Riot Fest has just announced the hotly-anticipated lineup for its 2017 edition, and it’s literally unbelievable. Riot Fest has solidified its reputation as music festival pioneers, thanks in part to the unique experiences they curate, such as last year’s very public hatchet burying between Jem & The Holograms and their rivals the Misfits. Therefore, the international music community has been on the edge of its seat, popcorn in hand, patiently waiting to see which of everybody’s favorite bands are reuniting, who’s playing everybody’s favorite albums in their entirety, and which hot young up-and-comers will be the next big thing.
The festival, now in its 13th year, is remaining true-to-form by pulling off one of the biggest coups in history: they’ve inspired Bill S. Preston Esq. and Ted Theodore Logan to end their bogus fued and reunite Wyld Stallyns on stage for the first time since 1991. Bill and Teds’ wives Elizabeth Preston and Joanna Logan have come out of retirement/15th century London to join the rest of the original lineup, which includes bassist Death as well as the universally-acclaimed percussion skills of Station, and will close out the festival with what will surely be a truly excellent performance for the ages.
Also of considerable note, classic rock stalwarts Stillwater will be playing its 1973 breakthrough third album Farrington Road in its entirety for the first time ever. The album (and accompanying honest and unmerciful Rolling Stone cover story) propelled the band from mid-level arena band struggling with its own limitations to headlining the first Riot Fest in 2005 at Chicago’s Congress Theatre.
In other reunion news, Britpop darlings Drive Shaft propelled to the top of the pops in the early-2000s with the driving hit “You All Everybody” before bassist Charlie Pace’s plane went down somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Having presumed his brother dead along with the rest of the world, Drive Shaft’s abrasive front man Liam Pace (who in no way was named after the singer of Oasis) has been touring with his new band Beetie Aye. Since Charlie’s surprising return home last year, Drive Shaft has been writing and recording again, and Riot Fest will be the first stop on their upcoming world tour.
The long-rumored reunion of Locash rap supergroup CB4 has not materialized, despite rumblings to the contrary. The group was rumored to play its highly-controversial and influential 1993 album Straight Outta Locash in its entirety at Riot Fest this year, but the lone holdout in the group, leader M.C. Gusto – who once, as you’ll recall, fucked ya wife ‘cause da bitch is a big ho – has once again decided to sit on the sidelines. But all is not lost, because Stab Master Arson and Dead Mike will each be performing full sets of solo material, to be followed by a long hike.
In other Riot Fest 2017 booking highlights, Marvin Berry & The Starlighters will play that new sound you’ve been looking for, Citizen Dick’s early-90s grunge rock will sound as relevant as ever, and the perpetual “Will-they-or-won’t-they?” of Marnie & Desi is sure to keep the crowd on the edge of their lawn blankets. Also, in a surprising turn, The Lone Rangers are able to play their first show since 1994 since their prison sentences for kidnapping and trespassing are up and the hair-rockers are now free men. And to speak to recent reports in the press, it is indeed true that all of the female Riot Fest employees will be contractually obligated to watch Rex Manning from the side of the stage, despite the fact that the view and sound are much shittier from that spot.
Full lineup listed below. 3-day passes are on sale as of April 1st, and you can purchase them here.
