Riot Fest Day 2: The National, Social Distortion, Dropkick Murphys & More
The second day of Riot Fest was stacked to the brim with great bands from all different corners of the music universe. Despite Saturday containing some (highly anticipated) sets from Death From Above 1979, The Flaming Lips, and (most anticipated) The Cure, Sunday’s lineup was without a doubt the most well-rounded and front-to-back best of the weekend. Of course, that is subjective.
While Day 1 of Riot Fest gave many of us a throwback to our high school days with performances from Taking Back Sunday, Brand New, New Found Glory, and Alkaline Trio, Day 2 was a total mix of everything from influential bands of the past to the some of the best of today’s established and up and coming acts.
After a slow start to the day due to a lost wallet (yet a speedy and effective recovery thanks to my girlfriend and, yes, the TTC), I finally descended upon Downsview Park to take part in the festivities. The muddy areas that trapped all of us on Saturday due to rain were more navigable, but shoes and flip flops still fell victim to the slosh and suction that remained as a result of the torrential downpour that pelted the region the night before.
The Dropkick Murphys were certainly not the first band of the day to play, but they were for me. I regretted missing Lucero, but these things happen. What more could you ask for than starting the day with a bit of Dropkick and beer in your hand?
They opened with the “The Boys Are Back” off their new album Signed and Sealed in Blood, and they certainly obliged upon their return. Their set got people riled up and rowdy, with bodies flying around the mosh pit and overhead more than usual. While many of us dream of one day seeing Dropkick in Boston on St. Paddy’s Day, for many of us that experience has not yet come to pass. However, it’s almost better to have these boys come into our own back yard and bring us a bit of their Celtic punk and harmonies.
They a few other new songs that fit really well with their repertoire, as well as some kickass classics such as “Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya” (originally a traditional song written in the 19th century) and “Shipping Up to Boston,” which got people in the true riot spirit.
One of the lead singers, Ken Casey, poked fun at the city of Toronto by saying they weren’t going to make any comments about the city’s pro sports teams, and that we were all friends. He then proceeded to go into a story about one of the Boston Red Sox’s first stars, Hall of Famer Jimmy Collins. Then a few guys in the crowd started yelling “Go Leafs Go,” to which Casey stopped and said “Fuck man, I’m talking about baseball and you guys are chanting ‘Go Leafs Go!’ At least get your fuckin’ sports right!” Touché, Ken. Touché.
Things even got a little heated when Casey brought up the tragic game 7 overtime loss that the Toronto Maple Leafs suffered to the Boston Bruins a couple years back, which obviously was still stinging as many Leafs fans gave him the finger. One guy from back stage appeared visibly angered at this and started flipping off the crowd and spitting slurs. I believe he was then told to fuck off and the band proceeded to play “Jimmy Collins’ Wake.”
The band made amends, and in a show of good faith they ended with their own rendition of Bachman Turner Overdrive’s “Takin’ Care of Business,” which included a medley of “We’re an American Band” by Grand Funk Railroad and a few Hey Ho’s and Let’s Go’s from The Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop.”
Up next on the adjacent Riot Stage was Social Distortion. Social D has been around since 1978 and is one of the few influential punk bands still alive and kicking. That’s 36 years of performing. It was obvious that Mike Ness & Co. from Orange Country, CA, were loving being on stage and playing for us, even after all that time. They played a fiery set that mixed a lot of old and new.
Ness’s distinctive vocals and no-bullshit attitude on stage that we all know and love had the crowd still going strong, with energy carrying over from the previous set. They played songs like “Crown of Thorns,” “Another State of Mind,” and “Misery Loves Company” off Ness’s 1999 solo album Cheating at Solitaire.
During a little break between songs, Ness asked the crowd “who the fuck isn’t going to work tomorrow?” Many of us cheered upon the realization that we didn’t need to slave away at our desks the following day. Others hunched over and sighed when they remembered that they had to return to reality. My favourite was the gentleman in the crowd who kept raising his cane up in the air when he cheered. No body, no face could be seen. Just a jubilant cane symbolizing the collective joy that we all were experiencing. Once again, Social D proved that they are still a force to be reckoned with and showed no signs of slowing.
Up next was Death Cab for Cutie, which I didn’t get to see much of because of festival hangs and hunkering down for The National. However, from my far-off vantage point the band sounded pretty good and I was impressed. Another old-guard American indie rock band, Death Cab have been making their way into our eardrums since 1997 and they were a welcome addition to the lineup. For me, this was the biggest departure from previous years of Riot Fest – you can’t even try to argue that Death Cab are punk rock. But I think that the addition of other, less riotous sounding bands helped to round-off the festival lineup and set it up for success in coming years.
Death Cab’s singer, Ben Gibbard (who was also part of the now defunct duo The Postal Service), proclaimed that if “how many tattoos you have on your body is any indication of how punk someone is, then we are the least punk band here.” His little anecdote was meant as a joke, and everyone seemed to get a laugh out of it. They opened with “I Will Possess Your Heart” and played some older tunes such as “Crooked Teeth” and “Soul Meets Body” that fit the theme of throwback tracks from our younger days. My favourite track was “Doors Unlocked and Open” off Codes and Keys, which they played to perfection.
Finally it was time for The National, who for me was the night’s headliner. As one of my favourite bands, I have failed them by only seeing one show at NXNE last year where I was 2435 people back from the front of stage. But I learned from my mistakes. As mentioned, I claimed my spot well ahead of the set a few rows back and nothing was going to stop me.
The set was stellar, opening with “Don’t Swallow the Cap” and “I Should Live in Salt” off their newest record Trouble Will Find Me. Things took off when the band played a fan favourite “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” which had people struggling to decide whether to dance or sit intently and absorb everything. Here’s a snippet from our Ottawa Folkfest preview that I wrote about the band:
Formed in 1999, The National is a band that embodies the notion that hard work pays off. After years of writing songs and playing shows, and even leaving their hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio to find bigger and better things in NYC, The National found late-career fame and never gave up on their journey. Their albums often give esoteric portrayals of the spectrum of human emotion. Those who listen attentively will find layers of truth and beauty in the lyrics, the composition, and aesthetic of their music.
I’m not going to go too much into why this band is one of my favourites, because we could be here for hours and I’m already nearly 1,400 words deep. All I can say is that The National may not be for everyone, but their unique arrangements, lyrical poeticism, and incredible stage presence will give music appreciators an entire discography worth of material to consume.
A special moment during the set was during their performance of “Ada” when the band broke into a trumpet outro from Sufjan Stevens’s song “Chicago.” The addition of the horns section added a whole other dimension to their music that many of us had not seen or heard before.
“You came to take us, all things go, all things go. To recreate us.”
I would have liked to hear “Abel” off Alligator, but their performance of “Mr. November” was second to none. Matt Berninger’s strained and powerful vocals during the chorus hit us all hard, as the song has political undertones based on the American presidential elections. My interpretation is that there’s still some frustration and disillusionment wrapped in that chorus – “I won’t fuck us over, I’m Mr. November… I’m Mr. November, I won’t fuck us over.”
During their final song, “Terrible Love” off of High Violet, Berninger jumped off the stage and got into the crowd. He was singing as he climbed in and was held up by a sea of excited and loving hands. He went even further out and took the mic with him, sinking all the way into the crowd as the song continued. In fact, he was right beside Eric who was watching from the edge of the audience. A nice treat to end the show for all those who didn’t venture too close to the stage.
