Hometown heroes Fall Out Boy, The Offspring, The Marley Brothers, Cypress Hill rev up Riot Fest

Photos by Andy Argyrakis

The opening night of the alternative-minded Riot Fest would’ve been enough to pack Douglass Park on any given year, but it was surely bolstered by a spectacle-heavy homecoming for Illinois’ own Fall Out Boy.

Singer/guitarist Patrick Stump, fellow guitarist Joe Trohman, bassist Pete Wentz and drummer Andy Hurley are still flying high from the release of “So Much (For) Stardust,” though throughout 105 minutes, they also tore into at least a little bit from all eight of their official studio albums.

“Chicago Is So Two Years Ago” and “Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy” went all the way back to their suburban beginnings, while “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” (featuring Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath) and “Dance, Dance” turned the corner toward Fall Out Boy’s breakthrough.

Pop/punk powerhouses such as “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs,” “I Don’t Care” and “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up),” accompanied by flying fireballs, further propelled the momentum and had practically every fist pumping in the air.

The same could be said about The Offspring, who maintained a Riot Fest tradition of performing a complete classic collection, which is this case was the more than six-times platinum “Smash.”

“Gotta Get Away,” “Come Out And Play” and “Self Esteem” were a few of many major moments that played a significant role in bringing punk to the mainstream and still sound ageless exactly thirty years later.

On the reggae side of the coin, The Marley Brothers (Stephen, Ziggy, Julian, Ky-Mani and Damian) made sure the legacy of their father Bob Marley was upheld with the utmost reverence and accuracy, leading spirited sing-a-longs of “Get Up, Stand Up,” “I Shot The Sheriff,” “Three Little Birds” and “Is This Love.”

Rap rockers Cypress Hill brought a lengthy history and a longtime love for cannabis as they encouraged Riot Fest to “Roll It Up, Light It Up, Smoke It Up” on the way to getting absolutely “Insane In The Brain.”

Hip-hop collective Souls Of Mischief gave a shout-out to the groundbreaking debut, “93 ‘Til Infinity,” giving the audience of varying ages a chance to hear the original source that’s since been sampled by Kanye West, J. Cole and Joey Badass, amongst many others.

New Found Glory may have struck gold throughout the late 1990s and front half of the 2000s, but managed to stay together and “Make The Most Of It,” while maintaining all of its contagious energy and enthusiasm.

However, the OG award of the afternoon may very well belong to Suicidal Tendencies, who’ve been in business since 1980, yet continue to be on the cutting edge of thrash metal and were “Still Cyco Punk After All These Years,” especially according to the sea of head bangers who seemed ecstatic another Riot Fest was officially up and running.

Riot Fest continues at Douglass Park through Sunday, September 22. For additional details, visit RiotFest.org.