Music fans line up to get into Riot Fest on Friday, Sept. 20 in Douglass Park. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc/for Chronicle Media)

Riot Fest Chicago 2024 opened on Friday, Sept. 20 with banner weather for the first of three consecutive festival days at Douglass (Anna and Frederick) Park in North Lawndale and Pilsen.

Choices to see at Riot Fest 2024 included Fall Out Boy, Public Enemy, Beck, Sum 41, State Champs, Hot Mulligan, People R Ugly, The Aces, Buzzcocks, Dat_Boy_Zach, Slayer and NOFX, a final farewell.

Fans arrived before sunrise for the Friday opener. Katie Hutton of Downers Grove was part of a first group in line who had a strategy to see Fall Out Boy.

Fall Out Boy, featuring Patrick Stump, formerly of Glenview, performed at 8:15 p.m. on the Cabaret Metro Stage.

People participate in a mosh pit at Riot Fest in Douglass Park. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc/for Chronicle Media)

Hutton and friends arrived at 5:50 a.m. Riot Fest is, “not our first festival, we know what we’re doing. I want to be in line for merch,” Hutton said, maybe wanting first dibs on certain festival merchandise.

Patrick Stump of @falloutboy went to Glenbrook South High School in Glenview and is of the Titans Class of 2002.

Hutton was aware that Stump was from Chicagoland.

Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy performs. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc/for Chronicle Media)

“Even though they say they’re from Chicago, I’m like, ‘No, that’s like me saying I’m from Chicago.’ We’re from the suburbs,” Hutton said.

To Stump, Hutton said good naturedly with a smile, “You’re a suburbanite, Patrick, stop saying you’re from Chicago.”

Amaya Aguinaga of Brighton Park was also among people who were at the top of the Friday line to get in at the gate. Aguinaga arrived at 7:45 a.m. and was here mainly to see Fall Out Boy.

About Stump, “I think it’s cool because I grew up in Chicago, so it’s like he’s my brother or something like that, family from a different family,” Aguinaga said with a smile.

Zak Dossi of People R Ugly performs on the Rise Stage. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc/for Chronicle Media)

As the day went on at the opener, there were more people being carried mosh-pit style to the stage.

Compliant security personnel were on hand to receive crowd surfers off the sea of people to make sure they safely got down past fencing to exit from the photo pit.

Hutton and friends planned to stay all day in their campout spot until Fall Out Boy came on. They were up for the challenge to wait out the midday sunny near 90-degree weather until after the 6:50 p.m. sunset.

“I love it,” Hutton said.

When Stump appeared on stage that evening, Stump told the packed audience, “It’s really great to be home.”

Visit www.riotfest.org.