Live Review: Riot Fest Night with the White Sox – Guaranteed Rate Field • Chicago
The Chicago White Sox and My Chemical Romance clinched wins at Guaranteed Rate Field on Tuesday night. The ballpark’s Riot Fest Night event reminded Southside baseball fans that the city’s premiere punk rock festival will launch its 2022 event in one month.
The game was a match-up between the surging White Sox and 2021 playoff nemesis,  the Houston Astros. Tim McIlrath of Chicago punk rock heroes and Riot Fest veterans Rise Against threw out the first pitch. Afterward, the Sox’ Cy Young pitching candidate and number two American League strikeout king Dylan Cease faced off against Houston’s future Hall of Fame hurler Justin Verlander.
Tim McIlrath Of Rise Against (Courtesy of Tim McIlrath Instagram)
Music from Riot Fest bands intermingled with game day standards throughout the game. A fan vote led to a seventh-inning feature for “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance, whose results handily topped support for “Feel it Still” by Portugal. The Man and “Heads Will Roll” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
The White Sox are battling for a division crown and a potential wild card position in the 2022 American League MLB playoffs. Jose Ruiz was brought in to relieve Cease in the sixth inning after the star pitcher gave up three earned runs and put the Southsiders down by two. Further relief was provided by Vince Velasquez and Jimmy Lambert. The White Sox won by a score of 4 to 3 in a game that became thrilling during the late innings.
Gavin Sheets’ booming triple to deep right field tied the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out, but neither AJ Pollock nor Andrew Vaughn could bring Sheets home to secure a lead. Houston’s Verlander finished the inning but was relieved in the eighth by Héctor Neris.
Third baseman Yoan Moncada’s eighth-inning single drove in Adam Engel’s game-winning run across home plate. The win was clinched in the top of the ninth by closer Liam Hendriks. Houston dominated the White Sox in last year’s playoffs, so winning the first two games of this four-game series is satisfying indeed for Southside fans.
The White Sox has a history of celebrating Chicago’s music scene with a long-running series of events at the ballpark. The next musically themed game celebrates Elvis Presley during Elvis Night on August 26 vs. Arizona. Visit mlb.com/whitesox/tickets for more information.
Riot Fest runs September 16-18 in Chicago’s Douglass Park. In addition to My Chemical Romance, Portugal. The Man, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the bill includes Alkaline Trio, Misfits, Bauhaus, Bad Religion, Sleater-Kinney, Yellowcard, Nine Inch Nails, the Joy Formidable, and scores of others. Visit riotfest.org for tickets.
– Jeff Elbel
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Preview from August 14:
The White Sox have a history of celebrating Chicago’s music scene with a long-running series of events at the ballpark. Themes have included Beatles Night, commemorating the anniversary of the Fab Four’s 1965 appearance at Comiskey Park with performances by local acts, including American English and The Beatleleles. June’s House Music Night featured music from the Chosen Few DJs. On August 26, Guaranteed Rate Field will host Elvis Night.Â
This Tuesday’s game (August 16) against the Houston Astros will be Riot Fest Night. August 16 marks the one-month countdown to Chicago’s premiere punk rock festival. Rise Against singer Tim McIlrath will be on hand to throw out the first pitch, and music from Riot Fest bands will be featured throughout the game.
Discounted group tickets are available here.
– Jeff Elbel
Category: Featured, Live Reviews, Stage Buzz
