My Personal Account of Toronto Riot Fest

     From August 24 to 25, Toronto was graced by the presence of music festival Riot Fest at Fort York. Jam packed in these two days were bands such as A Day to Remember, Pierce the Veil, Mayday Parade, Iggy and the Stooges, The Replacements, and Dinosaur Jr. 

     Commuting to Riot Fest was hectic because it fell on the same weekend that Toronto was also hosting the Fan Expo convention, the Canadian National Exhibition, and Buskerfest. The bus to Fort York was loaded with many excited people, which definitely contributed to pumping up my excitement.

     I only attended day one, which featured a wider selection of contemporary hardcore bands versus older ones. Personally, I really enjoyed my festival experience aside from the sweltering heat (but at least it didn't rain; I can't complain). 

     My friend Julia and I arrived promptly at 2:30 when the first band of the day, Real Friends, began their set. Although we went straight for the merchandise tent first to ensure one of the first picks of items, we were still able to comfortably hear, see and enjoy the performance. 

     

     I have never been to a concert at Fort York. In Toronto, festivals are normally at The Flats in Ontario Place, or more commonly, Downsview Park. All these places feature a vast outdoor space, but Fort York's was much more small and intimate. This meant that the bands could be seen and heard at all points of the grounds (quite convenient if you ask me).

     The first part of the show featured mostly local bands, such as Grade and Structures. It made me feel extra proud to call myself a Torontonian seeing how we produce such talent! 

    Julia and I were even lucky enough to catch Nick Xourafas, vocalist of Structures, walking around for a photo. He was really pleasant and kept all fans orderly for taking photos.

     As the day went on, Julia and I congregated closer to the front of the stage. In this great spot we watched Grade, Mayday Parade, Every Time I Die, and Pierce the Veil. Sadly we saw A Day to Remember from a distance.

     I was most impressed with Every Time I Die's performance. They were super energetic and threw their guitars up in the air at least 5 times, if not more, during the show. The vocalist even went into the crowd! The band cracked jokes about themselves calling themselves ugly compared to the "heartthrobs" in Mayday Parade and Pierce the Veil, but of course it was all in good fun. I also like to believe that they were craving hot dogs since they were talking the audience into buying some from the food truck. But as a first-time watcher, I was 100 per cent converted as a fan.

     As the headliners, Pierce the Veil and A Day to Remember had the coolest stage set-up. Pierce the Veil had banners forming different parts of their latest album cover, Collide With the Sky, on stage, whereas A Day to Remember had a  variety of stage lighting and a large banner with their band name in bold letters. It especially looked great since the sun had set.

Every Time I Die

 Pierce the Veil

 A Day to Remember

 (L-R) My friend Julia, Nick Xourafas (vocalist of Structures), and myself

 Mayday Parade

Grade

     All in all, I had a killer time and would definitely go back again next year.

     Riot Fest also takes place in Chicago and Denver with a slightly different lineup.