LIVE REVIEW: INNERVIEW DOES RIOT FEST, DAY THREE

Sunday is always the day where the true fans show themselves. You’ve been sandwiched inside a sweaty squadron of humanity for two straight days, and the last day is staring right at you. But Riot Fest packed more than enough punch to get tired fans out in droves. That Dog kept the ‘90s alive with a throwback set that titillated a smattering of hardcore fans, while Mighty Mighty Bosstones won the award for most stylish stage attire as they blasted through 1997 classic Let’s Face It in its entirety. Cap’n Jazz provided one of the most surprisingly energetic sets of the fest, with Tim Kinsella crowd surfing shirtless and clearly having a helluva time on stage. Built to Spill kept the vibe mellow with a laid-back rendering of 1999’s Keep It Like a Secret, while Best Coast donned some heartfelt guitar jammers that paired perfectly with corndogs and lemonade (i.e. “recovery food”). TV On The Radio guided their crowd to sways and screams via songs like the powerful “Province” and glorious set closer “Staring At The Sun”. M.I.A. is always an artist to count on to generate some jaunty dancing, and of course this is what happened as Maya Arulpragasam let her politics largely take a back seat as the white-coated rapper clearly came to party. GWAR ushered in a bit of comedy and shreddage that was much needed, while Andrew W.K. once again unmistakably demonstrated that he is still into rocking and partying. Jawbreaker’s festival closing reunion felt emotional, resonate and about damn time. The crew picked up right where they left off, kicking off with set opener “Boxcar” and steering the crowd through a batch of old favorites that had fans losing their minds in appreciation. “Honored is a word used by a lot of twits out there,” they told the crowd. “But it’s what we feel”. Clearly, the feeling was mutual. BY JIMBY SISTO & JAY GENTILE–PHOTO BY TIMOTHY HIATT
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