Of course, the music remains the main attraction, and this year's bill continued to enhance the festival's reputation as one not to be missed. Riot Fest put on events in Toronto and Denver this year, but Chicago remained the main one with 85 acts playing on five stages. There was something for everyone with punk mainstays, alternative offerings, veteran rockers, classic rappers and local bands. The Replacements reunion created the biggest buzz, but there were many worthy acts to see.

X

You can go one of two ways at Riot Fest, either hang back from stages in order to be mobile enough to see as many bands as desired or camp out at the front of a stage to see a few favorites up close. We used the latter strategy with sights set on Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Friday, Public Enemy Saturday and The Replacements Sunday.

X

On Friday, after taking cursory glances at Hatebreed and Last False Hope (which was more than enough in the case of the former), we staked our claim against the barrier in front of the Rock Stage. Screeching Weasel played a compelling punk set, which captured the ideal of the music and festival, and included "Guest List," "Supermarket Fantasy," "I'm Gonna Strangle You," "Cindy's on Methadone," "Veronica Hates Me," "My Right" and "Cool Kids." Likeable frontman Ben Weasel wasn't afraid to be himself. He railed agianst the "punk intelligentsia" which he said deems it uncool to wear your own band's t-shirt and cover The Ramones. After issuing a disclaimer that the only reason he wasn't wearing a Screeching Weasel t-shirt was because cool temperatures made a long-sleeve shirt more practical, Weasel and his band tore into a crowd-pleasing "Teenage Lobotomy" by The Ramones. I always love seeing a band pay tribute to its heroes, and Weasel's comments beforehand turned what could have been interpreted as a cliché into an act of rebellion. The singer wasn't done addressing the crowd. He called it an honor to play on the same stage as Joan Jett and then expressed admiration for Fall Out Boy, which took a pounding on social media for not being good enough for Riot Fest. Weasel said his positive Facebook comments about the band were viewed as an ironic joke, but that wasn't the case. "I was sincere," he said. Truth be told, Riot Fest could use more such confrontation that makes people think.

X

A large crowd streamed to the stage for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. It included many girls and young women, who started a "Joan Jett" chant before the show. Jett took the stage bopping and clapping even before the first song, which turned out to be "TMI" -- a railing against sharing too much information on social media. It's one of the best songs from her new album, Unvarnished. She chose to feature the release, also playing "Fragile," "Make It Back," "Soulmates to Strangers" (with guest Laura Jane Grace) and "Any Weather" at the expense of bowling over the large audience with a career-spanning punch. However, longtime staples "Cherry Bomb," "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)," "Bad Reputation," "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," "Crimson & Clover" and "I Hate Myself for Loving You" left the crowd buzzing.

X

Everything about Danzig was big -- his voice, hair, biceps, voice and demon-skull belt buckle. His set proved most alive when he brought it hard with his vocals, which showed why he was celebrating his 25th anniversary as a performer. A ballad was unnecessary and boring. We checked on Fall Out Boy on the way out. The local heroes drew a huge crowd, but the light music didn't keep our attention and we soon filtered through the exit onto Division Street.

X

While X boasts more credentials than most of the festival's bands (its first two albums are ranked in the top 500 all-time by Rolling Stone), it received only an early afternoon slot Saturday. That didn't seem to bother the band a bit. The punk quartet clearly relished playing in front of a sizeable, attentive crowd, and even started its set nearly 10 minutes early before careening from one rocking song to another. With John Doe swinging his bass like an oil rig, Billy Zoom stood virtually still, grinning as he ripped off riffs as tightly wound around Doe's bass lines as twine. Drummer D.J. Bonebrake propelled the rockabilly rhythm while Exene Cervenka stood in the center with commanding presence, leaning into her vocals with spitfire. X hasn't put out a new studio album in 20 years, but it played old favorites such as "Your Phone's Off the Hook, But You're Not," "Sex and Dying in High Society," "Los Angeles," "The World's a Mess," "It's in My Kiss," and "Johnny Hit and Run Paulene" with a passion that belied their age.

X

Dinosaur Jr. followed with its large, heavy sound. Flanked by a wall of Marshall speakers, J Mascis pumped out cutting drones with his Fender guitar accompanied by drawling vocals. Even at high volume, the sound had a hypnotizing effect over time.

X

A visit to DeVotchKa's set saw music containing an acoustic guitar, fiddle, accordion, horns and standup bass that was a perfect match for the late afternoon with the sun heading down. Instead of crowd surfing, a common occurrence throughout the weekend, a dancing circle broke out near the stage.

X

It was hard to pass on Blondie, but I've seen Debbie Harry and the boys three times and I had to finally check out Public Enemy. It turned out to be a good call. The rappers gave the best performance I saw of the weekend and one of the best I've seen in my life. It was a thrilling set of physical and musical explosiveness, powerful hip-hop movement combined with serious social messages delivered with fury and fun. Provocative poet Chuck D led the charge with authority with Flavor Flav by his side pumping up the beat and message with kinetic energy. Professor Griff and DJ Lord aided the cause with words and beats, respectively. The setlist mixed the old with the new and included classics "Rebel Without a Pause," "911 is a Joke," "Welcome to the Terrordome," "Bring the Noise," "Don't Believe the Hype," "Shut 'Em Down" and "Fight The Power." The end of the performance saw Flav work his way through the front of the crowd before returning to the stage with some kids and denouncing racism and separatism. This show had everything, realizing the full potential of rap. It deserved to be put in a time capsule and sent to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

X

We caught the home stretch of the Violent Femmes' set in front of a large crowd Saturday night. In this case, the transformation came on the stage with the band saying the show before so many people made them rediscover how much they like playing music. A check on Blink-182 produced the same reaction we had to Fall Out Boy, and we called it a day.

X

Sunday was going to challenge concertgoers' endurance to begin with, but rain tested even the most enthusiastic. A mid-afternoon performance by Peelander-Z provided a perfect antidote to the dreary weather. Its members' colorful Japanese comic book personas are fun to start with, but then the musicians take the good times higher with a pretensionless shtick that includes banging on pots and inviting audience members to play their instruments. Every concertgoer should see them at least once.

X

Bob Mould shrugged off the rain and played a no-nonsense, guitar-dominated set to an appreciative, soaked audience. Veteran punkers Suicidal Tendencies had me with their relentless energy, but lost me when they turned to skateboarding as a metaphor for life.

X

For the second year in a row, local garage rockers White Mystery gave a galvanizing performance. Alex White played the part of guitar hero while her brother, Francis, matched her intensity by banging his kit into oblivion. The end of the show saw him throwing up a cymbal for a midair swat and wearing a drum on his head.

X

Thousands bypassed The Pixies to wait in the mud to claim a close spot for The Replacements, or at least what's left of them in frontman Paul Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinson. Chicago holds a special place in Replacements lore as the place where they played their final concert on July 4, 1991 in Grant Park. I was at that one, which saw the show end with each member passing his instrument to a roadie to finish "Hootenanny." Westerberg and Stinson regrouped for Riot Fest after coming together to record a benefit EP for former bandmate Slim Dunlap. This was their second show after playing three weeks earlier in Toronto. For the most part, the much-ballyhooed reunion kept nostalgia at a distance and lived up to expectations. The execution of a 26-song setlist walked the line between the materials' fine songcraft and the band's legendary loose performances. Westerberg trashed a stage clock, chided guitarist Dave Minehan for sounding like The Cure and messed up some lyrics. In other words, it was a vintage Replacements show. Songs played included "Takin' a Ride," "I Don't Know," "Achin' to Be," "I Will Dare," "Merry Go Round," "Left of the Dial," "Alex Chilton," "Swingin' Party," "Waitress in the Sky," "Can't Hardly Wait" and "Bastards of Young" with an encore of "Hold My Life" and "I.O.U." A cover of Hank Williams Sr.'s "Hey Good Lookin'," which was played at their breakup show 22 years earlier, was tacked to the end of "Androgynous."

XX

Beyond the music, Riot Fest fosters a good vibe by not turning its grounds into a big corporate ad. The carnival, street performers, fire twirlers and pro wresting all add to the festival's experience. A few things can be improved. This year, no postcard-size maps and schedules were available, a major faux pas. The configuration of food vendors near the Rock Stage needed to be located further from the stage. Crowds there for Joan Jett and Public Enemy overwhelmed the area. Also, it's one thing for a Magic Hat beer to cost $7. It's just plain wrong for a PBR to be $7, too.

X

That said, Riot Fest has become a can't-miss event for music lovers. After all, you can't beat a festival that includes a butter sculpture of John Stamos.