Running on fumes and excitement, day three of the 2017 Riot Fest kicked off smoothly as everyone made their way into the gates of the last time. With Sunday’s lineup being stacked with many big and small named artists, there’s one thing I can positively say, the 2017 Riot Fest ended on a good note.
The Illinois sad boys in Real Friends surely started the day off nicely. Being one of many bands to use their stage presence to talk about mental health, the band made sure to let fans know that ‘it’s okay to not be okay’ before they began their set. With many fan favorites played such as ‘Colder Quicker’, ‘I Don’t Love You Anymore’, and ‘Summer’ the set-list wasn't anything too special. Though the notable aspects of the set happened to be the accurate and extremely well-balanced performance between the front and back-line, as well as the smooth and precise vocals from Mr. Lambton. All in all, a great set!
Paramore, now this was an interesting set to see. Currently on the touring cycle for their newest work, After Laughter, Paramore has taken a new turn and so has their music. Heading from a pop-punk to a pop sound, the band’s newest work displays subtle maturity at its finest. Along with the sound, the band themselves performances has developed from the last time I had caught them.Still leaving some of the classic tracks such as ‘Misery Business’, ‘Ignorance’, and even ‘Brick by Boring Brick’ the band made sure to get a few of the new tracks on the set, and boy howdy what a time it was. There is something special about Paramore, and what they put into their live performances and Riot Fest was another great time. The energy and emotion pouring into the music by every person is something I can't’ bring with words. So that being said, if Paramore is coming to your neck of the woods, please go see them.
Say Anything, the band I had never seen live before. Familiar with the previous work as well as their contribution to the scene, I was excited to see the area get packed as people squeezed in to see the band. Kicking off their set with popular track ‘Alive With the Glory of Love’ the crowd went nuts as the band fed off the energy and kicked it up a notch. Hammering out the other eight songs in the set, Say Anything was everything I expected and then some.