This year's Riot Fest in Denver continued on Saturday with amazing performances from legendary punk bands. The weather was gorgeous, the fans were in high spirits, and the bands were an unstoppable turbine of rock and roll.
Clutch at Riot Fest Denver 2014:
Clutch's show kicked off with "Earth Rocker," the title track from their most recent album, and continued with a pummeling setlist of some of their heaviest material. The band kept the energy high the whole time, opting for riff-fueled rockers over their slower, chugging tunes. Clutch was pretty much the only stoner rock represented at the festival, but they are more than capable of carrying the load.
We also got a chance to interview bassist Dan Maines at the fest, so stay tuned to Zumic for more.
Lucero at Riot Fest Denver 2014:
Across the parking lot, Lucero's set followed with a totally different vibe. The alt-country veterans' soulful performance mellowed the mood out a little bit, but their live shows are the perfect environment for drunken revelry. Ben Nichols' raspy vocals and gritty guitar cut through the audience as the sun dropped behind the stage. Lucero are always a super fun band to catch live and Riot Fest is no exception.
Descendents at Riot Fest Denver 2014:
Far and away, the best performance at the festival was the Descendents. We arrived to see bassist Karl Alvarez standing at the side of the stage, with founding bass player Tony Lombardo standing in front of his amp. When Milo Aukerman came out, he announced that they'd be playing all of Milo Goes To College with Tony. The crowd lost their collective mind as they kicked into "Myage." After 30 minutes of yelling ourselves hoarse to the euphoric old school punk, Karl joined them back on stage and they finished the record. Then, as though Milo wasn't enough, they played hits from the rest of their discography, including "Coolidge," "Silly Girl," and more.
Social Distortion at Riot Fest Denver 2014:
Social D hit the stage and all the sickboys and sickgirls came out to watch. The crowd for the band was a massive, impenetrable wall of punks and greasers. Mike Ness strutted out, strummed his guitar, and sang, "Through these eyes, I've seen love and I've seen hate." Then everybody went totally nuts. The set was a series of their biggest hits from their whole discography and they finished with the knockout three-song combo of "Story of my Life," "Ball & Chain," and "Ring of Fire."
Riot Fest Denver's day 2 was yet another massive achievement for drinking, partying, and rock and roll. Stay tuned for our wrap-up coverage of day 3 and be sure to check out our write up of day 1 right here at Zumic.
