DAY TWO OF RIOT FEST BROUGHT JOHN STAMOS WITH THE BEACH BOYS AND WEEZER’S BLUE ALBUM IN FULL
Photo by Jason Pendleton
Riot Fest culture emphasizes “chaotic good” humor. Their social media managers seemingly work overtime, keeping up with various bits that span their two-decade run. A fan-favorite bit includes pestering Full House legend John Stamos. The bit’s humble beginnings started with a tweet—as many things often do. Riot Fest’s staff requested the resurrection of the fictional band Jesse & The Rippers. While initially ignored by Stamos, the festival persisted. In 2013, Riot Fest procured a statue in Stamos’ likeness made entirely out of Land-O-Lakes butter. Tragically, the statue, dubbed “Butter Stamos,” melted, so it was replicated into a non-melty version. Butter Stamos eventually became a festival landmark, encouraging patron photos every year—until one day, Stamos himself might make a rare appearance. Regardless, festival staff continued pestering him each day. For their 20th anniversary, a Stamos appearance seemed mildly delusional but not impossible, given The Beach Boys’ position on the Saturday lineup.
Truthfully, I was a bit pessimistic about a Stamos sighting on Saturday. This bit had been ongoing for years—it felt like chasing that one big Christmas present your parents said was too expensive, but this time, it actually was. One thing most people don’t know about me is that I grew up the biggest fan of Full House. I have every season on DVD to this very day. My father and I attended a Fuller House taping, and I squealed with childlike joy when I realized the entire original cast was there for the Thanksgiving episode. This was secretly very high-stakes for me, so I decided to enjoy my day with Uncle Jesse filed carefully in the back of my mind. Stranger things had happened, though.
Earlier this year, we covered Panchiko’s record Ginko. Though I could never quite spell the record’s title correctly, I remembered thoroughly enjoying it. The band offers a unique sound that I don’t come across often. I was thrilled to see them on the lineup, especially on such a vast stage. What I wasn’t prepared for was Panchiko’s legion of diehard fans who had camped out at the barricade to see them. The crowd knew every word to every song, including the ones I had reviewed mere months ago. This wasn’t too surprising—Panchiko’s compositions alone are intriguing enough to warrant a massive audience. However, it was still exceptionally refreshing, especially after spending so much time on their work for this release. Panchiko is not only an expert performer but also a community curator, encouraging fan engagement from every corner of their audience.
Photo by Anthony Linh Nguyen
I also caught The Front Bottoms right before the rain began to settle in. The dark clouds lingered the entire afternoon; whispers of poncho-weather began to spread. Honestly, that’s the perfect kind of weather to enjoy The Front Bottoms’ set. Their Midwest emo signature sound fit a cloudy Midwest day like a glove. Moreover, the enthusiasm from their fans was contagious. The energy throughout the crowd was vivacious, as strangers and couples alike bonded over their shared love of such deeply personal lyrics. Music is incredible in that way. People connect over such simple things — which usually begin as sparks of inspiration from a vocalist’s personal life — and connect when they cross paths at live shows. This was the most crowd surfing I had seen all weekend, second only to the massive wave during The Beach Boys.
I had been hearing whispers about Stamos all day, but the moment of truth was nearing. A bunch of us huddled by the mainstage area, hoping to get a glimpse of Uncle Jesse. Naturally, this wasn’t the “real” Beach Boys—it couldn’t be. This was Mike Love and the gang. Perhaps the audience was better off without Brian Wilson’s ramblings, but it didn’t feel terribly optimistic before the band began. I wanted to respect their status as one of the greatest rock bands of all time. I think “Kokomo” is a banger that didn’t deserve the “worst song of all time” title. There are plenty of songs out there that are worse than “Kokomo.” Still, it was sprinkling, and my morale was low.
Photo by Kayla Moreno
Yet, at the very start of the Beach Boys’ set, there was John Stamos, in all his glistening glory. The man has aged like fine wine—though I’m sure if I had the same Full House royalties, I would too.
What I wasn’t expecting from any potential Stamos appearance was his overall musicianship. Obviously, I had seen it my whole life as a fan of his biggest hit. However, those things can appear contrived when only viewed through the lens of a pop culture landmark. How invested was Stamos behind the scenes? I had no idea personally, until I saw him hop on various instruments with his favorite band. In that moment, Stamos and I were both fangirls living the dream. He got to be up there with the musicians who inspired him, shredding on guitar or going absolutely hog wild on the drums. His performance energy was immaculate, but moreover, his gleaming smile was infectious. Sure, Riot Fest had pestered him to do this for years—but he got to do it in a way that was authentic to him.
That’s the best way to complete a bit, in my opinion.
Mike Love wavered vocally on a few songs, but mostly sounded great. A few missed notes are excusable for such a high-stakes performance, especially in the rain. Otherwise, the audience was mind-blowingly incredible. Mosh pits and crowdsurfers for The Beach Boys of all bands was not something I thought I’d see in this lifetime. Though crowdsurfing to “Surfin’ USA” is an iconic move. Admittedly, I was giddy the rest of the night—granted, I had plans to attend an Aftershow, but riding the post-Love wave certainly helped sustain my momentum.
Photo by Kayla Moreno
Finally, Weezer closed out the night with the Blue Album in full. Their set was highly anticipated for me, though I’ve seen them plenty of times before. I have loved almost everything Weezer has put out, with a few exceptions. It’s not surprising that the Blue Album caught the hearts of most fans. It’s creatively daring in ways that music hadn’t explored at the time it dropped, which is perhaps a significant reason it aged so well—arguably much better than the contentious Pinkerton. While Rivers Cuomo refrained from some of the touchier lyrical themes in Pinkerton, his charm never wavered throughout the Blue Album. I think Rivers Cuomo looks exactly how he sounds in recordings—and I mean that as a compliment. The world needs bands like Weezer. It was absolutely cathartic leaving Douglass Park as “Only in Dreams” faded out behind me, with thousands of other patrons begging for cheaper Uber fares.