DS Exclusive: People of Riot Fest — Stories from the Grounds

Riot Fest, celebrating its 20th year in 2025, is most publicly about the bands on stage. But so often, the much more compelling stories are found on the grounds of the music festival’s home in Douglass Park. Here are a few of those stories.

Love and Heartbreak at the Riot Fest Wedding Chapel

Olivia Beck married her husband, David Martin Beck, [03.11.1982 -12.14.2023] at the Riot Fest Wedding Chapel in 2022. The following year, her husband was tragically killed in a confrontation in his apartment building. This year, Beck paid tribute to him by scattering some of his ashes beside and in front of the wedding chapel. She also left a framed photo of her husband. Being a young widow with a child is challenging, but Beck is determined to carry the spirit of her husband forward as she knows he would hope for and expect of her. 

Olivia: David and I met at this dive bar in San Antonio called the Texan 2. Its the grossest bar ever, and he worked there forever. He made me cry the first time I met and he laughed. I found it funny eventually. He then invited me and my ex over for a game of Magic The Gathering, so we met because we were nerds. This was in 2018.

His favorite bands were Bad Religion, Senses Fail, Rise Against, and Thrice. He was a through-and-through punk, and I loved that. He introduced me to a lot of bands, so we had similar tastes in music. Some of my favorites are NOFX, Bad Religion, and Less Than Jake. I have those on repeat a lot. 

Our honeymoon at Riot Fest was EXHAUSTING. It was hot that year, and we walked so much! My veil flew off after we married, and a homeless man caught it. The dude offered it back only if we gave him $20, which David gladly did. The last day, we were ready to start our lives back in our hometown. 

When I lost my husband, I was 2 months pregnant. We tried for a year to get pregnant, and so we were extremely ecstatic. My stepdaughter, Ellie, was also excited to be a big sister. When David was murdered, [Shawn Pivonka was charged with murder, but the trial ended with a not guilty verdict] I succumbed to a deep depression and almost attempted suicide. I had to be in the mental hospital for 2 weeks, and honestly, dealing with that mental anguish and witnessing everything was much harder than labor and birth itself. I lost all hope, but I eventually went on to support myself and my unborn baby until I was 9 months pregnant as a bartender.

When we received the verdict (not guilty), it felt like losing David all over again. I rarely ate, and I slept all week. I kept going over all the “what ifs?” “What if I was outside when his life was taken? Could I have done something? Could all of this have been prevented, and we’d be in a timeline where our family is all together as one?” 

Spreading his ashes was cathartic. To be honest, I almost didn’t go to Chicago because I didn’t feel strong enough, but I could hear David yelling at me, “YOU SPEND THAT MONEY, GET YOUR ASS UP THERE, BABY!” I was nervous about breaking down and crying, but it actually felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders. People recognized me and gave me their condolences – and these were people I’ve never even met, from all over the world. I was afraid of being alone, but I certainly wasn’t. 

This Riot Fest was more than I could ever have asked for. I went in with NO expectations. Last year, I fell in love with someone, the first person I ever had feelings for after losing David. We had such a strong connection that we made plans to go to Riot Fest together. Things didn’t work out, and we had a falling out. Well, as the universe would have it, I ran into him at the festival, and he told me that he had been looking for me and that he’d been missing me every day. We rekindled a close friendship, and we saw all the bands together. He even put me on his shoulders at Green Day, and it was magical. On top of that, I made new friends from NY and California. Everyone seemed drawn to me this year, [Beck had posted in an unofficial Riot Fest-related Facebook group about her plans to spread David’s ashes]. I feel like it was David’s spirit making sure that I was okay and had fun

Brothers in Arms Together Again

Sean Elliot [left, in the above photo, and Robert Taylor] first became friends more than three decades ago as young soldiers in the United States Army. After having lost touch for decades, they reconnected and reunited at Riot Fest. Here is their story:

Sean: I moved a lot as a kid but settled here and went to Downers Grove North with Mike Vinikour [featured in Dying Scene in 2023] joined the army because I didn’t know what else to do with myself. I always had that rebellious streak, so punk just clicked right away with me. I got stationed at Ft Hood, Texas (about an hour from Austin) after training in 1988. There were not a lot of punks in the army or in Texas in the 80s. Rob and I met at the mall in Killeen (just off base) and immediately became great friends, bonding over our love of punk music and culture. We were in Austin every weekend with some other friends.

After I got out, Rob visited me here in Chicago a few times. But it was pre-Internet, and it was easy to lose a number and contact in those days, which is what happened.

On his role as a veteran in today’s political climate and how being punk plays into that:

I’m not sure if being a punk and being a vet is incongruent or not. That’s probably a question for somebody smarter than me. I don’t think it is because I’m patriotic in the fact that I love what this country is supposed to be and should be, and things like that. [For example] My need to be protective. I am overly protective by nature.

Having served definitely plays into who I am as a man. Although, unlike some people, I don’t make it my entire personality. As a punk and a man, I just tried to move through the world with intent. I lead with kindness and try to know. Make as many people smile in a day, or help as many people in a day as I can…A fairly sizable guy who can handle himself. I try to make sure that I always protect those who aren’t as strong and need protection.

What does Sean love most about his friend and brother by service and by choice:

As far as Rob goes, he’s just an awesome human being. Rarely in a bad mood, we kind of see the world the same way. We’ve always been super close and 3 plus decades in between. Then and now didn’t change any of that. That’s my brother till I’m dead, just a smart. Solid, funny friend I could tell anything to. That dude is Downtown Julie Brown kind of down.

Robert: I grew up in a small Kansas farm town nestled between Topeka and Lawrence called Perry, population 900. My dad served 6 years in the Army and loved every minute of it. He was planning on making a career of it, but the Army had become too undisciplined for him, due to the draft and the Vietnam War. He said that the day he saw a Private with his arm around a Lieutenant, he knew that the Army wasn’t for him anymore. It was decided from the day that I was born that I was going into the Army. I grew up hearing “When you’re in the Army…” my entire childhood. I had a good relationship with my dad and I knew that it was important to him that I serve. Also, I wanted to go to college and the Army was just about my only option to make that happen.

Three days after graduating high school, I was being shipped off to Basic Training. After completing my training in 1987, I was sent to Ft. Hood, TX. Summer of 1988, I had just bought a car and was finally getting away from the barracks in the evenings. I spent a lot of time at the mall in Killeen, because that’s what you did as a teen in the 80’s, and that’s where I met Sean. I’ll never forget, I was walking out of a record store and saw another punk! I didn’t know any other punks at Ft. Hood at that time. We immediately gravitated towards each other. We started talking and Sean asked what I bought at the record store. It was Mama’s and the Papa’s greatest hits, not punk at all, but I had grown up listening to them. When I showed Sean, he said, “My mom’s a hippy, I love the Mama’s and the Papa’s!” I knew immediately that we were going to be good friends…!

Sean got out of the Army in the Summer of 1989, and I still had a year left. We kept in touch, and Summer of 1991, I went to Chicago to visit him. I visited him again on NYE 1993/1994. That was the last time that I had seen and spoken to him. Sean had a wife and daughter, and life just got busy. I was terrible about writing and keeping in touch with people. All of my friends at that time had finished school and were getting married and having kids. I switched majors halfway through college and was focusing on finishing school and starting my life.

Time went on, the internet happened, and then social media. I tried for decades to find Sean online. MySpace, Facebook, Google, PeopleSearch…no luck at all. For whatever reason, a year ago, I was doing my monthly search for Sean when his Facebook profile finally appeared!

We had talked about getting together in July but Sean had suggested Riot Fest. I was all in. Seeing Sean after 31 years was amazing! It’s amazing how you can just pick right back up where you left off with someone.

Being in the Army in the late 80s was…interesting. All my life, I had heard that people loved soldiers, that women loved a man in uniform… but none of it was true. Vietnam was still fresh in everyone’s mind, and people near military towns hated you. I don’t blame them, their town is overrun by 18 to 25 year old shitheads…. The punks, especially, did not understand why I was in the Army.

Post-Active Service, Robert thinks about his role as a retired veteran. Cautiously saying:

My role as a vet today, hmmm. With everything that’s going on in this country today, that would take too long to answer. I’m currently a GIS Analyst for a local government, living in the SF Bay Area. 

Riot Fest was a blast! I had been to the Denver RF for the Misfits reunion, but never to Chicago. I go to Punk Rock Bowling every year, and many of the West Coast Punk in the Parks, so it was nice to be at a midwest fest!

What is the best thing about Sean? The guy has one of the biggest hearts ever, fierce and loyal! We will absolutely stay in touch, and we’re hoping to make RF an annual event!

A Festival Newbie

Riot Fest has also long been the first music festival and even the first concert for many pint-sized punks. Kacie and her husband, Tim (first names only per request), joined that tradition when they brought their one-year-old daughter Madison to Riot Fest 2025.

Kacie: We are from Las Vegas. Kacie and Madison (daughter), husband is Tim. We loved the festival! It was our very first one, have been wanting to go since we saw the lineup a few years ago but didn’t get a chance to until this year. My favorite sets were Weird Al and Green Day!

We decided to bring her because we want to introduce her to lots of different music and activities. She thrives when we’re out of the house, so it was just natural to bring her along. Also, because she was free lol. My husband prefers more of the bands than I do, but it’s always nice to hear new things.

The only other festival we considered taking her to was When We Were Young, but we would have needed to buy a ticket for her. When we saw the lineup for Riot Fest and that we could bring her for free, we went all in.

She did keep the ear protection on when we were closer to the stages, when she was sleeping, and when we were walking around. But when we sat in the shade at the back of the stages, she wouldn’t keep them on.

Judging by the huge smile on Madison’s face, it won’t be long before she is rocking out at another show and maybe even Riot Fest 2026. Start them young!

My favorite quote related to photojournalism has also long acted as a sort of mission statement or modus operandi as a photojournalist. It comes from the legendary William Albert Allard:

I think the best pictures are often on the edges of any situation, I don’t find photographing the situation nearly as interesting as photographing the edges.

Allard is my inspiration to look for the stories from the grounds and not just on the stages at a festival such as Riot Fest. There are so many stories out there, I wish I could share them all.

See you at Riot Fest 2026! Cheers!