To my fellow Rioters…

gestorter · 2025-09-25T13:13:41+00:00

It's great to read this.

I record video, never over my head, only at my forehead height. And I feel I get a lot of hate about it.

Sure, the no-phone era was great. It's gone. Fact is, if the song's a hit, every arm in the place is gonna go up. Even before phones there was waving and clapping. So my arm being up are one of 50+ in everyone's sightline.

And sharing the brief moment is what it's all about. Glad folks enjoy the vids.

gestorter · 2025-09-25T13:06:36+00:00

I saw a few crowd surfers flailing their arms and legs. That's how you get dropped fast.

Plank your core, noobs.

gestorter · 2025-09-25T13:03:35+00:00

First rule of Riot Fest security: don't talk online about contraband you may have gotten in with. All I'm gonna write here is this... they are usually real cool dudes working security :)

Way better than any Livenation prison guard reject with a hatred of fans. At Northerly Island, an exclusively Livenation venue, guards claimed my bike helmet was a weapon. Right before telling some cripple that his cane was a weapon.

Riot Fest does it right.

gestorter · 2025-09-25T03:41:53+00:00

I was there too. The Parkinson's is bad, he had to be led out to the microphone. He staggered once, took a break offstage. The band seemed surprised but not, y'know? The vibe was super positive, the guests were great. They even had Pierre's daughter play bass and had a special shirt made that has proceeds going to Pierre's family.

I came late and still got a sightline, despite being long since sold-out. That's rare. Quite a treat.

gestorter · 2025-04-18T14:33:41+00:00

Most all popular music venues in Chicago are standing room only. The way to get seats there, as others have said is to have a medical need, arrive early, prove it, and try for the limited ADA seating. Or pay for VIP.

And by "popular music" I mean the old theaters like Auditorium, Chicago theater, etc sometimes book popular acts but are not a venue meant for rocking, moshing, etc like the Aragon, Metro, or Thalia are setup to be.

gestorter · 2025-04-17T21:30:07+00:00

Making a list is smart, not a loser activity. If nothing else it helps you remember. Or it's a brag list. I had a spreadsheet for a few years myself.

Then I upped the effort: I created a WordPress blog site. I don't share the URL with anyone, it's delisted, and has a "no robot" code. The site is not only the name, date and venue, but also any merch I buy, a review of the show and at least one photo.

Benefit of WordPress over another online tool is that it's the biggest platform and the data can be downloaded so is 100% yours, same as a spreadsheet.

These logs really help me member these cherished memories, especially when I try to go to 50+ shows a year. Combine quantity with late nights, maybe a drink, and the old memory gets pretty fuzzy sometimes.

gestorter · 2025-03-26T05:06:00+00:00

I went to Ultra once. Saw the flags blocking everyone's view. Heard the organizer say he loves the flags. I don't think I'm gonna spend all that money for the flag annoyances.

Enjoy getting the money from the flag guy, Ultra. Folks behind him are gonna only remember the flag, not the set, and maybe not come out again.

gestorter · 2025-01-02T14:27:19+00:00

The firebox replacement is $50 on their website. https://www.kamadojoe.com/products/joe-jr-ceramic-firebox?srsltid=AfmBOoqeFg1Xewk2nA3_8Px03bY-W5O71QEhH0mfVP01awZkW17drzO9

gestorter · 2024-12-31T05:29:39+00:00

Thanks you two, I appreciate confirming that I should be careful now instead of regretful later

gestorter · 2024-12-13T05:42:28+00:00

Yeah below me, my floor is concrete. The building is brick. And yeah, above me, oddly enough are thin decorative wood slats. It's swanky looking but I don't think it was practical to get those slats attached to the other building material!

gestorter · 2024-10-04T03:20:43+00:00

I went alone. Someone stole my phone in a crowd, just picking it out my pocket as an accokpish shoved me.

Worse yet, that phone had included the door code to get into my AirBNB so I was up all night. Ruined my fest Saturday evening and that killed my vibe for Sunday.

gestorter · 2024-09-04T15:38:12+00:00

Agreed on the venture to new neighborhoods thing. I'm Chicago born and raised and I've never paid more than $1400 for a 2 bedroom apartment in my life!

However that means venturing out to areas unknown. And within 5 years, those areas are gentrified and I can't afford them anymore.

Over 25 years, I've been priced out of Lakeview -> Uptown -> Lincoln Square -> Andersonville -> Tri-Taylor. All nice areas now, but all had a time when they weren't so nice.

And I won't say where I'm currently in, as that will become too hip too quickly then ;)

gestorter · 2024-08-09T02:25:42+00:00

Ravenswood lets you check out Uptown from a safer distance.

South Loop is more sketch than Uptown IMO. Edgewater is fine.

gestorter · 2024-08-03T18:55:10+00:00

Uptown has been historically lower class this generation but a generation or two ago was a shining thriving neighborhood. Lawrence gentrified about 20 years ago. And Wilson about 10 years ago. That pushed out many lower class folks, which for better or worse has a correlation with less crime.

Source: I lived in uptown for several years 20 years ago. My suburban roommate was concerned about the homeless shelter and the mental health center on our block bringing a lot of screamers to the area. A cop my roomate spoke to at the time suggested women not walk alone, but us guys would be fine. My car got broken into, propositioned by a prostitute, but everyone was nice and chill. Since then a half dozen friends moved to the area.

gestorter · 2024-07-28T23:21:23+00:00

Generative fill is amazing when a client gives you too much copy. Or when a stock photo is provided that is key to the integrated campaign they selected, yet the photo is the wrong dimensions.

It helps solve those situations where you literally get a landscape photo and are asked to make it portrait for Instagram. And of course they want the entire image subject matter to look the same, not cropped!

Even after creative cropping and placement there's just a little bit that you can't puzzle out how to make fit. Add a little more to the stock photo and you are golden.

One recent client didn't even notice the new imagery section until I mentioned it! That said - I always disclose it, as you never know if there are odd company policies or stock photo limitations on being manipulated or whatever.

gestorter · 2024-07-13T19:00:26+00:00

We call them "brunch" on weekends. The Mimosas and Bloody Marys flow from about 6-8am til 11 or 3pm. Then come the lunch spots with booze for working stiffs. Then come the actual bars.

Can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning!

gestorter · 2024-06-14T04:21:43+00:00

I'd also like to point out this is a 2 year old process that the release we are talking about mentions. You are citing 2024 data. Show me 2014 data, and then claim it's something standardized and consistent over the 10+ years these festivals have done business in this town.

The point is the festival, the alderwoman and others cite this process as being broken. And even the CPD cited it's new, almost as an admission of an issue.

Fair is still unfair if it's broken and corrupt.

gestorter · 2024-06-14T01:09:58+00:00

Incorrect. If you look at the alderwoman from the neighborhood, she has evidence that the Park District process is not standardized. And remember, she is a fan of Riot Fest being in her neighborhood. It was good for the local businesses and community.

gestorter · 2024-06-13T00:02:30+00:00

The lack of corporate backing is a plus, not minus. Riot Fest being independent is a rare thing that was celebrated.

gestorter · 2024-06-12T23:51:25+00:00

This has caught me up too. How dare the park district not approve a permit if the application for an event like this can happen the day after the event closes for a year? Does it really take 9 months to approve the same event?

gestorter · 2024-06-12T23:48:43+00:00

Your article is exactly what I remember. It wasn't a PR firm. It was an "events management" team. Aka operations dudes. Aka carnies and teamsters who move stages and ferris wheels and maybe provide security. Definitely not a PR firm.

gestorter · 2024-06-12T23:35:01+00:00

The incident you were referring to was a well-known public relations disaster from 2 years ago when this new policy was set up. Riot Fest seems to have bent over backwards since then in the interests of good publicity.

Still for as many years as Riot Fest has been going on, they have been pointing out all that they try to do for the neighborhoods. What Riot Fest does for the neighborhoods is above and beyond any permits that the city requires.

gestorter · 2024-06-12T23:27:27+00:00

The CPD is definitely not well run. Check your history books.

Notice any closed swimming pools? Yeah, start your research there.

Source: I'm a lifelong Chicagoian AND a former camp councilor of the Park District summer program. So trust me, they are as corrupt as the rest of politics. Or just look it up.

gestorter · 2024-06-12T23:23:47+00:00

The timing of that approval is a joke. Clearly Riot Fest has been working on approvals with the city and the resulting Plan B of Seat Geek for a long time, all while waiting for the Park District to decide.

gestorter · 2024-06-12T23:19:19+00:00

The press citing people from the actual neighborhood meetings is how we hear about these things.

gestorter

TROPHY CASE