Day three of Riot Fest brought the heat. With it being the closing shows, artists and fans went all out. There were dark rain clouds in the sky, but that didn’t stop the liveliness. The rain may have even made fans more animated. All day, fans were excitedly going to show after show in anticipation of the closing act of the weekend. 

GEL: 

Hardcore, new-generation band GEL came on stage ready to go. The band consisted of lead singer Sami Kaiser, bassist Matthew Bobko, guitarist Madison Nave, and drummer Alex Salter.

Kaiser brought the power with her guttural, traditionally hardcore metal screams, and Nave was head-banging while intensely playing her guitar. They were on stage having so much fun, as were the fans.

It was a moment of no expectation, no judgment, and a lot of fun. Within seconds of their arrival, a large crowd surrounded the stage, and a mosh pit ensued.

Even during breaks, when there was no music playing, the mosh pits continued. Fans were covered in mud, but nobody seemed to mind the mess. 

Mastodon: 

With dark clouds looming over the sky, fans packed the crowd shoulder to shoulder in anticipation of Mastodon’s album play set. The set featured their 2004 album Leviathan. It is noted that a Leviathan is a sea serpent demon known in mythology and theology that is often known as the embodiment of chaos, and the album itself is based on the novel Moby Dick.

The band started their show by playing a clip from the film Moby Dick and immediately began to rock out. They started from the top of their album with “Blood and Thunder.” Fans in the audience knew each song’s beat, word and inflection.

The members of the band take their musical craft very seriously. From lead singer Troy Sanders’s growling and booming voice to Brent Hinds’s guitar skills, the band could clearly feel their music in their souls.

The background screen was filled with horrifying imagery of mythical creatures and unsettling images, including the Kraken, killer whales, sharks, black holes with teeth, and of course, sea serpents. They created a storied performance that was enthralling.

The band teased the crowd with long outros and stalling guitar riffs, and the fans loved it. Their song “Megoladon,” about halfway through, was mostly instrumental, with deep-toned vocals seeping in and out of the song. Transitions from song to song were smooth, and the whole set was incredibly immersive.

This was a perfect lead-in to a closing night at Riot Fest. 

GWAR: 

From the minute the music started playing to the minute it stopped, fans were cheering, excited, and very rowdy. GWAR is known for its grotesque costumes, theatrical performances, and over-the-top gory, violent, and sexual satirical humor. Their performance revolves around a very elaborate science-fiction theme that included the band dressed up as barbaric warriors with their skin ripped apart and their insides hanging outside of their bodies.

Their show included actors who came out in elaborate costumes, and the band was able to skin them alive, pull apart their bodies, and spew blood all over the crowd. They started their performance off by chopping the head off a supposed radio personality and spraying the audience with blood for the full first song.

The band is known for spraying the audience with things like blood, semen, and urine, and that they did. They did not disappoint the people looking for this cult classic theater show.

This performance was centered around the theatrical show that they put on with various costumes and actors and almost appeared to be less so about the music. With that being said, the fans went berserk when band member Grodius Maximus went into the crowd for his guitar solo. 

After all that, the band finished their set a few minutes early. During this performance, it became clear that the hardcore metal fans come on Sunday, the final day of Riot Fest. 

Lamb of God: 

Lamb of God, the iconic metal band led by frontman Randy Blythe, took the stage with eerie breathing and shooting noises playing on stage. The first thing they did upon arriving in front of the crowd was address the audience by gutturally screaming, “WHAT THE FUCK IS UP, RIOT FEST.”

Their opening song was “Laid to Rest,” off their 20th anniversary 2004 album Ashes of the Wake. This opening song was exhilarating. The mosh pit was rambunctious and beastly.

Accompanied by smoke effects, blazing lights, and fire Blythe barked at the audience, “Let’s get this fucking party started.” The audience could not get enough of this traditional heavy metal performance. The whole set felt like it was taken in one breath. The band kept going with little to no breaks, and when there was a break, the words that were said were spoken in the same energetic caliber as the songs were sung.

The stamina was maintained throughout the whole show. Not the audience nor the performers appear tired after all their thrashing around. Adrenaline was up and never faltered. A few minutes in, the band played the song “Now You’ve Got Something to Die For” off the album Ashes of the Wake.

The frontman is a hardhead with a heart of gold. He talked to the crowd about how, before coming on stage, he was introduced to a fan of his with stage four cancer, and he had the entire crowd shout “Fuck Cancer” in solidarity. He then dedicated the next few songs to that fan. He also emphasized that metal is about community. He said, “We are here for the community and to take care of one another.”

Though his songs incorporate that blood-curdling and demonic death metal scream, the value he puts on the music he makes is exceptionally kind. They finished the set off with “Redneck” off their 2006 hit album Sacrament which got the fans unruly for the rest of the night. 

Pennywise: 

Over at the NOFX stage, 90s punk band Pennywise joined the crowd on stage a few minutes late due to some technical difficulties. They started their set with “Every Single Day,” a song off their 1995 album About Time. Everyone in attendance was elated to be there and dedicated fans. They knew every word to every song and went hard the entire time.

The band then played “Date with Destiny,” which frontman Fletcher Dragge noted that the song was very technically hard to play, and he ended the song with satire panting as he had exerted himself with his concentration.

The band, throughout their whole set, was a lot of fun and very personable. The band and the crowd were having a great time, but they were slightly overshadowed by Rob Zombie, who was playing on the next stage over.

Speaking about punk, Dragge expressed his admiration for the genre by saying, “It’s about doing what you gotta do.” He also talked a bit about the election year and explained his stance in the most punk rock way. He said, “It doesn’t fucking matter. Both sides are fucked. Don’t let them control you.” That sentiment sums up a lot of what Riot Fest is about. The anti-establishment and anarchic ideologies shined throughout the weekend.

They followed that with the song “Fuck Authority,” which got the crowd uproarious. The band encourages the crowd to get even louder and more rowdy throughout the songs. About moshing, Dragge said, “It’s designed to get your aggressions out. It’s a safe sport. Dance with your best friend or your neighbor.”

A lot of these togetherness ideologies were seen throughout the entire weekend. The community is such a huge part of festivals and concerts like these. The crowd was instantly energized, and it just felt elated.

About halfway through their set, the band gave a big shoutout to NOFX, who would be performing their final show in just an hour. They even had the frontman of NOFX, Fat Mike, come out and reminisce on the fact that the two bands had been collaborating since 1990. Back in the 90s, the two bands had done a cover of a Bad Religion song, and they sang it again during this show. It was a very special moment for everyone involved.

The band also played a song by Black Flag, who, according to Dragge, is a band that greatly influenced Pennywise. They played “gimme gimme gimme,” and the crowd was so excited. They also played their songs “Pennywise” and “Bro Hymn,” which the band promised to play before leaving the stage. The band even took song requests from the audience but, in punk fashion, ended up playing a different song than what was suggested.

The band was truly just going with the flow with no rhyme or reason, and it created a fun atmosphere. They even played “Stand By Me,” a song by Ben E. King. It was a sing-a-long, partly because it was a special moment and partly because Dragge was getting tired.

Being over at the NOFX stage fosters rowdy and chaotic behavior because the area feels so removed from the rest of the festival. Pennywise brought a palpable energy. It was laid back and relaxed and a lot of fun for everyone near and far from the stage. 

Slayer: 

The moment everyone has been waiting for all weekend: Slayer’s reunion show. This was Slayer’s first show since the announcement of their farewell tour in 2019.

Weekend headliner Slayer took the stage at 8:15 p.m. and played until it was time to go home at 10:00 p.m. The crowd for this performance started forming around 5 p.m., hours before they were set to go on. All day, everywhere you looked, fans were dressed up Slayer shirts in anticipation of the show. Fans near and far made their way to the festival just for vocalist and frontman Tom Araya, guitarists Kerry King and Gary Holt, and drummer Paul Bostaph.

This was, by far, the biggest crowd of the weekend. It went back further than imaginable, and the crowd was packed shoulder to shoulder, and no one was budging. The minute that the band before Slayer stopped playing, the entire crowd started screaming and chanting for Slayer. The audience was filled with the original and older generation of Slayer fans, but it was also filled with the younger and newer generation of fans.

The only time that it was truly raining during the whole day was during this show. It added to the anticipation and ambiance of the show. Fans kept saying “Slayer in the fucking rain” in awe, nostalgia, and excitement for the show ahead.

The set started with a video montage of the band’s history. It included clips with interviews and older performances. The crowd was practically panting and wagging their tails for the members to walk on stage. The video went into depth on the themes of horror and anarchism that they are known for. The band is also known for their rowdy and intense fans, who were definitely in attendance tonight and did not disappoint.

It is also of note that Slayer is one of the “big four” thrash metal bands of their time. Their lyrical themes having to do with destruction, serial killers, terrorism, crime, and anti-establishment of all calibers have come with album bans, lawsuits, criticism, and so much more. For fans, however, this is their church. This is their religion. This is their lifestyle.

Fans traveled near and far to see Slayer. Many of the die-hard fans in the audience never thought they would get the chance to see them again. Araya noted that “this kind of music has a lot of integrity.”

As fans were standing around, sweat dripping down, the music began to play, and four crosses appeared on stage. The anticipation of the arrival of the band wasn’t just palpable; it was something more. It was an increasingly intense feeling.

The crosses flipped upside down, and the veil dropped, revealing Slayer and “South of Heaven” from their 1988 album South of Heaven album began to boom through the crowd. Mosh pits began to break out everywhere, and no matter what age, everyone was having an incredible time.

They then went on to play “Reborn,” a song off their album Reign In Blood (1986). This song has not been played live since 2014, and the crowd went maniac with excitement. The level of difficulty it takes to play the songs that they do is not unnoticed. These are four incredibly skilled and talented artists in their craft.

The production was subtle, with lights and smoke and pyrotechnics, but it was not over the top, and it did not distract from the music itself. There was not a lot going on on stage besides the music, but it was Slayer. They don’t need all the gimmicks.

Araya finally spoke to the audience about five or six songs in. He talked about how things come to you when you least expect it, alluding to this very performance. He played into the next song by saying, “Payback is a bitch” and “Payback” off their 2001 album God Hates Us All played.

This set was a Slayer time capsule and a trip down Slayer memory lane to the highest caliber. They played songs from most of their 12 albums. They didn’t speak much throughout the performance, but the music truly needed no words.

One of the few times that the band stopped playing to speak, Araya said, “Did you miss us?” and the crowd cheered endlessly. Then he said, “Honestly, I missed you guys too.” From the moment they got on stage, it was clear how excited they were to be there. It was a moment of pure emotion for everyone.

Song after song after song, the band was going so fast that, at times, the audience could not keep up. The words were sung so quickly, but the audience was adoring it. They ended the night with their songs “Black Magic” and “Angel of Death.”

This was just a beautiful and monumental moment. They blew the roof off of the entire weekend of Riot Fest and closed it in an extraordinary way. 

Slayer Setlist

1. “South of Heaven”
2. “Reborn”
3. “Blood Red”
4. “Postmortem”
5. “Repentless”
6. “Payback”
7. “Temptation”
8. “Jihad”
9. “Seasons in the Abyss”
10. “Born of Fire”
11. “War Ensemble”
12. “Hate Worldwide”
13. “Disciple”
14. “Dead Skin Mask”
15. “Hell Awaits”
16. “213”
17. “Mandatory Suicide”
18. “Raining Blood”
19. “Black Magic”
20. “Angel of Death”

Photo Credit: Boston Lynn Schulz