#Meet Me at The Altar Philadelphia

[mylifeinsound]

Relive The Show: Cavetown & Mother mother

[larodgersphoto]

Meet Me @ The Altar and Pinkshift (+ me)

all of my friends in one place - Philadelphia 2022

[wiiildflowerrr]

Ash with Meet Me @ The Altar

At the 5SOS Show Philadelphia

[she-karev]

Lockdown (Japril Imagine)

Previous Part Here

Age Rating: 12+

Chapters: Three of Three

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy

Ship: Jackson and April

Summary: Jackson and April talk about her split from Matthew and Jackson finally talks to her about Montana.

Words: 2468

March 18, 2020

April closes the door behind her after letting Jackson in who looks around the house that is cluttered with clothes, blankets and pillows. She picks up the mess knowing how Jackson detests things out of order.

“Harriet is asleep, she and I just got done playing hide and seek.” Jackson nods, “I know it’s messy.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Jackson defends, “Don’t worry about it my place is pretty messy especially since She-Karev moved in.”

April chuckles, “Please don’t do that, don’t be all weird nice with your voice an octave higher like you do with people at hotels or at the bank.”

Jackson looks at her surprised by this new fact about himself, “I have a weird bank voice?”

April smiles, “It’s making you nuts; you can just say it. There’s mess everywhere, I guess it can be a symbol for the world right now and I am just following. There’s pillows all over the place.”

“You know I have a strong belief that throw pillows are useless and stupid. I was also taken with your house I don’t think I’ve even actually been here like in person.”

April raises an eyebrow at that strange analysis, “Really?”

“Yeah I guess it’s because we always do the drop offs at my place or the hospital. It’s nice it’s cozy I like it. I especially like the exposed brick. I guess it’s an idyllic family home for you and Matthew and Harriet and Ruby it’s very…idyllic.”

“You said idyllic twice.”

“Well that’s how nice it is it needs to be said twice. So where is Matthew anyway?”

“He’s at work.” April looks at Jackson with an amused grin, “You said we needed to talk is everything okay?”

Jackson sighs and decides to rip the band aid off, “April I tried to be respectful to you and let you decide when to tell me at your own pace but now things are changing and lives are literally at stake here.”

April narrows her eyebrows in confusion, “Tell you what?”

“I know you and Matthew split up, I know he and Ruby don’t live here anymore.”

April looks at him shocked, “How did you…?” April scoffs figuring it out, “Freaking Karev, can’t keep her mouth shut like her brother.”

“In her defense she told me hoping it would make me ride on a white horse and sweep you off your feet. Also, she was going through a lot as I am sure she told you and I recommend you don’t kill or horribly maim her.”

“I’ll let you know when the urge passes.” April groans and sits on the couch.

Jackson joins her looking at her in sympathy, “Are you okay?”

April chuckles bitterly, “Well my husband is about to divorce me and we’re in a pandemic. Honestly, I am just trying to hang tough and be a strong mom for Harriet right now.”

“And you are.” Jackson commends April who grins slightly, “Amber told me Matthew left because he never forgave you for leaving him at the altar, is that true?”

April swallows a lump in her throat, “I wish it was just that it would make things so much easier but…the truth is we both jumped into something when we were high on love. We thought it was a part of God’s plan, us meeting each other years later when we were both heartbroken. Like it made all the pain we went through worth it because in the end we found each other. But then the high died and with it…we figured out a little while ago that things aren’t so simple. He tried he really did try not to hate me, and he is so good with Harriet, and I adore Ruby, but the truth is we were just trying to write a story. We didn’t take the time to figure out how we worked in real life. And then his sister got sick, he and Ruby went to Philadelphia to help out and she got better but…their still there and they’re not coming back.” April sighs after her recap with Jackson looking at her in sympathy.

“I’m sorry April, I know this isn’t how you imagined yourself right now.”

April snorts, “A two-time divorcee working the streets in the middle of a plague?”

Jackson grins, “In short yeah. If it makes you feel better, I didn’t imagine myself a divorced single father isolating with a heartbroken resident.”

“Well, when you put it like that you have me beat.” They chuckle at the joke and April asks Jackson, “How come you didn’t tell me you knew when you first found out? I saw you plenty of times then and you knew, why didn’t you ask me then?”

Jackson leans forward on his knees, “Well for one I didn’t want to risk you killing my best friend for breaking your trust.” April groans at that clearly peeved at Amber, “And second I wanted you to be comfortable enough to tell me when you did, I didn’t want to upset you more than you already are, why didn’t you tell me you guys were having problems?”

“I thought we could fix things and we’ve both been busy, and I wanted to fully grasp it but then your roommate was crying and I’m a bleeding heart. I wanted her to feel like she wasn’t the only one whose relationship fell apart so spectacularly. I didn’t think she would tell you, but I should have known by now Karev’s are unpredictable and untrustworthy.”

Jackson grins, “And you were maybe a little too proud to tell me?”

April grins and breaks, “Yeah fine, I was a little too proud.” Jackson holds April’s hand in comfort, and she appreciates it. She turns to him with a question of her own, “Why are you talking to me about this now? What changed?”

“Everything’s changed. We’re in a pandemic and we’re both exposed to this at work, especially you. I couldn’t sit by when I know you’re going home alone with nobody to look after you.”

“I guess that’s a good reason, but I am fine. I wear masks, I carry sanitizer and I keep a safe distance so do you.”

“Yeah, but the difference is I’m living with someone who can monitor me and call for help when I’m too weak to.” Jackson persists, “I know you can take care of yourself April, I know how strong you are, but this thing is unpredictable we don’t know everything about it because it’s still new. We can’t take chances especially with what we do for a living. We moved back and forth with Harriet because we chose to get divorced but driving to and from our places now, she’s exposed too. I can’t risk both of your health’s and I know you don’t want to risk Harriet’s if you get sick and nobody is around to take care of her and you.”

April looks at Jackson with raised eyes, “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I think you and Harriet should come and live with me and Amber.” April shakes her head at that instantly, “Just until this thing is over and it’s safe to go back to our routine.”

April scoffs, “It could be weeks hell months before we can even know some information about this virus and start to develop a vaccine. It’s not gonna go away in an instant and neither am I.”

“I know that. I am just trying to make sure you’re safe and Harriet is safe. I’m thinking about our family here.”

“So am I.” April replies in a broken voice Jackson pauses. April takes a deep breath before explaining, “The last time we lived together…it felt like we were on the track to getting back together to us being a family a real family. And when we went to Montana…I was convinced things were set after that but instead I got pain and uncertainty.” Jackson looks guilty for that time, “And I had to learn to live my life without you and now I have to learn to live my life without Matthew and I can’t repeat it with you again because I’m afraid I will break, and we will never be the same. I can’t expose Harriet to that, and I don’t think you do either. We need boundaries Jackson and you asking me to move in is just gonna bring all of that pain back and I can’t.”

Jackson and April sit there for a moment in silence as Jackson processes her words. He knew she felt pain after Montana and the way he handled it was appalling. It was appalling to treat a woman he married and had a child with like some one-night stand when they were living together at the time. He didn’t know it then but now he knows he evaded that talk for a reason and April needs to know that reason.

“I’m sorry for not bringing up Montana.” Jackson starts with an apology to smooth things over, “I know I am about three years too late, but you should know it wasn’t my intention to hurt you. The reason I didn’t bring up Montana was because I didn’t know how to.” April looks at him less hurt and attentively, “Things have always been so complicated between us April and I didn’t know what would happen if I opened that can of worms. I didn’t know if I wanted to risk the dynamic, we built for Harriet over old feelings that I don’t know were out of love or spontaneity or familiar comfort. I didn’t want for anyone to end up hurt again…but instead you got hurt and I am sorry.”

April sighs at that apology feeling better while Jackson continues, “You are the last person I wanted to hurt, you need to know that, and you need to know that you were never just sex to me. Not then and not now, Montana was…it was the first time I felt like my life was finally back in one piece. But then we came back, and I had to question if it was old feelings brought up that would die with time. We came back and I was reminded of why we divorced, and I didn’t want Harriet to get hurt. So, I ignored it, it wasn’t about you April and it wasn’t because you meant nothing to me it was because our family means everything to me and I didn’t want to see it explode like my family did after my dad left. I didn’t want for Harriet to go through that pain.”

April nods, “I get it and I get that it was a lot for both of us and I know now that it wasn’t because of me it was just…bad communication. It’s always been our specialty.” Jackson chuckles lightly, “I know your heart is in the right place and you’re right we need to be safe and we need to consider Harriet here. It makes sense that we would live together but you need to know something. I am trying to heal from my marriage ending so you need to promise that you will respect my privacy and not send mixed signals or start something with me you can’t fully comprehend. I need to know that if we do this again, we’re not headed for a fall here and I am not opening myself up for more pain and uncertainty, can you do that?”

Jackson nods, “I can do that. I just got out of a relationship myself with Vic and before Vic I got out of a relationship before Maggie and before Maggie-”

“You got out of a relationship with me?” April finishes with a grin and chuckles, “I’ll give you this you do not waste time.”

Jackson grins, “Yeah and I’m trying to change that. We both need time to ourselves to regroup and figure some things out. I’m trying to do that and so are you so…let’s do that under the same roof. I promise you if you do this with me you are not gonna get hurt again. I’ve learned my lesson and I know now that sometimes we can hurt the people we care about the most without even realizing it. I know now that we are both in a raw place and I know not to stir in unnecessary drama anymore. I don’t want to do anything to hurt you or our friendship, you have my word April Kepner, trust me one more time and I will prove it.”

April takes a deep breath and thinks on it for a moment before coming to a decision, “Do you want to help me and Harriet pack?”

Three Hours Later

Amber comes out of Alex's house already drained from catching up with him and Jo. She waited in the living room expecting Jackson to be back with Harriet in half an hour, but instead she waited impatiently for three. She got a text from Jackson that he was outside and exhales at the sight of the luxury car ready to head to his place and read on how to survive the apocalypse. She opens the passenger door and instead of an empty seat she finds April Kepner sitting in it wearing a mask with a sour look behind it directed at Amber who looks at her in shock.

“April? I-I didn’t expect to see you here, how have you been?”

“You mean since you told my ex a piece of information about my personal life, I told you in confidence?” April asks back sarcastically causing Amber to blanch, “Get in the back and close the door before the germs get in. We are in a pandemic.”

Amber nods and does as instructed gasping at the sight of Harriet in her car seat, “Hello munchkin how are you and what is your mommy doing with us?”

Jackson grins and explains, “Well with everything going on April and I talked and decided that things would be easier if she and Harriet lived with us at the penthouse.” Amber widens her eyes at that, “Harriet won’t be exposed from being dropped off and there’s three doctors in one place.”

“Wow. First me now April, if I didn’t know better I’d think you were opening your own shelter for sad and lonely women.” Jackson and April chuckle and Amber feels a question on her lips, “Just so we’re clear are you two getting back together or is this just a platonic quarantine.”

“Platonic quarantine.” April and Jackson answer at the same time causing Amber to grin knowingly. She leans down to Harriet rubbing her belly.

“Yeah, we’ll see.” Amber whispers to Harriet while Jackson drives out of the parking lot and back to their home.

[plutoccult]

ABOUT ME!

GENERAL INFO:

call me maria (more comfortable with my close friends calling me this) or pluto (okay for everyone). twenty-two. virgo sun. gemini moon. virgo rising. she / her. istj.

MY MESSY MUSIC TASTE:

5 seconds of summer. taylor swift. stray kids. xdinary heroes. le sserafim. mitski. olivia rodrigo. laufey. cigarettes after sex. clairo. paramore. boygenius. sza. melanie martinez. my chemical romance. ateez. blackpink. tomorrow x together. newjeans. twice. itzy. dreamcatcher. zerobaseone. one direction (indefinite hiatus my ass). renee rapp. sabrina carpenter. pierce the veil. fall out boy. sleeping with sirens. arctic monkeys. lorde. hozier. abba. fleetwood mac. meet me @ the altar.

MY FAVE TV SHOWS / ANIME:

how i met your mother. new girl. cobra kai. bridgerton. abbott elementary. euphoria. the bear. bob’s burgers. the office. friends. scrubs. it’s always sunny in philadelphia. daisy jones & the six. julie and the phantoms. the summer i turned pretty. freaks and geeks. family matters. seinfeld. parks and recreation. south park. attack on titan. haikyuu. ouran high school host club. soul eater. death note. free iwatobi swim club. kuroko’s basketball. horimiya. spy x family. yuri on ice. ghost stories. sk8 the infinity. fruits basket. jojo’s bizarre adventure. kamisama kiss. given. tokyo ghoul. sword art online. noragami. the devil is a part timer. black butler.

MY FAVE MOVIES:

spider-man. 13 going on 30. she’s all that. 10 things i hate about you. clueless. mean girls. sixteen candles. the breakfast club. pretty in pink. west side story. high school musical. the little mermaid. tangled. enchanted. mamma mia. hairspray. grease. rent. the phantom of the opera. little shop of horrors. pitch perfect. the karate kid. the hunger games. the holiday. pride and prejudice. la la land. scott pilgrim vs. the world. barbie.

MY FAVE VIDEO GAMES:

the sims 4. just dance. phoenix wright: ace attorney. professor layton. insomniac’s spider-man. until dawn. the quarry. detroit become human. chilla’s art. resident evil. mortal kombat. minecraft. borderlands.

© plutoccult / 310802. please do not copy, repost, modify, or translate any of my content in or outside of tumblr.

[equalvision]

Young Culture before their show during the “Past // Present // Future” tour with Meet Me @ The Altar, in Philadelphia, PA 3/03/23. Credit: Danny DeRusso

[v1rgology]

ABOUT ME!

GENERAL INFO:

call me maria (more comfortable with my close friends calling me this) or pluto (okay for everyone). twenty-two. virgo sun. gemini moon. virgo rising. she / her. istj.

MY MESSY MUSIC TASTE:

5 seconds of summer. taylor swift. stray kids. xdinary heroes. le sserafim. mitski. olivia rodrigo. laufey. cigarettes after sex. clairo. paramore. boygenius. sza. melanie martinez. my chemical romance. ateez. blackpink. tomorrow x together. newjeans. twice. itzy. dreamcatcher. zerobaseone. one direction (indefinite hiatus my ass). renee rapp. sabrina carpenter. pierce the veil. fall out boy. sleeping with sirens. arctic monkeys. lorde. hozier. abba. fleetwood mac. meet me @ the altar.

MY FAVE TV SHOWS / ANIME:

how i met your mother. new girl. cobra kai. bridgerton. abbott elementary. euphoria. the bear. bob’s burgers. the office. friends. scrubs. it’s always sunny in philadelphia. daisy jones & the six. julie and the phantoms. the summer i turned pretty. freaks and geeks. family matters. seinfeld. parks and recreation. south park. attack on titan. haikyuu. ouran high school host club. soul eater. death note. free iwatobi swim club. kuroko’s basketball. horimiya. spy x family. yuri on ice. ghost stories. sk8 the infinity. fruits basket. jojo’s bizarre adventure. kamisama kiss. given. tokyo ghoul. sword art online. noragami. the devil is a part timer. black butler.

MY FAVE MOVIES:

spider-man. 13 going on 30. she’s all that. 10 things i hate about you. clueless. mean girls. sixteen candles. the breakfast club. pretty in pink. west side story. high school musical. the little mermaid. tangled. enchanted. mamma mia. hairspray. grease. rent. the phantom of the opera. little shop of horrors. pitch perfect. the karate kid. the hunger games. the holiday. pride and prejudice. la la land. scott pilgrim vs. the world. barbie.

MY FAVE VIDEO GAMES:

the sims 4. just dance. phoenix wright: ace attorney. professor layton. insomniac’s spider-man. until dawn. the quarry. detroit become human. chilla’s art. resident evil. mortal kombat. minecraft. borderlands.

© v1rgology. please do not copy, repost, or modify any of my content in or outside of tumblr.

[plutotown]

ABOUT ME!

GENERAL INFO:

call me maria (more comfortable with my close friends calling me this) or pluto (okay for everyone). twenty-two. virgo sun. gemini moon. virgo rising. she / her. istj.

MY MESSY MUSIC TASTE:

5 seconds of summer. taylor swift. stray kids. xdinary heroes. le sserafim. mitski. olivia rodrigo. laufey. cigarettes after sex. clairo. paramore. boygenius. sza. melanie martinez. my chemical romance. ateez. blackpink. tomorrow x together. newjeans. twice. itzy. dreamcatcher. zerobaseone. one direction (indefinite hiatus my ass). renee rapp. sabrina carpenter. pierce the veil. fall out boy. sleeping with sirens. arctic monkeys. lorde. hozier. abba. fleetwood mac. meet me @ the altar.

MY FAVE TV SHOWS / ANIME:

how i met your mother. new girl. cobra kai. bridgerton. abbott elementary. euphoria. the bear. bob’s burgers. the office. friends. scrubs. it’s always sunny in philadelphia. daisy jones & the six. julie and the phantoms. the summer i turned pretty. freaks and geeks. family matters. seinfeld. parks and recreation. south park. attack on titan. haikyuu. ouran high school host club. soul eater. death note. free iwatobi swim club. kuroko’s basketball. horimiya. spy x family. yuri on ice. ghost stories. sk8 the infinity. fruits basket. jojo’s bizarre adventure. kamisama kiss. given. tokyo ghoul. sword art online. noragami. the devil is a part timer. black butler.

MY FAVE MOVIES:

spider-man. 13 going on 30. she’s all that. 10 things i hate about you. clueless. mean girls. sixteen candles. the breakfast club. pretty in pink. west side story. high school musical. the little mermaid. tangled. enchanted. mamma mia. hairspray. grease. rent. the phantom of the opera. little shop of horrors. pitch perfect. the karate kid. the hunger games. the holiday. pride and prejudice. la la land. scott pilgrim vs. the world. barbie.

MY FAVE VIDEO GAMES:

the sims 4. just dance. phoenix wright: ace attorney. professor layton. insomniac’s spider-man. until dawn. the quarry. detroit become human. chilla’s art. resident evil. mortal kombat. minecraft. borderlands.

© plutotown

[chorusfm]

Meet Me @ the Altar Announces Tour Dates

Meet Me @ the Altar has announced some new tour dates. January 19, 2024 – Orlando, FL – The Abbey January 20, 2024 – Atlanta, GA – Hell @ The Masquerade January 21, 2024 – Greensboro, NC – Hangar 1819 January 23, 2024 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts January 24, 2024 – Washington, D.C. – 9:30 Club January 25, 2024 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza January 26, 2024 – New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place January 28, 2024 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock January 30, 2024 – Toronto, ON – The Axis Club February 01, 2024 – Cleveland, OH – Mahall’s February 02, 2023 – Detroit, MI – The Shelter February 03, 2024 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues Chicago February 05, 2024 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater February 07, 2024 – Salt Lake City, UT – Soundwell February 09, 2024 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theater February 10, 2024 – Vancouver, BC – Rio Theatre February 11, 2024 – Seattle, WA – Neumos February 13, 2024 – Sacramento, CA – Goldfield Roseville February 15, 2024 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent February 16, 2024 – Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge February 18, 2024 – Austin, TX – Antone’s February 19, 2024 – Dallas, TX – Gilley’s February 21, 2024 – Nashville, TN – Basement East --- Please consider becoming a member so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/news/meet-me-the-altar-announces-tour-dates/

[popentertainment-concertphotos]

Meet Me at the Altar – The Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA – September 28, 2022

Photos by Kayla Marra © 2022

[popentertainmentconcertreviews]

Muna & Meet Me at the Altar – The Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA – September 28, 2022

Indie pop band Muna consists of Naomi McPherson, Katie Gavin, and Josette Maskin. They released their debut EP in 2014 titled More Perfect and fans have stuck with them since then. The group released two studio albums on RCA Records, About U and Saves The World, before signing with Phoebe Bridger's label Saddest Factory records and releasing their third studio album Muna in 2022. Prior to headlining their own tour, Muna opened for Harry Styles in 2017 and for Kacey Musgraves in 2022, alongside King Princess.

The group embarked on their largest headlining tour back in June 2022 and was kind enough to stop for an incredible show in Philly last night!

Fans were ecstatic to see their favorite band in person again, or for the first time ever. The line to get into the venue stretched up the street until the doors opened and people rushed in to secure their spots. At around 8:00, Meet Me at the Altar took the stage. Comprised of Edith, Ada, and ​​Téa, the pop-punk girl group set the stage on fire. Not only was their performance electric, but they had every person in that room dancing along (which is rare for an opening act!) The girls' stage presence was absolutely unbeatable. At one point during the set, Edith was admiring the venue and while talking about the huge crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling said, "The chandelier moment is cute!" The band also shared that most of their set would be unreleased songs but teased that they will be released soon. How exciting! 

After a show-stopping performance by Meet Me at The Altar, it was time for Muna to make their appearance. Before fans knew it, their favorite band was right in front of them. Kicking off their set with "What I Want," "Number One Fan," and "Solid," Muna kicked off what would be an unforgettable performance. After a couple of songs, lead singer Katie shared that the Fillmore was the biggest room they've sold out yet – this made the show much more special to be a part of. Katie then thanked the fans for looking out for each other that night and always. 

After performing a mix of a couple of newer and older songs, Katie gave a heartfelt speech before the group performed "Loose Garment," expressing immense gratitude to everyone that has been there along the way. She also went on to explain the meaning behind the song "Kind of Girl," saying that is about knowing that "there's nothing wrong with me, I can be deserving of love." Other than the rhythm of the oft drum beat and strumming of guitar strings, you could feel the emotion that filled the room at that moment. 

Muna finished their set with the hit song "Silk Chiffon" bringing the beat up and forcing everyone onto their feet. This was one of the most inclusive and accepting atmospheres I have felt a part of in a long time, and I owe that to Muna. They create such a safe and positive environment; you'd be missing out by not seeing them once in your life!

You can purchase tickets to catch Muna on tour here: https://www.whereismuna.com/ 

Copyright ©2022 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: October 1, 2022.

Photos by Kayla Marra © 2022. All rights reserved.

[mylifeinsound]

Don't miss Meet Me @ The Altar tomorrow night (3/3) in Philly at The Foundry At The Fillmore!!

Don't miss Meet Me @ The Altar (@MMATAband) in #Philly tomorrow night at The Foundry at @FillmorePhilly! For tickets, tour dates, music and more visit mylifeinsound.com:

The Foundry at The Fillmore is serving us great shows this week with RIZ LA VIE tonight and Meet Me @ The Altar tomorrow night!! The all-ages show starts at 7:30 PM, get your tickets now here! Meet Me @ The Altar‘s new album ‘Past // Present // Future’ is out March 10th, you can pre-save and pre-order the new album now. You can get your Meet Me @ The Altar music and merch here!Listen to “Kool”…

[larodgersphoto]

Meet Me @ The Altar opening for 5 Seconds of Summer 08-19-2023 Philadelphia, PA

[medusa-was-innocent]

Female alt/punk music recs that nobody asked for (not a complete list just the ones I listen to):

Potty mouth

- all girl three piece band (I saw them open for PUP they were amazing live and I have a crush on the guitarist)

Nova twins

- British WOC rock duo, their sound is a mix of punk, grunge, and alternative rap

G.L.O.S.S.

- Stands for Girls Living Outside Society’s Shit, intersectional feminist hardcore punk band made up of trans and queer women; their lyrics center around gender dysphoria, sexism, racism, and transmisogyny

The coathangers

- all-female punk/garage rock band, riot grrrl

Pity party

- female-fronted alt/punk band from east oakland

Daddy issues

- all-girl grunge pop/alt rock group from Nashville; several of their songs have sapphic themes but I don’t think any of the members are publicly queer (their album deep dream is one of my favorites records of all time and I’m in love with all of them)

Rina Sawayama

- Japanese-born British musician, her style ranges from pop to R&B to nu metal

Brittany Howard

- black lesbian rock and R&B singer/songwriter, lead singer of Alabama Shakes; her music has contemporary and southern elements, mixture of soul, rock, blues and funk

Kitten forever

- all-girl feminist punk trio

Camp cope

- self-described “power emo” alternative girl group from Australia; their song The Opener is about being treated as outsiders the music scene because they’re women

TsuShiMaMiRae

- Japanese female punk rock trio formed in Chiba, Japan in 1999 and still active

Bratmobile

- a first generation riot grrrl band formed in the 90s, their music has influences of pop, surf, and garage rock; their music has feminist and political themes

Sleater-Kinney

- another one of the original riot grrrl bands, punk/indie girl group formed in 1994

Japanese breakfast

- Korean Jewish indie pop female artist

Meet me @ the altar

- WOC pop punk group, signed by Fueled By Ramen, their sound has been compared to paramore

Rotten reputation

- Queer femme punk band

Angelica Garcia

- Latina American singer/songwriter whose music references her Mexican and Salvadoran roots; she became well-known when Barrack Obama put one of her songs on his year end list

Cherry Glazerr

- female-fronted American rock band from LA, previously featured Sasami Ashworth as a member but she left in 2018 to pursue a solo career

Chastity Belt

- alternative rock all-girl group from Washington

Bleached

- punk/indie girl group made up of sisters Jennifer and Jessica Clavin

Retirement party

- female-fronted emo/alt band

The regrettes

- American punk rock band formed in LA

Big Joanie

- British punk rock group made up of three black women, stephanie Phillips wanted to “start a black feminist punk band after becoming frustrated with the lack of intersectionality in the punk scene”

Voodoo queens

- London-based riot grrrl band formed in 1993, Indian-American lead singer Anjali Ranadivé now works as an ocean conservationist

Honeyblood

- indie rock 2 piece band from scotland

Dream wife

- punk/indie girl group from england

Emily’s Sassy Lime

- Asian-American teenage riot grrrl trio formed in California, 1993

Soccer mommy

- indie rock singer/songwriter from Nashville, TN

Jay Som

- Filipino-American bedroom indie pop

Pleasure venom

- garage punk rock group from Texas, fronted by a black woman, describes themselves as “femme-punk”

Tacocat

- indie punk rock quartet from Seattle

Hands Off Gretel

- female-fronted punk/grunge group from the UK

VOIID

- feminist activist alt rock group whose music focuses on issues women face like abuse and sexual assault, they strive to “reinvent the role of women”

Skating Polly

- female-fronted riot grrrl group formed by step siblings from Oklahoma

Sheer Mag

- female fronted punk rock band from Philadelphia

Cayetana

- all-female pop punk band from Philadelphia

Middle kids

- female-fronted alternative indie rock band from Sydney, Australia

SASAMI

- Asian-American indie/alternative musician, former member of Cherry Glazerr

Jetty bones

- alternative pop singer/songwriter

Indigo De Souza

Indie singer/songwriter from Asheville, NC; openly speaks about depression and anxiety in interviews

Feel free to add any that I missed!

[aamatchintowaterr]

⌠ hayley law. 29, lesbian, cisfemale, she/her. ⌡ wait a minute, is kennedy hart still in town? i thought i saw a flash of (too many keychains, a different hair style each week, tiny glass figurines gathered on windowsills)! last i heard they were working as a barista nearby. when it’s the (scorpio)’s birthday on 11/18 i forget that they’re weird and celebrate that they’re quick-witted. i hear a work in progress by meet me at the altar every time i think of them. ⌿ @liminalintro 

cult, kidnapping tw

* Having a normal life just wasn’t in the cards for Kennedy Hart.  Kidnapped shortly after birth, she was brought into a commune where she would live most of her life, it was the only thing she’d ever known.

* Commune is a nice way of putting it - Kennedy was raised in a cult.  The man she grew up calling ‘dad’ was the leader, a loving but stern man, who was the only person allowed to marry in the group.

* They weren’t that far from Centralia, and Kennedy grew up hearing stories about the town that was on fire, cursed by God, and if she didn’t behave, that’s where she’d end up.

* It wasn’t a locked society by any means - people came and went, left to do their shopping or jobs.  But all schooling was done in the commune, and no one under the age of eighteen was allowed to leave the ground unaccompanied.  As she grew, Kennedy realized that half the time they got new members, it was the result of child kidnapping - it was easier to brainwash the kids than it was adults, apparently.

* Kennedy adored her dad, and everyone was sort of seen as a mother figure, and all the other kids were like her siblings.  Take away the whole religious cult part of it, and Kennedy actually really loved how she was raised - while biologically she was an only child, she had so many siblings that she never needed to be lonely.

* Once she turned eighteen, it was expected for her to go out and get a job, and while she wasn’t necessarily qualified for anything, finding her a job where other cult members worked was easy.  She enjoyed the time away from the commune however - maybe more than she should have.

* Eventually she felt restless, a burning desire to go out and explore the world and herself - but such things were deeply discouraged.  So as much as it pained her, she stayed - until she could figure out a plan.

* Leaving wasn’t hard, but it wasn’t easy either.  There was nothing really keeping anyone there - you were free to leave whenever you wanted.  The family and community bond is what kept most people there, and it was the biggest hurdle for Kennedy to leap over.  But when she was twenty three, she finally made her exit.

* She stayed in PA, living in West Chester for a time before trying Philadelphia, which overwhelmed her very quickly.  It didn’t take her too long to think about Centralia, the perpetually on fire city that was, supposedly, cursed.

* At twenty eight, she’d gotten herself a little apartment, though is looking for a roommate, and is maybe a little too friendly when meeting new people.  She’s fairly well adjusted for someone who grew up in a cult.  It’s not that she was cut off from the world, but a lot of media was discouraged - think Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, mythology.  Doesn’t have a great concept of personal space, why is why she hasn’t managed to keep a roommate for more than a few months.

[sinceileftyoublog]

Riot Fest 2021: 9/16-9/19, Douglass Park

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Much like Pitchfork Music Festival earlier this month, this past weekend’s Riot Fest felt relatively normal. Arriving at Douglas Park every day, you were greeted by the usual deluge of attendees in Misfits t-shirts and dyed hair, the sound of faint screams and breakneck guitars and drums emanating from nearby stages. The abnormal aspects of the fest, at least as compared to previous incarnations, we’re already used to by now from 2021 shows: To get in, you had to show proof of vaccination and/or a negative test no older than 48 hours, which means that unvaxxed 4-day attendees had to get multiple tests. Props to the always awesome staff at Riot Fest for actually checking the cards against the names on government-issued IDs.

For a festival that dealt with a plethora of last-minute changes due to bands dropping out because of COVID-19 caution (Nine Inch Nails, Pixies, Dinosaur Jr.) or other reasons (Faith No More/Mr. Bungle because of concerns around Mike Patton’s well-being), there were very few bumps in the road. Whether Riot Fest had bands like Slipknot, Anthrax, or Rise Against in their back pocket as replacements or not, it very much felt like who we saw Thursday-Sunday was always supposed to be the lineup, even when laying your eyes on countless “Death to the Pixies” shirts. Sure, one of the fest’s main gimmicks--peeling back the label on Goose Island’s Riot Fest Sucks Pale Ale to reveal the schedule--was out of date with inaccurate set times and bands, and it still would have been so had Faith No More and Mr. Bungle stayed, since Fucked Up had to drop out last minute due to border issues. But the festival, as always, rolled with the punches.

The sets themselves offered the circle pit and crowdsurfing-inducing punk and metal you’re used to, with a few genre outliers. For so many bands of all styles, Riot Fest represented their first live show in years, and a few acts knew the exact number of days since their last show. For every single set, the catharsis in the crowd and on stage was palpable, not exactly anger, or elation, but pure release.

Here were our favorite sets of the festival, in chronological order.

WDRL

Last October, WDRL (which, amazingly, stands for We Don’t Ride Llamas) announced themselves with a Tweet: “y’all been looking for an alt black band,, well here you go”. A band of Gen Z siblings, Chase (lead guitar), Max (lead vocals), Blake (drums), and Kit Mitchell (bass guitar), WDRL is aware, much like Meet Me @ The Altar (who, despite my hyping, I couldn’t make it in time to see) that they’re one of too few bands of POCs in the Riot Fest-adjacent scene. Their set, one of the very first of the weekend during Thursday’s pre-party, showed them leading by example, the type of band to inspire potentially discouraged Black and brown folks to start punk bands. Max is a terrific vocalist, able to scream over post-punk, scat over funk, and coo over slow, soulful R&B swayers with the same ease. The rest of the band was equally versatile, able to pivot on a dime from scuzzy rock to hip hop to twinkling dream pop. Bonus points for covering Splendora’s “You’re Standing On My Neck”, aka the Daria theme song.

Joyce Manor

Joyce Manor’s self-titled debut is classic. The best part of it as an album play-through at a festival? It’s so short that you can hear it and you’ll still have half a set for other favorites. So while the bouncy “Orange Julius”", “Ashtray Petting Zoo”, and ultimate singalong “Constant Headache” were set highlights, the Torrance, CA band was able to burn through lots from Never Hungover Again, Cody, Million Dollars to Kill Me, and their rarities collection Songs From Northern Torrance. Apart from not playing anything from Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired (seriously, am I the only one who loves that record?), Joyce Manor were stellar, from the undeniable hooks of “Heart Tattoo” to the churning power chords of “Catalina Fight Song”. After playing “Christmas Card”, Johnson and company gave one final nod to the original fest cancellation, My Chemical Romance, who were slated to headline 2020, then 2021, and now 2022. If you ever wondered what it would sound like hearing a concise punk band like Joyce Manor take on the bombast of “Helena”, you found out. Hey, it was actually pretty good!

Patti Smith

Behold: a full Patti Smith set! After being shafted by the weather last time around, a sunglasses-laden Smith decided not to fuck around, leading with the inspiring “People Have The Power”, her voice as powerful as I’ve ever heard it. Maybe it was the influence of Riot Fest, but she dropped as many f-bombs as Corey Taylor did during Slipknot’s Sunday night headlining set. After reluctantly signing an adoring crowd member’s copy of Horses, she quipped, “I feel bad for you have to cart that fucking thing around.” It wasn’t just the filthy banter: This was Smith at her most enraptured and incendiary, belting during “Because The Night” and spitting during a “Land/Gloria” medley, reciting stream-of-consciousness hallucinogenic lyrics about the power of escape in the greatest display of stamina the festival had to offer.

Circa Survive

“It feels good to dance,” declared Circa Survive lead singer Anthony Green. The heart and soul of the Philadelphia rock band, who cover ground from prog rock to post-hardcore and emo, Green was in full form during the band’s early Friday set, his falsetto carrying the rolling “The Difference Between Medicine and Poising Is in the Dose” and the chugging “Rites of Investiture”. While the band, too, can throw down, they’re equally interesting when softer and more melodic, Brendan Ekstrom‘s twinkling guitars lifting “Child of the Desert” and “Suitcase”. Ending with the one-two punch of debut Juturna’s introspective “Act Appalled” and Blue Sky Noise’s skyward “Get Out”, Green announced the band would have a new record coming soon, one you hope will cover the sonic and thematic ground of even just those two tracks.

Thrice

Thrice played their first show since February 2020 the same day they’d release their 11th studio album, Horizons/East (Epitaph). To a crowd of fans that came to hear their favorite songs, though, the Irvine, California band knew better than to play a lot of the new record, instead favoring tracks like The Artist in the Ambulance’s spritely title cut and Vheissu standout “The Earth Will Shake”. Yeah, they led with a Horizons/East song making its live debut, the dreamy, almost Deftones-esque “Scavengers”, and later in the set they’d reveal the impassioned “Summer Set Fire to the Rain”. But the set more prominently served to emphasize lead vocalist Dustin Kensrue’s gruff delivery, on “All the World Is Mad” and “in Exile”, the rhythm section’s propulsive playing buoying his fervency. And how about Teppei Teranishi’s finger tapping on “Black Honey”?!? Thrice often favor the slow build-up, but they offered plenty of individually awesome moments.

Smashing Pumpkins

William Patrick Corgan entered the stage to dramatic strings, dressed in a robe, with white face paint except for red hearts under his eyes. He looked like a ghost. That’s pretty much where the semi-serious theatricality ended. The Smashing Pumpkins’ first Chicago festival headlining set in recent memory was the rawest they’ve sounded in a while, counting when they played an original lineup-only set at the United Center a few years back. It was also the most fun I’ve ever seen Corgan have on stage. Though they certainly selected and debuted from their latest electropop turn Cyr, Corgan, guitarist James Iha, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, guitarist Jeff Schroeder, and company more notably dug deep into the vault, playing Gish’s “Crush” for the first time since 2008, Adore’s “Shame” for the first time since 2010, and Siamese Dream barnburner “Quiet” for the first time since 1994 (!). Best, every leftfield disco jam like set opener “The Colour Of Love”, “Cyr”, and “Ramona” was quickly followed by something heavy and/or recognizable, Chamberlin’s limber drum solos elevating even latter-day material like “Solara”. At one point, Corgan, a self-described “arty fuck,” admitted that years ago he would have opted for more experimental material, but he knew the crowd wanted to hear classics, the band then delving into a gorgeous acoustic version of “Tonight, Tonight”. And while Kate Bush coverer Meg Myers came out to sing Lost Highway soundtrack industrial ditty “Eye”, it was none other than legendary local shredder Michael Angelo Batio who stole the show, joining for the set closer, a pummeling version of Zeitgeist highlight “United States”. Leaning into the cheese looks good on you, Billy.

The Bronx

Credit to L.A. punk rock band The Bronx, playing early on a decidedly cooler Saturday early afternoon, for making me put in my earplugs outside of the photo pit. Dedicating “Shitty Future” to Fucked Up (who, as we mentioned, had to drop out), the entire band channeled Damian Abraham’s energy on piercing versions of “Heart Attack American” as well as “Superbloom” and “Curb Feelers” from their latest album Bronx VI (Cooking Vinyl). Joby J. Ford and Ken Horne’s guitars stood out, providing choppy rhythms on “Knifeman” and swirling solos on “Six Days A Week”.

Big Freedia

The New Orleans bounce artist has Big Diva Energy, for the most part. After her DJ pumped up the crowd to contemporary Southern rap staple “Ayy Ladies” by Travis Porter, Big Freedia walked out and showed that “BDE”, firing through singles like “Platinum” and “N.O. Bounce” as her on-stage dancers’ moves ranged from delicate to earth-shaking. At this point, Freedia can pretty much do whatever she wants, effortlessly segueing between a cover of Drake’s “Nice For What” to “Strut”, her single with electropop DJ Elohim, to a cover of Beyone’s “Formation”. Of course, the set highlight was when she had volunteers from the crowd come up and shake and twerk--two at a time to keep it COVID-safe--all while egging them on to go harder. Towards the end of the set, after performing the milquetoast “Goin’ Looney” from the even-worse-than-expected Space Jam: A New Legacy soundtrack, she pulled out the beloved “Gin in my System”. “I got that gin in my system,” she sang, the crowd singing back, “Somebody gonna be my victim,” a refrain that compositionally not only leaves plenty of room for the thundering bass but is thematically a statement of total power--over sexism, racism, the patriarchy--even in the face of control-altering substances.

Les Savy Fav

During Les Savy Fav’s set, lead singer Tim Harrington at various points--*big breath*--went into the crowd, deepthroated an audience member’s mohawk spike, found a discarded manikin head with a wig on it, revealed the words “deep” and “dish” painted on his thighs and a drawing of a Red Hot on his back, rode a crowd member like a horse, made a headband out of pink tape, donned ski goggles, surfed on top of a door carried by the crowd, squeezed his belly while the camera was on it to make it look like his belly button was singing, and referred to himself as a “slippery eel.” Indeed, the legend of Les Savy Fav’s live show starts and ends with Harrington’s ridiculous antics, as he’s all but out of breath when actually singing dance-punk classics like “Hold On To Your Genre”, “The Sweat Descends”, and “Rome (Written Upside Down)”. We haven’t heard much in terms of new music from Les Savy Fav in over 10 years--their most recent album was 2010′s Root For Ruin--but I could see them and the extremely Aughts genre in general become staples of Riot Fest as albums like Inches, The Rapture’s Echoes, and !!!’s Louden Up Now reach the 20-year mark. Dynamic vocalists, tight bands, and killer grooves: What’s not to love?

State Champs

This set likely wins the award for “most immediate crowd surfers,” which I guess is to be expected when you begin your set with a classic track 1--album 1 combination. “Elevated” is the State Champs number that will cause passers-by to stop and watch a couple songs, the type of song that can pretty much only open or close a set. And because they opened with it, the crowd immediately ramped up the energy. It’s been three years since the last State Champs full-length, Living Proof, so they were in prime position to play some new songs. As such, they performed their bubblegummy “Outta My Head” and “Just Sound” and faithfully covered Fall Out Boy’s “Chicago Is So Two Years Ago” (releasing a studio version earlier this week). But the tracks from The Finer Things and Around the World and Back were, as usual, the highlights, like “All You Are Is History”, “Remedy”, “Slow Burn”, and set closer “Secrets”. At the end of the day, it didn’t entirely matter: The crowd knew every word of every song.

Bayside

Putting State Champs and Bayside back-to-back on the same stage made an easy decision for the many pop-punk bands at Riot Fest. Bayside’s been at it for twice as long, so the breadth of their setlist across their discography is more variable. Moreover, they’ve thrice revisited their discography with acoustic albums of old songs, so even their staples are subject to change. They provided solid versions of Killing Time standouts “Already Gone” and “Sick, Sick, Sick”, Cult’s “Pigsty”, and older songs like their self-titled’s “Montauk” and Sirens and Condolences’ “Masterpiece”. For “Don’t Call Me Peanut”, though, they brought out--*gasp*--an acoustic guitar! It was a rare moment not just for one of the most popular pop punk sets but the festival in general, a breather before Vacancy shout-along “Mary”.

Rancid

“Rancid has always been anti-fascist and anti-racist,” said Tim Armstrong before the band played “Hooligans”. It was nice to hear an explicit declaration of solidarity from the street punks, reminding the crowd what really matters and why we come together to scream and mosh. The band expectedly favored ...And Out Come The Wolves, playing almost half of it, and they perfectly balanced their harder edges with more celebratory ska songs like “Where I’m Going” from their most recent album Trouble Maker (Hellcat/Epitaph). My two favorite moments? The breezy, keyboard-laden “Fall Back Down” from their supremely underrated 2001 album Indestructable, and when they asked the crowd whether they wanted the set to end with “Time Bomb” or “Ruby Soho”. “We have 4 minutes left, and it’s disrespectful to play over your set time,” said Armstrong. It’s easy to see why Rancid continues to make an impression--instrumental and moral--on touring bands new and old.

Run the Jewels

The brilliant hip hop duo are masters of balancing social consciousness with the desire to fuck shit up for fun. Live, the former tends to come in between-song banter, the latter with their actual charismatic, tit-for-tat performances of the songs. However, Run the Jewels also are probably the clearest live performers in hip hop today, Killer Mike and El-P’s words, hypersexual and woke alike, ringing in the ears of audience members who don’t even know the songs. (Looking around, I could see people smiling and laughing at every dick joke, nodding at each righteous proclamation.) Some of the best songs on their most recent album RTJ4 (Jewel Runners/BMG) are perfect for these multitudes. Hearing both RTJ MCs and the backing track of Pharrell Williams and Zack de la Rocha chanting “Look at all these slave masters posin’ on yo’ dollar” on “JU$T” as the rowdy crowd bounced up and down was the ultimate festival moment. For those who had never seen RTJ, it was clear from the get-go, as Killer Mike and EL-P traded bars on “yankee and the brave (ep. 4)” that they’re a unique hip hop act. For the rest of us, it was clear that Run the Jewels keep getting better.

The Gories

It felt a little weird that legendary Detroit trio The Gories were given the first set of the final day--I’d have thought they’d have more draw than that. No matter what, they provided one of the more satisfying and stylistically varied sets of the festival, showcasing their trademark balance of garage punk and blues. Mick Collins and Dan Kroha’s guitar and vocal harmonies were the perfect jangly balance to Peggy O’Neill’s meat and potatoes drumming on “Sister Ann” and “Charm Bag”, while folks less familiar with The Gories were treated to their fantastic covers of Suicide’s “Ghost Rider” and The Keggs’ “To Find Out”. Smells like time for the first Gories album in 20 years!

FACS

I thought it would be ill-fitting to watch a band like FACS in the hot sun, early in the day. Their monochrome brand of post-punk seems better suited for a dimly lit club. But the hypnotic nature of Brian Case’s swirling guitar and Alianna Kalaba’s slinky bass was oddly perfect in a sweltering, faint-inducing heat. Just when you thought you might fade, squalls of feedback and Noah Leger’s odd time signatures picked you back up. Songs from their new album Present Tense (Trouble In Mind) such as “Strawberry Cough” and “XOUT” were emblematic of this push-pull. And everything from the band’s red, white, and black color palate to their lack of stage banter suggested a cool minimalism that was rare at a festival that tends to book more outwardly emotional bands.

Alex G

On one hand, Alex G’s unique combination of twangy alt country and earnest indie rock makes him an outlier at Riot Fest, or at the very least a mostly Pitchfork/occasional Riot Fest type of booking. On the other hand, like a lot of bands at the festival, he has a rabid fanbase, one that knows his back catalog hits, like “Kute”, “Kicker”, and “Bug”, as much as if not more than hyped Rocket and House of Sugar singles, like “Bobby” and “Gretel”. Backed by a band that knows when to be loose and when to tighten up--and the instrumental chops to do so--Alex G was better than he was a Pitchfork three years ago. He still sings through his teeth, making it especially hard to hear him on louder tunes such as “Brick”. But when the honesty of his vocals combines with the dreamy guitars of “Southern Sky” and circular melodies of “Near”, it’s pure bliss. 

HEALTH

The formula for the LA industrial noise band has pretty much always been Jake Duzsik’s soft vocals contrasting John Famiglietti’s screeching bass and pedals and BJ Miller’s mammoth drums. Both in 2018 and Sunday at Riot Fest, the heat affected Famiglietti’s pedals, which were nonetheless obscured by tarp. Or so HEALTH claimed: You wouldn’t know the difference given how much their sound envelops your whole body during one of their live sets. Since their previous appearance at the festival, the prolific band has released two new records on Loma Vista, Vol. 4: Slaves of Fear and collaboration record Disco4: Part 1. Songs from those records occupied half of their excellent set, including battering opener “GOD BOTHERER”, “BODY/PRISON”, and “THE MESSAGE”. It was so wonderfully loud it drowned out K.Flay’s sound check drummer, thank the lord.

Thursday

Last time Thursday played Riot Fest, Geoff Rickly was battling heroin addiction, something he talked about during the band’s triumphant late afternoon set on Sunday. He mentioned the kindness of the late, great Riley Gale of Power Trip in extending a helping hand when he was down and extended his love to anybody in the crowd or even the world at large going through something similar. To say that this set was life-affirming would be an understatement; after 636 days of no shows, Rickly was at his most passionate. He introduced “Signals Over The Air” as a song the band “wrote about men beating up on women in the pit,” that a record exec at the time told them that it wouldn’t age well because he thought--no kidding--sexism would eventually end. Rickly’s voice, suffering from sound issues last time around, simply soared during Full Collapse’s “Cross Out The Eyes”, No Devolucion’s “Fast to the End”, and two inspired covers: Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” and Texas Is The Reason’s “If It's Here When We Get Back It's Ours”. The latter the band played because TITR guitarist Norman Brannon’s actually on tour with them, though Rickly emphasized the influence the NYC post-hardcore greats had on Thursday when they first started. Never forgetting where they’ve come from, with self-deprecating humor and radical empathy, Thursday are once again a force.

Devo

Much like the B-52′s in 2019, Devo was the set this year of a 70′s/80′s absurd punk band with some radio hits that everybody knows but with a swath of die-hard fans, too. It’s safe to say both groups were satisfied. You walked around the fest all day wondering whether the folks wearing Devo hats were actual fans or doing it for the novelty. By the time the band actually took the stage after a career-spanning video of their many phases, it didn’t really matter, because it was clear the band still had it, Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale’s vocals booming throughout a massive crowd. They ripped through “Peek-a-Boo”, “Going Under”, “That’s Good”, “Girl U Want”, and “Whip It”, which caused the fans waiting for Slipknot (and presumably some Devo heads) to form a circle pit. And that was all before the first costume change. Mark passed out hats to the crowd, fully embracing converts who might have only known “Whip It”. The feverish chants of “Uncontrollable Urge” and synth freakouts of “Jocko Homo” whipped everyone into a frenzy. And the band performed the “Freedom Of Choice” theme song for the first time since the early 80′s! I had seen Devo before, opening for Arcade Fire and Dan Deacon at the United Center, but the atmosphere at Riot Fest was more appropriately ludicrous.

Flaming Lips

“The Flaming Lips are the most COVID-safe band in the world,” went the ongoing joke, as throughout the pandemic they’d give audience members bubbles for their bubbles to be able to play shows. The normally goofy and interactive band scaled back for Riot Fest. Before launching into their traditional opener “Race For The Prize”, Wayne Coyne explained that while the band is normally proud of where they come from--Oklahoma City--they’re saddened by the local government’s ignorant pandemic response and wouldn’t risk launching balloons or walking into the crowd because they might be virus spreaders coming from such an under-vaccinated area. To his and the band’s credit, they wore masks during the performance, even when singing; Coyne removed his only when outside of his bubble that had to be deflated and inflated many times and that sometimes muffled his singing voice even more than a mask. Ever the innovative band, they still put on a stellar show. Coyne autotuned his voice on “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1″, making it another instrument filling the song’s glorious pop melodies. Less heavy on props, the band favored a glitchy, psychedelic setlist that alternated between beauty (”Flowers Of Neptune 6″, “Feeling Yourself Disintegrate”, “All We Have Is Now”) and two-drummed cacophony (“Silver Trembling Hands”, “The W.A.N.D.”). They’ll give a proper Lips show soon enough, but in the meantime, it was nice to see them not run through the motions.

Slipknot

Apart from maybe moments of Slayer, I’ve never witnessed a headliner at Riot Fest as heavy as Slipknot was. Even the minor ethereal elements present on their most recent and very good album We Are Not Your Kind, like the chorus of voices during “Unsainted”, were all but abandoned live in favor of straight up brutality. Sure, there were moments of theatricality--Corey Taylor’s menacing laugh on “Disasterpiece” and pyrotechnics in sequence with the instrumentation on “Before I Forget” and “All Out Life”--but for the most part, Slipknot was the ultimate exorcism. Taylor’s new mask, with unnaturally circular eyes, seemed like it came from a particularly uncomfortable skit from I Think You Should Leave. They bashed a baseball bat to a barrel during the pre-encore performance of “Duality”. And the songs played from tape, like the gasping-for-breath “(515)”, were designed to contrast Slipknot’s alien appearance with qualities that were uncannily human. For a band whose performances and instrumental dexterity are otherworldly--who else can pull off tempo changes over a hissing, Aphex Twin-like shuffling electronic beat on “Eyeless”--the pure seething emotion on songs like “Psychosocial” and “Wait and Bleed” shone through. Like Smashing Pumpkins, and like so many other successful Riot Fest headliners, Slipknot abandoned drama for pure, unadulterated dirt.