Stage Buzz: Riot Fest, Tacos and Tequila Festival, Tomorrow X Together, Rhapsody of Fire with Witherfall
The Effigies
Cancel your dinner plans for Thursday night, the Forge in Joliet will be serving a smorgasbord of Heavy Metal. Headliners are Italian symphonic power metal stalwarts Rhapsody of Fire, who are touring in support of  2024’s Challenge the Wind, as well as celebrating the 25th anniversary of their classic Dawn of Victory album. LAâs Witherfall also adds muscle to the lineup, serving up sonic cuts of dark melodic metal from their last album, Sounds Of The Forgotten. Also appearing are Swedenâs Enforcer, playing their special brand of neck-breaking speed metal, and Canadian metal enforcers Striker, who are still out supporting last year’s release, Ultrapower.  Tickets are available here. âPat Michaels
Riot Fest is finally here, and this year is huge. Taking place in Douglas Park over three days, this yearâs lineup features heavy hitters such as Green Day, blink-182, Weezer, âWeird Alâ Yankovic, Jack White, Alkaline Trio, The Beach Boys, Bad Religion, and Dropkick Murphys, among others. Also appearing are Rico Nasty, recent IE cover stars The Barbarians of California, Helmet, Hanson, The Linda Lindas, Smoking Popes, Knuckle Puck, Chicago Punk stalwarts The Effigies, and more. The festival takes place from Friday, September 19th, to Sunday, September 21st. Grab last-minute tickets here.
Another festival is coming to Geneva, Illinois, this weekend: the Tacos and Tequila Festival. Taking place at Northwestern Medicine Field, this yearâs lineup includesLudacris, Timbaland, Trina, Paul Wall, Murphy Lee, and more. Come out for good music and great food when the festival opens on Saturday, September 20th. Get all the details here.
As if this weekend wasnât hectic enough, K-pop stars TOMMOROW X TOGETHER are rolling through in support of their latest album, The Star Chapter: Together. The South Korean band has been on the rise ever since the release of their debut EP, The Dream Chapter: Star. They made headlines in 2023 for being the first K-pop group to headline Lollapalooza. Now, theyâre bringing their spectacular world tour to Rosemontâs Allstate Arena on Sunday, September 21st, and Monday, September 22nd. You can still get tickets here.
-Ashley Perez-Hollingsworth
Category: Stage Buzz
