Riot Fest Chicago 2016: Highlights and Photos

Guess who’s back? Back again? It’s September. Of course that means AntiQuiet was back in Chicago to tear it up with the who’s who of the punk rock world once again. The 10th anniversary lineup lured us in two years ago. Last year (after being chased out of Humboldt Park with proverbial pitchforks) the location changed but the lineup may even have grown more monumental in stature. So in many ways this uniquely ambitious festival has become an annual pilgrimage, the lineup being too delectable to snub time and again. Riot Fest. The nexus of live punk rock. Home to an arcane genre replete with a rabid fanbase which continues on year-after-year with unwavering support despite an industry which moves further and further away from the core tenets it collectively espoused. We love Riot Fest. And what’s not to love? The 2016 incarnation of this celebration brought with it a smörgåsbord of our favorite acts as well as a rare festival set by sanctimonious crooner Morrissey and the coveted return of The Original Misfits following a 33-year absence. Would a deluge ravage the festival grounds for a third straight year? Would Morrissey bother to show up? Would GWAR summon Ktulu to devour us all? Would Glenn