DOUGLASS PARK (WBBM Newsradio) -- Weather was the accidental headliner for this year's Riot Fest, but most of the people waiting to get into the music festival on its third day were smiling through the rain.
"Since 1:00 am, we've been out here!" said one fan of the band Pierce the Veil, who was clustered with friends Sunday morning at the front of the gates to Douglass Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Dr. "My fingers are all pruned up, we're just absolutely soaked and everything, but for Pierce the Veil, as long as they put on a show, it's worth it."
Promoters of the show delayed Sunday's official start to give the rain a chance to move off to the east, and they cut Saturday's shows short as rain moved in. But fans lined up along Ogden Avenue in spite of the weather and the late start to keep their place - and hopefully snag a prized spot near the stage.
"I get to see Pierce the Veil ... so I don't care," said one fan, whose purple hair and colorful shirt were shrouded by a clear plastic emergency-type poncho. "We ballin', we chillin', we feeling great, you know? Like, who cares, it's rain!"
Rain wasn't the only discomfort some fans faced. One Riot Fest attendee named Cortez took the Metra from his home in East Chicago to Millennium Station, and walked an hour and a half to get to Douglass Park, for what he said was his first concert ever.
"I've been working nonstop to afford the tickets, so I deserve it;" he said as rain soaked his blue and grey checked hoodie. "You're gonna be in Chicago, you got to expect some rain."
It appeared most fans did expect rain, relying on ponchos and old shoes to protect them from the elements. And while spirits seemed high along the line, one woman at the front expressed a moment of discomfort: "We're all just really wet and we just want to go home."
Weather forces delay in 3rd day of Douglass Park festival
Weather forces delay in 3rd day of Douglass Park festival
