Riot Fest 2011 – X – at Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL

Coming from the West Coast, we have a smorgasbord of festivals to choose from throughout the year. FYF, Punk Rock Bowling, Hootenanny, and Awesomefest are just a handful that comes to mind. Having so many options we are able to pick and choose which ones to attend. In the Midwest there is only one festival that should be mandatory for all residents and music lovers alike; that one is Riot Fest. 
 

Riot Fest started 6 years ago with line-ups featuring musical behemoths like Cock Sparrer, NOFX, Butthole Surfers, and Dead Milkmen. This year the line-up delivered Danzig Legacy featuring Doyle, Weezer, Social Distortion, and Decendents. Pair this it up with the beautiful fact that Chicago in October is a lovely sight and you have a recipe for a great time. Everywhere you go the leaves are turning from a bright green to multi-toned orange to vibrant crimson. The architecture and the downtown skyline are breathtaking, especially at night. 

The night screams with adventure and on this crisp clear night, which also happens to be the first night of Riot Fest, we make our way to the Bottom Lounge to see X play "Los Angeles" in its entirety, and then some. The Bottom Lounge stage is about waist high, making the view from the back just as good as the view from the front. The place is sold out and the venue has quickly become standing room only. As the crowd patiently waits for the band to take the stage, they watch the screening of X's documentary, "X: The Unheard Music", and they seem almost hypnotized by the screen. When the screening is over, slowly but surely, the crowd inches forward so delicately it almost goes unnoticed. 


     
Billy Zoom takes the stage, followed by Excene, John Doe, and DJ Bonebrake. The crowd erupts into applause.  They start the set with "Your Phone's Off the Hook but You're Not" and continues with "Johnny Hit and Run Pauline". Watching X play in Chicago gave this LA baby a sense of hometown pride I haven't felt before. I've seen them do many of their annual Xmas with X shows back home in LA, but something kind of magical happened when they played the first five chords of "Los Angeles". I can't say if it was the crowd singing along with Excene, or the girls dancing along to DJ Bonebrake's every beat. X successfully brought the spirit of LA with them.  They played every song off their iconic album "Los Angeles" and more including an acoustic performance at the end with just John and Excene.

 
X set-list:

 

Your Phones Off the Hook but You're Not

Johnny Hit and Run Pauline

Soul Kitchen

Nausea

Sugarlight

Los Angeles

Sex and Dying in High Society

The Unheard Music

The World's a Mess

It's Who You Know

Beyond & Back

I'm Coming Over

Blue Spark

In This House That I Call Home

We're Desperate

Adult Books

The New World

The Once Over Twice

Because I Do

Back to the Base

Motel Room in my Bed

Devil Doll

Encore:

More Fun (Acoustic: John and Excene only)

True Love

The Hungry Wolf

 

                   More photos of the show can be seen HERE


      -Desire G.-
Big Wheel Music Scene Reporter

 

 

 

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