Violet Grohl kicks off a Riot Fest 2026 that sees 5 a.m. lines for headliners Twenty One Pilots
Riot Fest 2026 kicked off Friday in Chicago’s Douglass Park with a big cross-generational mix, featuring flagship bands of elder Gen X and younger groups beloved by Gen Z fighting for prime time spots.
Even for the independent festival, this year’s lineup offered an interesting assortment — which is saying something. This year, Riot Fest is the only place you’ll see Patti Smith and Insane Clown Posse in the same weekend. Friday’s lineup featured punk legend Iggy Pop up against the night’s ultimate headliners, Twenty One Pilots. The latter’s Skeleton Clique fans were seen lining up as early as 5 a.m., many of them admittedly first-timers to the annual end-of-summer fest.
Organizers of Riot Fest prepared for this, with a “first-timers guide” on its website, laying out the proverbial welcome mat for the newbies who were anticipated to make up a good portion of the estimated 50,000 attendees each day.
Riot Fest opened Friday in Douglass Park with some fans lining up at 5 a.m.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Organizers prepared for a crowd of first-time fest goers this year with a special guide on its website.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Elsewhere across Friday, some of the big draws were expected to be Violet Grohl (daughter of Riot Fest veteran Dave Grohl) who brings a well-informed mix of ‘90s alternative lore as well as the Sex Pistols, who could stage a reunion with original singer Johnny Rotten ahead of his band Public Image Ltd. appearing Saturday.
Planned, too, was a solid showing of Chicago punk elites on Day 1 with sets from Alkaline Trio and Rise Against. Another local highlight will be beloved WGN weatherman Tom Skilling coming out of retirement to deliver live forecasts both Friday and Saturday night, ahead of some predicted heavy storms and rainfall the rest of the weekend.
With weather a potential factor in weekend activities, Riot Fest organizers encouraged fans to download the official Riot Fest app for up-to-the-minute updates. A spokesperson said the festival had identified the nearby Cinespace as a safe zone if the festival needs to evacuate due to weather.
Read on for reviews of some of Friday’s standout sets.
VIOLET GROHL
It wouldn’t be shocking to find out that Grohl is a time traveler. At just 20 years old, the singer (and daughter of Dave Grohl) brought a total ‘90s mood board to Riot Fest, owning her place in a lineup that also features the Pixies and Alanis Morissette.
It was the same Thursday opening up for Sugar at Metro. With familiar thrifted vintage fashion, the era’s pencil-thin eyebrows hallmark and a well-informed musical palette that harks back to the days of Mazzy Star, PJ Harvey, the Breeders and Juliana Hatfield, Grohl’s recreation of the epoch is uncanny. And not just because of her famous last name. Her short 25-minute set was full of enough intrepid songwriting material from her debut album, “Be Sweet to Me,” to silence any nepo baby conversation.
At just 20 years old, Violet Grohl, who is the daughter of Dave Grohl, brought a total ‘90s mood board to Riot Fest.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
In particular, Grohl shone on the moody “Applefish” and through the sonic assaults of “Often Others” and the unreleased “Sun Is Blind.” The only reminders of her famous roots are her guitarist Salar Rajabnik, who is also a guitar tech for the Foo Fighters, and the way the young talent comes off like she’s still stuck in Foos backup singer mode with a demure stage presence. Give her some time though and Violet could be the Grohl the rock world starts talking about.
This story will be updated.