REVIEW: Chicago Open Air Festival

On the weekend of July 15, 2016, all hell broke loose. Picture it: Bridgeview, Illinois, in Toyota Park..the Chicago Open Air Festival took over the area for three days of music, metal, and mayhem. A total of forty-two bands annihilated crowds on two stages for the first ever festival of its kind, and fans and bands from all corners of the world came into town for what could easily be seen as the best metal festival in the States of the year. Even Rammstein chose this such occasion as their only US stop in 2016. This DWP production not only had one of the greatest lineups in the history of festival goodness ever, it also had killer gourmet man food and craft beers. There was truly something for everyone to snack and sip on while their eardrums took very welcome beatings from the stages. Vendors such as Monster, Zippo, F#ck Cancer, as well were on hand to help enhance the experience. And, it was easy to see from the faces in the crowd, a good time was had by all, all weekend long.

Day one, Friday, July 15, was an intense day full of unknown trepidation, yet a lot of intense excitement and wide-eyed wonder for many. Not fucking around, Chicago Open Air Festival came out swinging with Through Fire out of Nebraska. For many, it would be easy to understand if the band was a little bit overwhelmed, since they were the openers for the festival, but Through Fire showed up and showed out; they were truly ready for the task. The fans were also ready and willing to get their faces ripped off, packing the place as they showed up in droves at the “early” morning hour of 11:30. Not to be outdone, The Butcher Babies took the stage next with their very perfected and damn near flawless, raw in-your-face metal that only they can deliver. Those two stages were packed to the gills with talent on the first day, and it was easy to see that this festival would be unlike any other. In This Moment, Meshuggah, and Ministry kicked ass and took names on that first day. There were two standout moments for me on day one. First, by now you have all heard of Mr. John Hetlinger and seen the video of him singing “Bodies” on America’s Got Talent. On day one, the crowd of raging, screaming fans got the absolute joy of witnessing Mr. Hetlinger dominate the stage and closing out Drowning Pool’s set by performing “Bodies” with the band. It was mesmerizing to see this little old guy up there, mic gripped in his hand, guttural growls rolling out of him while the fans cheered him on and sang every word back to him. It was incredible, and I’ve never seen anything like it. The biggest highlight of day one, as far as I am concerned, was Rammstein. Again, making their only US stop in 2016, the Chicago Open Air festival goers were baptized in fire as the men of Rammstein ended the night by burning the place to the ground. The crowd meandered out of the park, drenched in sweat and dirt, some stumbling more than others, and got ready to head out and rest up for the orgy of madness that day two could bring. It’d be hard to top day one, but I was certain Chicago Open Air would do their best to try.

On Saturday, July 16, rising out of the Rammstein ashes, day two took flight like a phoenix with City of the Weak. Like an alarm clock set to “wake the fuck up”, Stef with an f and the boys woke the crowd up from their day one comas with loads of energy and ear splitting rock. I was afraid Stef would knock herself into a rock and roll concussion by smashing her head on the box; she rocks out harder than most of the men on that stage! Silver Snakes and Miss May I took the stage throughout the day and left the fans wanting more. The second stage closed out with Gojira, easily one of the best bands in metal today. Just one day after yet another senseless tragedy in their country, the band from France did not disappoint and came to spread their message of metal love for all in this crazy world. Joe Duplantier addressed the crowd to speak out against violence. The theme of his speech was: “Knock it off and just love each other.” The crowd surely seemed to agree and showed Gojira all of the love that a massive audience of metal lovers can muster. It was a sight to behold and a moment not soon to be forgotten. Breaking Benjamin completely took over the main stage as one of the last three acts of the night. One of the best things about the new and improved Breaking Benjamin is the talent that singer Benjamin Burnley has surrounded himself with. Keith Wallen takes over vocals, as does Aaron Bruch – both sing covers as well as Breaking Benjamin originals – and it’s easy to see that the frontman is not the only one in the band with the vocal chops. Their performance lit up the stage and geared up the crowd for the next act, Korn. It seems Korn who has not missed a beat in the time they’ve been on tour. Jonathan Davis sounds as good as he ever did, and their new song, “Rotting in Vain” kills it. The band clearly enjoys playing together, and it was easy to see the crowd missed some good Korn rocking. Hometown boys, Disturbed, ended day two, and man oh man, I didn’t think I’d see the day that a band could handle following a closing act like Rammstein from the night before. But, Draiman and the fellas did just that and then some. Watching a crowd of 10,000 people with their “Ten Thousand Fists in the Air” was the best way I could imagine the night to end. What would day three bring??

Sunday, July 17, brought the close to the festival, but not without twelve hours of additional metal and debauchery. Sunday morning brought rain showers by the bucket full, and it was unsure what the future of the day would hold. Around 10 am, the skies cleared, and one of my favorites, Gemini Syndrome, got ready to light the place up. And, they did a great job of keeping the rain at bay; they definitely let Mother Nature know that Chicago Open Air was not a festival to be fucked with. Jim Breuer and his band, The Loud and Rowdy, played their first ever performance on day three, and I was surprised at how well Jim can sing!! The songs were metal mixed with a side of comedy. While the crowd chuckled with devil horns in the air, it wasn’t certain if we were at a comedy show or a metal fest. Who says you can’t have both?! The rain stayed away all day until the night time hours, and bands like Upon a Burning Body, All That Remains, and Killswitch Engage tore it up, making Sunday the heaviest day of the festival. Marilyn Manson and Five Finger Death Punch held our hands and ripped us through to the end of the night, dropping us all off at the Slipknot’s door. Fortunately for us, Slipknot was waiting to completely kick our teeth in and rock us until we begged for mercy. We could tell it was painful for Corey Taylor to not be able to kick and jump around, as he usually does, since he was recovering from surgery. But, he didn’t let that stop him from managing the stage like a lion on the prowl. Slipknot sent us all home a little battered, a little bruised, but more rocked than we’d ever been from one of the best festivals ever to grace a stage in this country. Ever. Metal fans from all over the world, from all races and creeds, moshed, danced, sang, growled, and rocked together – at the end of it all, we didn’t just walk away from each other… moshers hugged it out in the pit, exchanged numbers and whatever those crazy kids do today to keep in touch, and that’s what the world needs now: metal, love, and just enough of the good kind of crazy to keep it all together.

For more information on Chicago Open Air, visit www.ChicagoOpenAir.com.

Chicago Open Air sponsors include: Monster Energy, Jack Daniel’s, f.y.e., Dyin 2 Live / Fxck Cancer, Take Me Home Animal Rescue, El Jimador Tequila, The Music Experience, Roadrunner Records, Century Media Records and more to be announced.