TVD Live Shots: Riot Fest Denver, 9/3

For those who raged long and hard Friday night, Saturday’s Riot Fest was a rough start. Early acts Tigers Jaw and Diet Cig still managed to pull respectable numbers of fans, but it wasn’t until the legendary Meat Puppets took the Riot stage at 1:35 pm that the place started to feel full. And man did the Meat Puppets deliver big time.

Unless you were a rap fan parked at the indoor stage, you probably found yourself getting your steps in on Saturday from The Lillingtons on the Rock Stage on one end of the Complex to Against Me! at the other end. The result was well worth the effort. And while a healthy breeze kicked up to cool the crowd, no one in the throng seemed to mind when the Red Bull tent blew over and the stage crews hustled to lower the speakers and banners.

While the Saturday vibe ran a little mellower than Friday, the day was not without its moments of chaos—take Canada’s Billy Talent who is apparently big everywhere except for the U.S. The word seems to be getting out though and their mid-day set on the Rock Stage was well-attended by folks who new all the words to Louder Than The DJ.

And then there was Leftover Crack. While Friday’s punk bands leaned toward the poppier side of the spectrum, LOC was a kick in the nads of hardcore and the crowd ate it up, delivering what was likely the rowdiest set of the day.

Sleater-Kinney and Ween wrapped up the day on the side-by-side Roots and Riot Stages while Underoath closed out the Rock Stage. No tough calls on which band to see before once again heading out to the clubs.

For those who missed The Lillingtons earlier in the day, The Summit Music Hall was the place to be. An absolutely packed house guzzled beer and sloshed it all over their brethren in the pit. But it was clear that all you came out there for one reason—to see Lagwagon play their classic album Hoss in its entirety. The party was most definitely on and wasn’t going to end until the band wrapped and security kicked them out.

AGAINST ME!