Marky Ramone looks back on the Ramones as Riot Fest kicks off in Chicago

“I can see the Ramones expression,” drummer Marky Ramone laughed while talking about Riot Fest backstage in Chicago on Friday afternoon. “It’s kind of like there’s the Misfits and they’re influenced by the Ramones. We’ve got the Descendents with the Ramones influence…” he observed, introducing some of the weekend’s main acts. Did. “Thank you. I am very grateful for that.”

Riot Fest As one of America’s premier punk rock and metal festivals, Friday’s diverse line-up also spotlights pop (Bleachers), alternative rock (My Chemical Romance), and more.

Mark Bell succeeded former Ramones drummer Tommy Ramone in 1978, becoming the first Marky Ramone to perform on the group’s fourth album. road to ruin (and seminal Ramones tracks like “I Wanna Be Sedated”), appearing in the 1979 cult classic film rock and roll high school.

Riot Fest will be Ramone’s fifth U.S. show since 2019, following a summer spent overseas waving the punk pioneers’ flag.

“It’s been two and a half years since we played and I haven’t thought about it at all,” the drummer explained of returning to the stage. “I just wanted to beat the COVID thing. I went to Hawaii for three months. I wanted to be isolated. So I started painting,” Ramone said. “At that moment I didn’t want to have anything to do with music, because I wanted to know if I could paint something else, painting. I played with the Foo Fighters at Lollapalooza in New York, and it seems like they just couldn’t stop.”

In classic Ramones fashion, Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg was a frenetic force on stage at Riot Fest, zipping through a Ramones classic. The “1, 2, 3, 4!” Bucking didn’t find his truck or other tricks, so the number of trademarks increased. During the group’s one-hour set.

“We do 35 Ramones songs. We did 45 songs non-stop in Argentina. No samples. No auto-tuning. There’s nothing like that. I think it’s unfair to the audience.” “Amazing. I don’t doubt it – because when you question things, things just disappear.” It just goes on. What can I say?”

It was a sunny Friday afternoon in Chicago, with temperatures surpassing 80 degrees, perfect for Riot Fest in Douglas Park, near the southwest of the city.

“Who has smaller sunglasses?” Lugwagon guitarist Chris Rest joked by arranging the ’90s punk group’s “To All My Friends.” “This is the part where we tune our guitars like a metal band and play the poppiest song on Drop D,” joked the band.

Florida alternative rockers Amber Lynn performed an entertaining 45-minute set on Friday’s Rise stage.

“That’s the cue to yell ‘Speak!'” said singer Stephen Christian as Amberlyn made her way to the finish line with “The Resistance.” “Keep your feet off!” As the Spartans warmed up across the field on the Riot stage, the crowd jumped in time to “Feel Good Drag” as the performance drew to a close.

“Before we start, we’re called Spartans from the great state of Texas,” singer and guitarist Jim Ward said on stage Friday. But I need help,” said the singer, who wore a “Beto of Texas” T-shirt defending Texas gubernatorial candidate (and punk bassist) Beto O’Rourke. First political moment of the afternoon.

Sparta was the highlight of Friday afternoon in Chicago, kicking things off with “Breaking the Broken” before moving on to “Miracle.”

The Power Trio was on Friday and the Alkali Trio started later with “Time to Waste” as fans were waiting for the Bleachers to start.

Traveling between Riot Fest and the Portuguese stage is easy. When Marky Ramone opened his mouth on “Sheena is a Punk Rocker,” the man delivered “Feel It Still.”

But Friday night, with Jack Antonoff’s ensemble The Bleachers, which conjures up images of Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band, saw live saxophonists confront each other onstage and say, “How Dare You Want?” It was the big band sound that wafted through Douglas Park during More.

Antonoff climbed into the amp on Friday night in Chicago when things slowed down with “Let’s Get Married” kicking off and then the scathing “Everybody Lost Somebody.”

“I’m visiting Chicago!” Antonov proclaimed onstage. “I did a bar crawl on stage! Let’s hear it!” the singer said as he laced up his guitar. “Chicago is the best.”