TAKE ME TO THE RIOT

Two things you should know before continuing to read: I LOVE live music and I LOVE Toronto. Okay, lets go. RIOT FEST rocked Downsview Park this past weekend. The line-up was on point, catering to music lovers of all types, from the overly discerning it-takes-a-village-for-me-to-tap-my-foot hipster to the M-is-my-bff-happy-to-dance-my-face-off-to-the-sound-of-crickets EDM lover. Side note, I am writing this post while sitting across from my childhood BFF aka the math guru aka lead singer of Goodnight, Sunrise (SO spotlight) who so eloquently captured what I couldn't in the above sentence and just so happens to agree that we may be over festivals of this grandeur. Hence why this post was originally going to be called 'Riot Fest: A Coming of Age Story'. I digress... when the line-up was revealed back in May, I was not convinced until I rolled my cursor over two of my favourite bands scheduled to play day two, Toronto born and raised, Metric and Stars - SOLD.  I give myself absolutely no permission to blast my opinions of the festival as a whole on here considering I was only there for one day and truly, to see four bands nestled into the monstrous line-up. With the weather on our side, day two was, simply put - sensational. 

One of four stages at Riot, creatively named, not so strategically placed... ROCK, REBEL, RIOT & ROOTS

The Head and the Heart, played beneath a cloudless sky. They are truly, truly talented people. Sharing vocals, creating stirring harmonies, guitars, drums, violin etc... they were the full package, even when competing with the booming beats that wafted over from the Rebel Stage. Unshaken, they played their albums title track, Let's Be Still, without skipping a beat. Love.

...what's a festival without a selfie with my better half at all things music @lindsbanban

Torquil Campbell & Amy Milan of Stars image: instagram.com/blogto

Stars took the Rock stage just before golden hour, kicking off their set with none other than,  Take me to the Riot - adorable. They gave the crowd everything they wanted and more. Showcasing two songs from their much anticipated new album, No One is Lost, coming October 14, peppered amongst fan favourites like Fixed and We Don't Want Your Body. The setlist was flawless. Torquil Campbell did not disappoint, offering up his loveable, always entertaining fevered tirades about our glorious city. Amy Milan and Evan Cranley's adorable daughter danced her little heart out behind the band accompanied by Milan's BFF and former BSS bandmate, Emily Haines. It was really, really good. 

Stars image: @lindsbanban

Emily Haines image: instagram.com/blogto 

As The National finished up their set on the Roots Stage, the crowd quickly shifted one stage over to eagerly, and very pushily, wait for Metric. I cannot say enough about the experience of Metric. You have to feel it for yourselves. The energy they bring to the stage is infectious. Taking your eyes off of Emily is near impossible, unless of course, Jimmy Shaw has the spotlight. Kicking things off with Empty set the bar high but they carried it through, unbroken. After a sweet tribute to a close family friend of Haines' the band closed their set with Breathing Underwater, transitioning to acoustic half-way through. It was actually really emotional... I mean standing in a sea of people sharing this moment was pretty amazing...

Metric; image: @lindsbanban

As we made our way off the grounds, City and Colour seemed to be serenading us the whole way out. And that my friends, was how we did Riot Fest, potentially for the last time. As much as I loved every second of it, it was a big, young crowd and the sheer scale of it made me long for the smaller more intimate scene at festivals like Hillside and Field Trip. Big thanks to @lindsbanban for being an exceptional wingman, for screaming loud, dancing hard and constantly reminding me how amazing this life is and to Toronto for celebrating live music and culture.

Sun sets as the moon rises ushering in the final bands of the day... thank you Riot Fest, thank you Toronto. 

Listen to savageOM's VIP playlist on rdio featuring Metric, Stars, The National & City and Colour.