The gates to Douglass Park swung open for the return of Riot Fest, which would’ve been a grand enough occasion on its own, but is actually in the even more significant midst of celebrating its 20th anniversary.

Though the Midwest Mecca is always known for bringing the best in all aspects of alternative music and culture, there seemed to be extra attention to curating a line-up like no other.

Co-headliners The Pogues were one such example, who might not have had as gigantic of an audience as pop/punk hitmakers Blink-182, yet nonetheless made history of their own by reuniting and revisiting America for the first time in 13 years.

Granted, a lot has changed for the Celtic meets folk punk legends, especially when it came to prematurely losing front man Shane MacGowan, but tin whistle player Spider Stacy ably stepped up to the microphone before in his temporary absence and did it again out of necessity.

Alongside fellow multi-instrumentalist original members James Fearnley and Jem Finer, plus recent recruits and guests who lovingly lent their vocals as well, The Pogues pounded through the entire landmark album, “Rum Sodomy & The Lash,” in honor of its 40th birthday.

That meant “A Pair Of Brown Eyes,” “Dirty Old Town” and “Sally MacLennane,” in addition to several surrounding staples as the celebratory vibes and symbolic toasts to MacGowan continued to flow.

The king of parody, “Weird Al” Yankovic, ranked right up there as he brought a “Bigger & Weirder” extravaganza than arguably ever before, accompanied by countless costume changes to tap into the spirits of his subjects.

Whether it was “Smells Like Nirvana,” the Michael Jackson-framed “Fat” or “Amish Paradise” as a tongue-in-cheek tribute to late Riot Fest alumnus Coolio, the veteran comic crossed genres and generations thanks to a comedic approach like no other.

Chicago’s own Alkaline Trio also cued up a classic album, “Maybe I’ll Catch Fire,” in its entirety, which believe it or not, just turned 25, but was presented with such a punk rock punch, it could’ve passed for a current collection.

Artful synth-pop duo Sparks, comprised of singer/keyboardist brothers Russell and Ron Mael, dipped back quite a bit further to offer a delightfully quirky overview spanning the early 1970s to the brand new “Mad!,” still coming across futuristic at every unconventional corner.

Solo artist and frequent collaborator Rico Nasty demonstrated she’s just as much of a rapper as rock star while officially unleashing the “Lethal” era, emoting confidence, charisma and the ability to make a massive afternoon crowd go crazy.

Before members went on to form Cracker, join Counting Crows or play with Monks Of Doom, Camper Van Beethoven was their primary vehicle to land on indie/college rock radio, especially when it came to “Take The Skinheads Bowling,” which was resurrected during a half-hour’s worth of welcome irreverence prior to Riot Fest officially rolling into the weekend.

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Click here for more photos of Riot Fest at Douglass Park.

Riot Fest continues at Douglass Park through Sunday, September 21. For additional details, visit RiotFest.org.