Brian Hendrickson, 29, of St. Paul, Minn.(01 of11)
Open Image ModalBand you are/were most excited to see? Danzig. They were incredible.And on Friday the 13th, no less! It was kinda perfect.What's the craziest thing you've seen today? It was kind of fun to see Masked Intruder just walking around and interviewing people. (credit:Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post)
James, 24, Morris, Ill.(02 of11)
Open Image ModalBand you are/were most excited to see? Blink-182 and a bunch of shit, really.And your biggest Riot Fest surprise? The Butter Stamos is intense. (credit:Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post)
Nick and Tara, 25 and 24, Bismarck, N.D.(03 of11)
Open Image ModalDid you guys fly here? Well, we flew from Bismarck to Minneapolis and Minneapolis to here. Band you are/were most excited to see? Rancid! We've never seen them before.What's the craziest thing you've seen here at Riot Fest? Tara: We saw those zombie girls, and we saw some people fighting over cabs last night.Yikes, was it pretty intense? Intense for us. We've never been to a big city like this so it's crazy. (credit:Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post)
Cynthia Ferrerya, 41, South Beach Miami(04 of11)
Open Image ModalBand you are/were most excited to see? The Selector and Danzig with Doyle was out of hand. They played a slow song -- "How the Gods Kill" and I melted. And Joan Jett was unbelievable. I'm looking forward to seeing Blondie too.Biggest surprise of the fest? How many people are here this year! It's awesome. Everyone in Chicago is really cool and open, plus the park is beautiful with the trees and everything. (credit:Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post)
Kameron, 18, San Francisco(05 of11)
Open Image ModalBand you are/were most excited to see? Brand New. It's amazing that they're here. They never tour and are very private as a band. Their being here is part of why I jumped on this so quickly. Everything else is a bonus. I didn't realize how much rich history there is to Riot Fest until I started looking into it before the fest. It's incredible.Craziest thing you've seen? The sideshow acts are great. I saw a guy juggling fire who was great. (credit:Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post)
Brendan, 34, Ravenswood (Chicago)(06 of11)
Open Image ModalBand you are/were most excited to see? Public Enemy. But I mainly came for the people watching.Has that lived up to your expectation? It's been great! There are some really weird people here and I like it.Biggest surprises of the festival? The smaller stages have been great and I like their feel. The Interrupters were fantastic. Sort of punk-ska. I'd totally go see them again. (credit:Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post)
Anna, Chicago Heights(07 of11)
Open Image ModalHow old are you? I feel so old! 22.You're not old. Band you're most excited to see? Brand New and Fall Out Boy! All the pop-punk basically. How did you like Fall Out Boy? Amazing! They had to stop two song into their set because of the crowd.What's the craziest thing you've seen here? The outfits! Let's just say there were some very short shorts and a tank top on a much bigger person. (credit:Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post)
Mike Maerz (center), 38, Humboldt Park (Chicago)(08 of11)
Open Image ModalSo, you got to walk here? Yep, exactly!Band you are/were most excited to see?Rancid. And Violent Femmes.Biggest surprise of the fest? The amount of people. It's at least a third more people than last year. I'm not sure if it's word of mouth or if they promoted it differently. (credit:Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post)
Brooke (left) and Amanda, 20 and 23, Ohio(09 of11)
Open Image ModalCan't you tell we're sisters?I see it, totally! Band you are/were most excited to see? B: Brand New. I will cry. I have five favorite bands and four of them were playing Riot Fest -- until Say Anything dropped out, so now it's three. Still not bad!Biggest surprise at the fest so far? B: I grew up in Chicago so I really can't be surprised in an environment like this. A: Actually, the carnival. I was surprised by how much of a real carnival it is. It's sweet. (credit:Joseph Erbentraut/The Huffington Post)
Tronny, 45 (left) and Shari, 43 (right), Decatur, Ill.(10 of11)
Open Image ModalBand you are/were most excited to see? Tronny: PixiesShari: Violent FemmesWhat's the craziest thing you've seen today? Tronny: A guy with Christmas lights on his pants. Shari: The porta potties! Things were ... piled up [makes the shape of a mountain].GROSS! What'd you do?Shari: I went to a different one, that's for sure!Overall impressions of Riot Fest?Tronny: It's an awesome lineup. I give it a 5/5.Shari: I'd change the beer ticketing. You have to get seven tickets for a beer that costs $7 or $8, so you end up with like, 60 tickets just to get a few drinks. (credit:Kim Bellware/Huffington Post)
Pete, 52, Chicago(11 of11)
Open Image Modal[Pete didn't want to be photographed so we took this creepshot of a guy dressed as Gumby using the Porta Potties as a stand-in]Band you are/were most excited to see? I'm waiting in the rain to see the Pixies.What's the craziest thing you've seen today? These mimes or Japanese outfits. People dressed really strange. Anything you'd change about Riot Fest?I'd plant more grass [in the park.] Also, I wish Kim Deal [of the Pixies] were here. (credit:Kim Bellware/Huffington Post)