EVENT REVIEW: Riot Fest 2014 at Downsview Park September 6 & 7 by Amrit Sandhu

Over two days with 55 artists and bands scheduled and a whole lot of people battling the elements on the first weekend of September, Riot Fest came back with a vengeance  for a third time after only becoming a festival two years ago. Brought to you by The Union at Downsview Park, Riot Fest just was simply fantastic. Covering over four different stages: The Riot Stage, The Rebel Stage, The Roots Stage and The Rock Stage, Riot Fest was massive. Running from September 6 and the 7 in Toronto, people young and old came out in full force to have the time of their lives. Pair with the rain from the day before the grounds were caked in mud but that did not stop people from coming and rocking out to some amazing performances. On top of all this the police and EMT’s were loving the music and even sang louder than some of the audience themselves. All of this combined created one of the best atmosphere’s I have ever been in.

Day 1
I arrived at the gate just as Glassjaw were finishing up their set (I’m sad I missed their set) but New Found Glory were playing and I had a wicked time during their set. Even the lead singer went into the crowd and sang along with their fans. Alkaline Trio were up next and my heart started to sing, I knew soon after AWOLNATION would be playing and therefore enjoyed my time till then.

I made my way over onto The Roots stage where AWOLNATIONwould be playing and they did not disappoint. They kicked things off Not Your Fault and the crowd was loving it. During this song the lead singer, Aaron Bruno, let the crowd sing the chorus which was beautiful. I saw people dancing, singing at the top of their lungs, crowd surfing and loving every moment. They continued the momentum with Kill Your Heroes and followed with All I Need which mellowed out the crowd and got everyone on their feet. Again, the crowd was asked to sing the chorus, and it turned into a beautiful harmony. They ended their set with Sail, which brought in new life into the whole crowd. At this point event some EMT’s were signing as well as the vendors. I’ve never seen AWOLNATION before and they blew me right off my feet. This set definitely was a highlight of mine from the whole weekend at Riot Fest.

Now, Riot Fest, as with all other major festival usually books artists that overlap with each other. I knew I wanted to see AWOLNATION, Brand New, Rise Against and Death From Above 1979, the problem was that they each had one hour sets in between a 3 hour time period at the different stages. Trying to run to see all your favourite bands was hard but somehow I got it done. So festivals take note: If there are main headliners that you know people are going to see, please make sure that there is nothing else going on so we can enjoy the music. As Rise Against finished their set I headed over to Death from Above 1979.

As I made my way over, I heard Death from Above 1979’s new track Trainwreck 1979 being played and caught it in the nick of time. I did not know this at the time, but during each of their songs, the  members from DOA 1979 would talk to each other and would give the crowd updates to what they have been up to, including about where they’ve been (the bassist, Jesse F. Keeler,  started a little side project you may know them as MSTRKRFT during the hiatus). I found this normal to expect from DOA 1979, since they can be quite comical. They haven’t played a big festival in awhile and recently came off of hiatus after not playing together for eight years. After a few minutes of talking, they would start to play a song and the crowd ate it up.

What caught my eye was the drummer and singer’s, Sebastien Grainger, white overalls, they stood out and demanded stage presence all on their own, which I loved.  They started playing a classic which got everyone riled up. Romantic Rights got the crowd cheering and dancing and the buzz was even higher than before. I was in heaven and wished I could’ve seen their full set. Their set was coming to a finish, I and many others did not want it to end. Their last song was Blood On Their Hands.I can’t wait for Death From Above 1979 to come back to Toronto! If this small set means anything, it means that we’re craving more DOA 1979. I left to go get some grub before The Cure came on and made sure I had a good spot.

I came back a bit earlier than expected and caught a bit of The Flaming Lips. All I can say is wow! I remember going to other music festivals but nothing compares to the visuals and costumes in this performance. I thought I was at a rave. I caught Do You Realize and saw dancing mushrooms, toadstools and a dancing rainbow with strobe lights. If every set was the Flaming Lips, I don’t think I would ever leave. It was one of the most amazing performances I saw at Riot Fest. Confetti was shot after every song and it looked as though the night was done but we still had The Cure and I left to find a good spot to see Mr. Robert Smith himself.

The Cure were phenomenal in all aspects. As soon as they hit the stage, it seemed all the parents, that were there with their kids, came together. I stood beside a 45 year old woman who said that she had missed The Cure when she was growing up, she was here to relive her teenage years, as her daughters joined her to take in The Cure. The Cure played Shake Dog Shake, Just Like Heaven, From The Edge of The Deep Green Sea, Pictures of You, Lullaby, Hot Hot Hot!, Love Song, Mint Car and their final song of the night was Friday I’m In Love. I could not imagine my eyes as I saw all my favourite songs being played live, I had to leave after Mint Car but my friend texted me as soon as they played Friday I’m In Love and I knew that their set was something magical. Before I left I had a chance to look around me and saw everyone being mesmerized by The Cure. It was one of those moments that I will cherish forever. Thank you to The Cure as I left with the biggest smile and my heart as big as the night sky above me, filled with love.

Fun Fact: Due to TIFF going on there were celebrities at Riot Fest. This included Shane West, Lindsey Lohan and many others that were wondering the grounds.

Day 2
Day 2 came around and I entered roughly at the time that Tokyo Police Club began their set. We ended up standing beside them in the media pit and we ended up talking to them, they were such nice guys. (Big Thank you to them for taking pictures with us). Sadly, Thurston Moore could not make it to Riot Fest in Toronto or Chicago due to visa problems, which switched the line up around but no one seemed to mind. After checking out Tokyo Police Club, Die Antwoord was on next and everyone would be in for a treat as a lot of people I had talked to did not who they were. For the fans of Die Antwoord that I met in the line up to get a personalized Coke can, they were there just to see the absolute mayhem that was Die Antwoord and boy were they excited.

Die Antwoord came out with a bang, literally. They started off with Fatty Boom Boom, moved on to Raging Zef Boner, Baby’s On Fire, I Fink You Freeky, Enter The Ninja, Cookie Thumper and finished with Happy So Sucky Fucky. They had one of the most high energy sets I have ever seen in my life, and the crowd loved it. People we dancing as though no one was watching, as though something got a hold of them and made them dance. Yo-Landi Vi$$er with the shrill voice got the crowd even more rowdy then it was and Ninja would incise the crowd further. It was one of those “Where am I” moments but I loved every moment and enjoyed just watching the dancers on stage as well as Die Antwoord’s stage presence. Die Antwoord also had clothing changes throughout their performance to fit with their songs, which I found to be brilliant. Leaving the stage, I was now more confused then I had at the beginning but I loved every moment, that energy is inescapable.

After Die Antwoord’s set I overheard someone say “that girl swears more than my grandma during a hockey game.” After sincerely laughing for a few moments I headed over to see Social Distortion, Death Cab for Cutie, National and finally Metric. Lucky for me each band was playing the stage right beside, alternating between the Riot and Roots  stages. When Metric took to the Roots Stage, it seemed everyone was waiting for Emily and the gang to show up. My ears were buzzing after hearing all the screams when Metric started their set. Youth Without Youth is how things kicked off and which lead to Help I’m Alive. The crowd was just so packed that you could not move an inch in any direction but it was well worth it. Everyone was singing and dancing along; Metric absolutely destroyed their set and I could not be happier about watching them live. Now I know what the hype was about, Metric you have stolen my heart. They continued to play hits including Synthetica, Clone, Sick Muse and Dead Disco. By the end of Dead Disco I decided to head home a little early due to school the next day, but what a way to end off a weekend. I heard a bit of Gold Guns Girls and Breathing Underwater and left knowing that my heart was completely satisfied and that I would want to relive this weekend over and over again.

I cannot wait for Riot Fest to come back, and I am counting down the days until next year and to see who will be on the bill. Less than 364 days and counting, until then I’ll continue to rave about this weekend. Thank you to the wonderful media tent and the people that made this weekend extremely special. Thank you EDM TOR and RIOT FEST for making this dream come true.

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Amrit Sandhu – EDM TOR