Photo Gallery + Bonus Coverage: Riot Fest 2026 • Day Three • Douglass Park • Chicago

Brassneck | September 21, 2026

Riot Fest

Douglass Park, Chicago, IL

Day 3: Sunday, September 20, 2026

Review by Jeff Elbel. Recap and Photos by Curt Baran.

Rain that altered parts of Saturday’s schedule persisted overnight. Doors shifted to 2 p.m., reshaping the timeline again. Puddles of mud—no pun intended—formed on the Douglass Park grounds, echoing moist Riot Fests from a decade ago when crowds celebrated in muddy mosh pits. By night’s end, we still caught sets from Pretty Girls Make Grave, The Beths, Pennywise, The Format, Patti Smith, and William Shatner…yes, that William Shatner, who made his heavy metal debut backed by his band, the Fuckers (-Curt Baran)

The remainder of the soggy day included some standout performances. Punk poet Patti Smith played an hour-long set on the Rise stage that brimmed with heart and goodwill while also featuring pointed protest. Appearing wisely dressed in an overcoat and warm wool hat, Smith greeted the crowd from the city of her birth and said that the rain couldn’t compete with her tears of happiness at being reunited.

The set opened with the populist anthem “People Have the Power.” “It’s decreed, the people rule,” she sang in the chorus. Afterward, she underscored the message. “Chicago, don’t you forget it,” she said. “Use your voice.” The reggae-pop of “Redondo Beach” featured Smith laughing off a bungled lyric. “Sorry, I fucked up the words,” she said with a broad grin while drummer Jay Dee Daugherty kept a tight groove. The solemn “Pissing in a River” was dedicated to Lake Ontario. Lead guitarist Lenny Kaye played a soulful and bluesy solo that built toward a cathartic crescendo. “Break It Up” was dedicated to the Doors’ Jim Morrison. The mesmerizing “Dancing Barefoot” was dedicated “to the girls,” and featured a stirring guitar solo from Smith’s son Jackson.

Smith reminded the crowd that the emotional “Peaceable Kingdom” had been written for the people of Palestine 23 years ago. “We had at that time some hope that the world would band together and people would do the right thing,” she said. She called the current crisis “one of the greatest heartbreaks of our time.” Smith appeared to become emotional when the audience began chanting “free Palestine.”

“Because the Night” was an amorous anthem and ode to love. The epic title track on Smith’s debut album, Horses, stretched into stream-of-consciousness beat poetry. The central character, Johnny, carried “the rage of his generation” as he considered the situation in Gaza, the East Wing of the White House, attacks on the free press, and other political and environmental grievances. Smith mentioned “the calf of gold in the Oval Office” with indignation, before falling back upon “a crazy kind of hope” and wishes for change.

When the band learned they had a few precious minutes left on the clock, Smith called for a feral and improvisational run-through of the Who’s “My Generation.” “This should be really fucked up,” said Smith as Daugherty kicked in a swaggering beat. “Hope I live ‘til I get old,” she sang, modifying Pete Townshend’s famous lyric. “And I’m fucking old,” she added. “And I’m gonna get older.” The song ended as Smith tore the strings from her black Fender Stratocaster, one distressed twang after another. Before the last string, she gave a parting rant. “This arrow of love goes to you,” she said. “My generation had dreams, man. We did the best we could, but unfortunately, my generation also brought you-know-who in the fucking Oval Office. He’s the same age as me. Can you believe that shit? Be good. Be strong.”

A muddy slog to the Rebel stage found fans waiting for the festival’s oddest attraction. Bringing a 95-year-old man onto the stage in the cold and damp might be considered elder abuse by some, but former Federation Starship Captain William Shatner seemed to be all for it. The actor joined metalheads the *uckers to debut material from Shatner’s forthcoming heavy metal album on Cleopatra Records. Shatner’s combination of song and spoken word dates to 1968’s The Transformed Man, with its cover of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man.” Familiar songs included covers of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” and Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” A furious mosh pit whirled as Shatner recited the words to Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades.” These songs were interspersed with original songs in accompanying styles. Set to the pummeling groove of “Rage,” Shatner scored points for literary reference. “Dylan Thomas had it right,” he spoke in his broad, comically expressive style. “Rage against the dying of the light.” “Sky” was a doom-metal arrangement for ecology. “Will we care when the sky turns black?” asked Shatner. The final song “One Fear” possibly struck closest to home for the senior survivor, with lyrics that were reminiscent of Spinal Tap bassist Derek Smalls’ Smalls Change (Meditations Upon Ageing) about the indignities and pitfalls of growing older. Clearly, Shatner is that rare old dog willing to try new tricks and have an inspiring amount of self-effacing fun while doing it. We should all be so lucky to have the chance to follow suit.

Sunday’s headliner, Alanis Morissette, packed thousands of stalwart, soaked fans into her set on the Roots stage. Her set reestablished well-remembered staples of ‘90s alternative rock including “Hand in My Pocket,” “Ironic,” and “Thank U.” The acid-tongued “You Oughta Know” sparked a deafening singalong that was audible well beyond the confines of the park.

The Rise stage closed with a spirited set from returning artist Elvis Costello and his band, the Imposters, with longtime “guest” Charlie Sexton on lead guitar. “Look at youse, all still out here in the rain,” he said, appreciating the crowd. “There’s nothing that can discourage you.” Costello largely eschewed mellower fare like R&B crooner “Alison” in favor of punk energy and rock ‘n’ roll.

Even devoted fans will acknowledge that Costello’s performances can occasionally be uneven, and that he’s lost some dexterity as a vocalist due to forces beyond his control (i.e., age and health). During Sunday’s set of a dozen songs, however, he seemed determined to overcome such drawbacks while delivering an energetic set full of attitude. Seven of the songs reached back nearly 50 years to Costello’s first two albums. Debut fare from My Aim is True included a twanging “Mystery Dance” with a hot solo by Sexton.

Bathed in red light, “Watching the Detectives” bounced atop Davey Faragher’s dub bass and Pete Thomas’ deft beat, spiced by Steve Nieve’s melodica lead. “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea” also borrowed reggae à la The Police and featured Steve Nieve’s lean and cinematic keyboard leads.

When introducing “Less Than Zero,” Costello praised Patti Smith’s earlier performance and called her “the last rock and roll star.” He mentioned Smith’s wisecrack about her age but said the vintage of his debut Stiff Records single “Less Than Zero” 50 years ago put him in the same ballpark. “I thought I would write this one about a filthy old fascist that I saw on the TV,” he said. “I never thought it would come back into style, but you never know when you’re gonna need this song.”

The set’s most recent material was the caustic “No Flag,” drawn from 2020 album Hey Clockface. The band charged through a cover of “Heart of the City,” introduced as a song by “my old pal Nick Lowe.” “I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down” began as a stirring gospel crooner built on Nieve’s piano foundation. Costello stretched vocally, reaching a soulful falsetto bent with his singular tremolo style. The song eventually exploded into a familiar Northern Soul rave-up.

The set ignited when Costello called out the snarling media critique “Radio Radio.” “American Gangster Time” followed with punk-friendly bite. Thomas added extra thunder to the suitably riotous “Pump It Up,” flowing with Faragher’s nimble bass line. The show closed with a delirious “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding,” during which Costello followed Patti Smith’s lead while quoting the Who’s “The Kids Are Alright.”