As holidays pass and bring us closer to the end of the year, it’s only natural to look back at the best events of the previous twelve months. For me, one of those events was Riot Fest.

The first day of Riot Fest occurred on an overcast Friday, September 15, much different from the balmy weekends of festivals past. As soon as I passed the line of port-a-potties nearest the sling back queue, I heard Young Culture playing from the Radical stage. I’m not familiar enough with the band to recall what song was playing, but the energy of it was enough for me to wonder why I’m not already listening to Young Culture.

On my way to pick up my guest pass, a familiar melody caught my ear and I thought to myself, “who is playing Pink Slip?” Upon checking the schedule, I concluded (and later confirmed) it was The Aquadolls playing “Take Me Away” from the 2003 film Freaky Friday. Performed by the film’s in-universe band Pink Slip and fronted by Anna Coleman, played by Lindsay Lohan, Aquadolls have the perfect sound and energy to show this underrated banger to a new audience twenty years later. It once again made me wonder why this band wasn’t already on a playlist of mine.

Aquadolls and Young Culture were just two bands making up Friday’s impressive roster, which included Screaming Females, Oso Iso, Silverstein, The Interrupters, Foo Fighters and over a dozen more. However, I was only able to catch three of these bands: Origami Angel, Hawthorne Heights and The Wrecks. I was mostly determined to catch The Wrecks that day, so I darted to the Radicals Stage and staked my claim close to the barricade.

The first band I caught properly was Origami Angel, a two-piece rock outfit from Washington, D.C. The setlist included “24 Hr Drive-Thru,” “Doctor Whomst” and “The Title Track” from their 2019 record Somewhere City, and “Thank You, New Jersey” from The Brightest Days released June 16. I’ll admit, while the performance was good, I couldn’t read the band’s energy well. They were obviously delighted to be performing at Riot Fest, but there wasn’t much interaction with the crowd. I didn’t know the band going into their performance, and unfortunately the music wasn’t particularly memorable enough to get me going back for more.

Scene mainstays Hawthorne Heights got the crowd hyped with a white-hot hit of nostalgia. The first three tracks were from their 2006 album If Only You Were Lonely, getting their set off the ground with “This is Who We Are” and directly following it with “Saying Sorry” and “Pens and Needles.” While I would have loved to see them perform songs from their 2018 record Bad Frequencies, getting a taste of their latest record Lost Lights, released on September 8, with “Dandelions” was a real treat. Naturally, the band closed with their iconic track “Ohio is for Lovers” from 2004’s The Silence in Black and White, a song any self-respecting emo would have had on their iPods. To the crowd’s delight, they exchanged the word “Ohio” with “Chicago” and, in that moment, I swear it was 2004.

As a fan of The Wrecks since 2017, I was shaking by the time it was their turn to take the stage. It had been six years since I’d seen them perform and they didn’t disappoint. Kicking off their set with “Freaking Out” off their 2020 album Infinitely Ordinary, the Los Angeles-based rockers made the Radicals stage their own. While they’ve always been a tight live act, the members carried themselves less like scrappy newbies and more like scene staples. Helping this was the inclusion of tracks “I Love This Part” and “Sonder” from their 2022 album Sonder. While I adore their older work and Infinitely Ordinary was a solid record, Sonder is easily their best work yet. Frontman Nick Anderson’s hair was dyed as red as his rage, damn near screaming lines like “it’s my fault I admit/six words that you don’t know” and “you took me for a fool when I took your hand/who the fuck are you if I’m not your man?” Regardless of which member you’re looking at, the band demands attention in a rare and special way where your eyes can’t move once they’re on them. When they ended the show with “Favorite Liar,” as they always do, it felt like I was right back at Newport Music Hall watching them open for The Maine.

After their set ended, I decided to wander the grounds to see what else this Friday had to offer. Walking past the vast array of tents set up in Douglass Park, the main one to catch my eye was Romwe’s. In hot pink, ROMWE Garage was splashed across a facade made to look like a cement wall covered in lime green spray paint. I could immediately tell it was more of an experience than a simple tent, where guests could choose two accessories to take home for no charge. Beyond that was a shaded seating area, ping pong, an accessory station where you could customize a bracelet or choker and a photo op for participants to act out their rock star fantasies.

As partners of Riot Fest, the experience was going to be big without a doubt. However much fun it was, and it was, it doesn’t feel very punk to collaborate with a fast fashion brand rated “We Avoid” by Good On You. While the accessories were cute, they were about as high quality as one would expect from a fast fashion brand. I get it, bills have got to be paid, but there have got to be better brands to join forces with to peddle a surface-level understanding of punk aesthetics. Hot Topic, perhaps?

Once I finished up in the ROMWE Garage, I decided to check out the Logan Arcade. Settled behind a half-pipe, the small white tent housed an array of classic arcade cabinets and a Chuck E. Cheese-style Misfits parody band called Biscuits. After collecting eight Chaos Emeralds in Sonic: The Fighters, I realized I didn’t have the energy to stand in any more crowds, and decided to call it early.

My day ended sooner than I would have liked, but I’m grateful it ended on such a captivating and nostalgic note. As I rode the Pink Line back to my hostel, I had nothing but anticipation for what Saturday would bring.