Riot Fest looked a bit … different on Sunday. Gone were the the earlier days’ oppressive heat and blistering sun, and in came the clouds and rain just in time for the first official day of fall.
Crowds too were slow to trickle in as the weather presented a tangible buzzkill and the doors were pushed back an hour, until noon, to allow festival staff time to prep the field to ensure “a safe and happy Riot Fest” for attendees, according to an announcement on the event’s social media channels.
Bands also looked different on Riot’s final day. Saxsquatch, Nekrogoblicon and GWAR were decked out in their best Bigfoot-horror-space alien costumes, with GWAR’s fake blood smearing over everything they touched. Fans too were wearing their own uniform of sorts, with bright ponchos and Slayer shirts the go-to apparel for the day (even the Cobra beer tent outfitted staff in custom Slayer logo shirts).
Saxsquatch
The vibe at Riot Fest was already a bit weird Sunday, but trying to process Bigfoot playing covers of “Careless Whisper” on saxophone just added to the mind trip. Add in a guy dressed as Jesus crowd-surfing by walking on the hands of the people below him and it became a total dream scenario.
“Thanks for believing in me, I believe in you too,” the giant furry figure cheekily told the crowd that had gathered in small masse to take in the spectacle. Honestly, it’s hard to believe this shtick is actually someone’s career; Saxsquatch has nearly a half-million followers on socials, has played events like The Big Stomp and Solshine Reverie and has even hosted his own Bigfoot Rave.
Any m than the 30-minute set he offered at Riot might’ve been overkill. He’s the kind of attraction that might be best suited to weddings or bat mitzvahs, but the thing is the legendary creature is actually really good on sax. (To be fair, the man behind the costume is a real musician, having logged time in the Marcus King Band.)
Throughout the performance, Saxsquatch delivered slow-jazz takes on songs like Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” Earth Wind & Fire’s “September” and Pitbull’s “Hotel Room Service,” adding in some programmed EDM beats for extra pizzazz.
If seeing Bigfoot in the flesh wasn’t enough to write home about, he added to the effect with fans blowing his fur in the wind all the while donning a bandana and rainbow sport sunglasses. If he wasn’t so tall and hairy, he might actually fit in with the crowd.
Nekrogoblikon
The creature feature continued with California power metal band Nekrogoblikon taking the AAA Stage Sunday afternoon. Donning his best green face (which stayed put even in the rain), pointy ears and alien fingers, frontman John Goblikon was a force to be reckoned with.
Not only is he an attention-grabbing band leader who can play air guitar like no one else and offers a great clean vocal foil to compadre Dickie Allen’s harsh growls, but he’s a funny whip too. The character has published a book, “John Goblikon’s Guide to Living Your Best Life,” and has his own popular YouTube talk series, “Right Now,” which he plugged at the end of Nekrogoblikon’s set.
But playing the AAA Stage also gave him a chance to joke about the “free towing and roadside assistance” that fans could redeem with their ticket purchases and gave him the chance to discuss hometown baseball. “Let’s hear it for the White Sox. Hey this could be their year … maybe Michael Jordan can come back to help them. He’s like the Nekrogoblikon of baseball,” he said, poking fun at the basketball great’s short stint on the diamond while poking fun at the band too.
The six-piece actually deserves a bit more credit than that. The speed with which they unleash their melodic death metal bangers (the latest from 2022’s “The Fundamental Slimes and Humours”) is an impressive feat in itself, enhanced by the vocal sparring from the two singers and the ongoing onstage gimmicks. Positioning them just after Saxsquatch and just before GWAR was the perfect setup for the afternoon.