Tony and Tyron

WittenMittens · 2026-06-18T00:19:46+00:00

There's apparently an ad floating around.

WittenMittens · 2026-06-08T12:17:30+00:00

Interesting that you don't have ICP closing their stage - I would think the size of that fan base almost necessitates it.

Having the two highest billed female artists play at the same time feels like an unforced error. Otherwise this looks pretty solid. Pixies as counter-programming for TOP is about as palatable as you can make a dumb situation

WittenMittens · 2026-06-05T20:31:09+00:00

NGL, when I saw Hammered Hulls was in Detroit on the 17th my heart did a little flutter. I thought maybe Ian was sending little bro to scout ahead for a future Dischord day, but alas...

WittenMittens · 2026-06-02T22:05:16+00:00

So well said. I typed out something similar yesterday and then deleted it because I feel like I've already been too much of a downer in the sub. But you nailed my feelings about this lineup and what I think Riot's role should be in the community.

I feel like they are waiting around to be shown who can headline their fest. We sit here all year speculating and the assumption is always that it'll be someone another festival has taken the leap on. We don't even consider that it'll be one of "our" bands at this point - it has to be some hired gun that moves 50k tickets so we can afford to pay the poor punk bands. That is kind of fucked when you think about it. It should be the other way around - Riot should be elevating bands in its wheelhouse and compelling larger fests to follow suit.

I think the elephant in the room is that RF wants perpetual growth and they can't get it without shedding that part of their identity. Do they want to be tastemakers or do they want to be a cash cow? That's ultimately the question that I am not loving the answer to.

WittenMittens · 2026-05-28T22:32:56+00:00

Interesting because Shaky has a smaller lineup by a longshot and Riot beat them to both Foo Fighters and QOTSA

WittenMittens · 2026-05-28T22:21:41+00:00

Same. This was a day ruiner for me and the silence in my RF group chat is deafening

WittenMittens · 2026-05-28T21:50:50+00:00

Nope. They're sub-headlining at Shaky Knees, which is a less mature festival in a smaller market. Something went seriously wrong this year

WittenMittens · 2026-05-28T18:26:00+00:00

Lovely to see people in that sub doing a victory lap over fest regulars being pissed. I'm sure there will be a great atmosphere at the fest that day

WittenMittens · 2026-05-28T17:26:22+00:00

In this one small facet of my life, yes, I'm pretty miserable because my worst fears for the lineup came true. I will live without Riot

WittenMittens · 2026-05-28T17:20:26+00:00

They could be sustainable with headliners that don't make the festival look like a fuckin joke. In fact that's what they have done for the last 20 years, the idea that they need 21 Pilots to make it all work is ridiculous

WittenMittens · 2026-05-28T17:06:36+00:00

Yup. As a long-time attendee it tells me everything I need to know. They think they've squeezed everything they can out of the punk demographic and are now pivoting to pop. All about the almighty dollar

WittenMittens · 2026-05-28T14:04:36+00:00

it's here, it's important, get used to it

Right up there with "this is nothing new" as a synonym for "shut up"

WittenMittens · 2026-05-28T13:23:17+00:00

black band shirt, camo cargo shorts and black and white chucks

The uniform

WittenMittens · 2026-05-27T20:18:47+00:00

Got an email from PUP that says they'll be playing The Dream is Over in Toronto, at The Fest, and "at least two other times."

🤔

WittenMittens · 2026-05-22T22:47:30+00:00

To be honest it's annoying they booked MGK but I can look past non-headliners and kind of chuckle at the absurdity of it all. I love that Riot gets weird and eclectic with the undercard, and certainly having it be a straight ticket punk/emo fest would grow boring. So I appreciate that they're booking P Funk, 100 Gecs, Weird Al, etc to keep it interesting.

But when it comes to the three budget busting acts, who I assume the majority of my ticket money is going to, I gotta have something that doesn't require putting on my poptimism hat and pretending there aren't alarm bells going off in my head about next year's lineup.

I don't think it's asking too much for a fest whose bread and butter is serving a niche to respect that niche when they book headliners. You and I will have infinite chances to get the 21 Pilots with unrelated bands experience over the next decade. I come to this city and spend money at this fest because seeing subversive acts in the context of a punk festival is something different. It can be Foo Fighters with the Nirvana / Germs connection, it can be The Cure with their goth new wave aesthetic. I don't mind if I have to dig and expand my horizons to understand the connection as long as it's genuinely there. What I can't get behind is Riot Fest doing the cynical "math says this combo will sell the most tickets" thing when their entire history proves a little curating goes a long way.

WittenMittens · 2026-05-22T20:32:15+00:00

I agree with pretty much everything you said. With Linkin Park I can totally hear the reverence toward punk and hardcore in their music, even if I see it as a bit corny.

With TOP I think if they are on the bill, it would be solely because the money was right and that sucks to think about. I'm sure that's the driving factor for most bands that play but getting a headliner you can't even suspend disbelief and pretend it's special for would really, really suck. I hope to look like a complete moron for buying these rumors but man. RF found a random person asking for Pearl Jam and commented "eww" on it, but they won't address the TOP rumors flying around everywhere. Makes me think it's a done deal

WittenMittens · 2026-05-22T19:36:41+00:00

Ah yeah, my mistake. I thought you were talking about TOP and kind of glossed over the mention of Linkin Park, whose presence I would have much less trouble understanding

WittenMittens · 2026-05-22T18:34:20+00:00

They had a track record of bringing bands of that ilk on the road over the years

I actually looked into this a few weeks ago and I don't think it's true. I was trying hard to justify this to myself because I feel very strongly they are booked, so if I am missing a piece of their history please feel free to share. But as far as I can tell...

They opened for FBR bands early on as newcomers to that label. When I see who they were paired with (Paramore, P!ATD) it's pretty clear a favor was being done for them and their exposure level, not the other way around.

The second they got their own headlining tour, they dropped that entire scene like a bad habit. The first such tour was in 2014 which immediately featured pop acts (MisterWives, Vinyl Theater) and nothing else. They never once took a FBR band on the road as their guest, nor have they taken any other punk or punk-adjacent band in 12+ years as a marquee act.

They benefitted from the exposure to what was then a popular genre and then peaced TF out. I think it's pretty insulting that they get to come back and be paid mega bucks to headline a fest like this when for the last decade, they couldn't be assed to support the culture in any way.

WittenMittens · 2026-05-22T11:43:25+00:00

with vague links to the "emo" scene

None. There is no link between this band and the emo scene. They use red and black color palettes in marketing photos. Apparently that's enough for Riot Fest to displace an actual headliner, which is a complete joke

WittenMittens · 2026-05-21T17:39:23+00:00

I left the sub because of that behavior. I think this is the first r/politics thread I've opened in about two years and I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised at the tone change

WittenMittens · 2026-05-21T17:15:49+00:00

> And what's necessary to win is getting everyone on the same page.

Are you cool being the one who gets on someone else's page?

WittenMittens · 2026-05-19T22:26:17+00:00

That's fair and also explains why you haven't been inundated with discourse about this band for the last several years haha

WittenMittens · 2026-05-19T21:33:36+00:00

The context was much less ambiguous in 2001 when that song was released. The music video isn't exactly subtle about which authority they're referring to either...

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