10,000 attendees per day. … The amendment was largely seen as a response to ongoing pressure from some neighbors to push Riot Fest out of Douglass Park. Complaints ranged from noise and loss of the community’s green space, to concerns about emergency vehicles being able to navigate street closures in order to access neighborhood hospitals.”

After announcing Riot Fest’s move, Petryshyn received a call from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and a meeting was held within a week. Petryshyn explained to Pollstar that while Riot Fest’s departure from Chicago was “the elephant in the room,” the discussion instead focused on independent culture.

“The culture of independence in Chicago, there’s many forms of it,” Petryshyn says. “We clearly see it in music. We see it in art. But it’s in food. It’s in comedy. And it’s really independents who create culture and maintain culture.”

Petryshyn shared an anecdote about the idea of a family-owned grocery store that’s been around for decades and what happens when a corporate superstore opens up in the area, forcing the independent store out and the subsequent loss of community. He added “Just replace the name of the supercenter with any corporate promoter. It’s the same thing. That resonated with [the mayor]. He’s authentic, he gets it. So yeah, we bonded.”

Asked to expand on the city’s culture, Petryshyn says, “When I reflect on Riot and especially the early years when we were inside, I don’t think Riot Fest would have been able to happen in any other city in North America outside of Chicago. The reason being, there was a huge community of independent promoters here at the time. Clearly, you had Metro, you had Jam [Productions], the big two in town, but you also had Brian Peterson with mP Productions … They cleared the path for people like me. And I have to keep that going.”

Petryshyn notes that since Riot Fest was first held in 2005, this was the first time a mayor reached out — “and held a meeting and treated it with great importance. And that meant the world to me.” He said the conversation “planted a seed” and he started thinking about moving the festival back to Chicago. “… My gut was telling me there’s probably a door here.”

Petryshyn adds, “Remember, we never wanted to leave. We are as Chicago as it gets. [Riot] belongs in Chicago. Totally odd not having it here.”

By Aug. 14, Riot Fest announced that with the “overwhelming support of the City of Chicago and fans,” the festival was coming home.

All parking passes purchased for SeatGeek Stadium, as well as shuttle passes, were automatically refunded to the original payment method. To make it up to folks who already secured lodging near SeatGeek, Riot Fest announced it would be offering a free round-trip shuttle service from the Bridgeview/Midway area to Douglass Park. Organizers also offered a 20% discount to fans who referred a friend to purchase tickets.

Asked about ticket sales, Petryshyn says, “We’re doing fine. It’s like every other year in a way.” He adds, “Being left of the dial comes in handy, but that’s just who we are. We’re in a gray area of the mainstream. And that’s a wonderful place to be.. … It’s the feel of [the] community. And granted a well curated lineup that doesn’t look like anything out there. I think that’s just expected from us in a way.”

When putting together the 2024 lineup Petryshyn explains, “It’s kind of how we do it every year in a way — we like to tell stories through the lineup and connect bands that normally wouldn’t be connected. It’s a conduit system of how myself and booking and pretty much everybody here views music. … If you look at Beck, through Beck I hear Tribe [Called Quest], I hear a little bit of early Fugees, but I also hear Miles Davis, I hear a little bit of Beasties. All those artists … have a home at Riot. That’s how we book it.”

He added, “What’s cool is that the artists get what we’re doing. And we’re providing a platform for them with a wonderful crowd with passion. I mean, everybody says that, but I have other festival guys [from] huge, huge, festivals [tell me] how lucky I really am because of the crowd. We grew organically from 1,800 people to now. It’s the most intimate 50,000 people you’ll ever be with. That sounds crazy. But it’s true. And bands are attracted to that. That’s also why they bring their A game too. Because not only are all the fans watching, all the bands are watching too.”

As for those who had been protesting Riot Fest being held at Douglass Park, Petryshyn said when Riot Fest announced it was coming back “there wasn’t very much of that at all.”
He added, “In many ways we’re fighting the same fight — in that, we both agree that there has to be additional park infrastructure put in. And that part of our fees should go to that. We care about community; we care that we’re not a bad neighbor.”

Riot Fest is committed to supporting the community via its Beyond The Fest program, which includes paid internships, park cleanups and community job fairs.

Looking ahead, Petryshyn is hoping to secure a multi-year deal between Riot Fest and the City of Chicago.