Riot Fest 2012 After Party – NOFX – The Adicts – The Casualties – and The Dickies – at The Congress Theater – Chicago, IL

The parking deities must’ve been with me on this trip, because after leaving Humboldt Park, we headed over to the Congress Theater for one of the many “after parties” and I scored some street parking almost directly across from the venue. This show would sport four great bands, each one of them headliners in their own right. That’s right, it was time for The Dickies, The Casualties, The Adicts, and NOFX. 

The show was sold out, much to the dismay of many fans who showed up at the box office looking for tickets. A small riot broke out between some drunk dude, who was scalping tickets just down the block, and angry fans who didn’t want to pay $80 a pop. (Neither would I. And the dude selling the tickets was a smarmy prick who probably should’ve been popped in the mouth.)

The Dickies kicked off the night with their wacky brand of punk, brandishing blow-up dolls, a snorkel, and the ever-amusing penis puppet. Whether they are the openers or the headliners, the quality of a Dickies show never flags. From start to finish, their mix of goofy antics and solid musicality makes for an unforgettable show. Opening up with “Nights in White Satin”, their set consisted of “You Drive Me Ape” and “Gigantor”, with Leonard dancing in his typical style. (How he doesn’t fall down, I have no clue.) It was a long day, and if any other band had opened, I probably would’ve gone back to the hotel to sleep. However, the rambunctious nature of the Dickies set pepped up the (by now very, very drunk) crowd and set the foundation for an incredible night.

Next on the bill were New York’s own, The Casualties. Jorge walked on stage holding a bottle of beer, raised his arm high, and emptied the entire thing into his mouth. Though their new album, “Resistance”, is out, they kept their set mostly to older tunes, with only an appearance here and there of their new tracks. The crowd loved it! People were catching their second wind by this time, and as the theater filled up, the amount of people pitting increased. Earlier in the day, there were pits and crowd-surfing, sure. But the energy during The Casualties set was something else; like everyone had been caged for most of the day and this was their first chance to really let loose. They opened their set with “Tomorrow Belongs to Us” and continued their hard-hitting ways with “Unknown Soldier”, “Riot”, and their anthemic “We Are All We Have Tonight”. They finished their set leaving the crowd sweaty and breathless (and the theater was increasingly becoming humid).

The anticipation was shooting all around, as the crowd eagerly awaited The Adicts to take the stage for the second time that day. “Ode to Joy” was playing as Monkey walked out wearing his Christmas light suit. They opened with “Joker in the Pack” and tossed out more cards than usual, probably to make up for the lack of props their first set. (Stupid park regulations is what kept The Adicts from deploying their usual stash of confetti, cards, and string earlier in the day.) Finally able to break out the umbrella, Monkey opened it up and was able to make one rotation with it over his head before the body broke from the handle and fell into the crowd. He carried on, trying to sing through his laughter, as a security guard played tug-of-war with a fan to get the prop back. I don’t know where they get their energy from, but the band sure as hell didn’t seem like they had played earlier. Expanding from the first se-list of the day, they threw in some newer tracks off of “All The Young Droogs”, “Stomper” being the first of those. “Fuck It Up”, “Numbers”, “Viva La Revolution”, and “Horror Show” were all on the menu.

The iconic beach balls were abounding, and NOFX would be taking the stage shortly. However, by that time, I was dead on my feet. Instead of sticking around and then trying to find my way back to the hotel on unfamiliar roads, I opted to head back and get some rest. Though bummed that I missed their set, from what I heard the next day, I didn’t miss anything other than a standard NOFX show, albeit with an ill Fat Mike.

 

                             More photos of the show can be seen HERE

-Anni Thyme-
Big Wheel Staff Journalist

 

 

 

 

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