I feel like there are two types of people out there: those who always check the setlists before the show to know what’s coming and those who want to be completely surprised by what they’re about to hear. There’s rarely an in between.

Personally, I’ve always been a setlist guy. I want to know what songs have been played at shows leading up to the one I’m going to. That way, I can have an understanding of what to expect. If I know what’s coming, I won’t be let down if they don’t end up playing my favorite song. I can be prepared ahead of time, and manage my expectations. Not only is checking out setlists good for developing a sense of what to expect, it can also help you find time to go to the bathroom or run and get a cold one during the show. There’s truly nothing worse than deciding to go to the bathroom, then as you’re standing in line you hear the first few notes of your favorite song start to play. The worst!

What You Missed

If you’re anything like me, you might appreciate a full setlist from Riff Fest 2023. So, I decided to lend a hand and share what you may have missed this year. Below you’ll find the full setlist from not just the headliners, but every act at Riff Fest this year. That means I Prevail, Bad Omens, Rival Sons, Badflower, Giovannie and the Hired Guns, Des Rocs, Tigercub, BRKN LOVE, and Frame 42.

A special thank you to everyone who came out to Riff Fest this year! It was one for the books, that’s for sure. We couldn’t have asked for a better day of rock and roll, and we got so lucky with the weather. It was perfect. I had the pleasure of meeting several new friends at Riff Fest this year. We even got to play some fun games with people on video. Check out ‘Riff Fest Unnecessary Censorship‘ and ‘Damn All These Birds.’If you were unable to join us, check out the picture gallery Meltdown put together here!

Check out the setlists below and share them with your friends!

Riff Fest 2023 Setlists

• Frame 42

  1. Pit Crew

  2. Thicker Than Blood

  3. Intoxicate

  4. Ramona

  So proud of Frame 42, they crushed it on the Festival Stage! Every Sunday, from 9pm-10pm on 101 WRIF, I co-host Motor City Riffs with Nate, and Frame 42 is one of the local bands we’ve played and put the spotlight on, and it was great to see them rock in person!

• BRKN LOVE

  1. Dead Weight

  2. Like A Drug

  3. Complicated

  4. Little Black Box

  5. Flies in the Honey

  6. War Pigs (Black Sabbath cover)

  7. Shot Down

  It was great to see BRKN LOVE take on the Festival Stage, too! They brought great energy to the show.

• Tigercub

  1. Swoon

  2. Show Me My Maker

  3. Play My Favourite Song

  4. The Perfume of Decay

  5. Shadowgraph

  6. Stop Beating on My Heart (Like a Bass Drum)

  7. Beauty (Extended outro)

  WRIF’s Al Beck had a terrific on-air interview with Tigercub before they took the festival stage. They seem like great dudes, and were cracking me up. However, on stage…it was all business, baby.

• Des Rocs

  1. Wayne

  2. Used to the Darkness

  3. Maybe, I

  4. Nowhere Kid

  5. Never Ending Moment

  6. I Am The Lightning

  7. HVY MTL DRMR

  8. Let Me Live / Let Me Die

  I had the honor of introducing Des Rocs to the Festival Stage, and he jammed! It was my first time seeing him, and people have told me that he puts on a rad show, and they weren’t kidding. He tore it up. Hear what he had to say to Steve Black here.

• Giovannie and the Hired Guns

  1. Bad Habits (With Cowboys from Hell intro)

  2. I Don’t Mind

  3. Rock and Roll, Part 2 (Gary Glitter cover)

  4. Overrated

  5. Ramon Ayala

  Giovannie and the Hired Guns was the first act to take the Main Stage at Riff Fest. One of my favorite performances of the day. Check out Giovannie’s interview with WRIF’s Steve Black here!

• Badflower

  1. Don’t Hate Me

  2. Johnny Wants To Fight

  3. Fukboi

  4. Heroin

  5. The Jester

  6. Ghost

  7. Stalker

  8. 30

  I was stoked to see Badflower, and they did not disappoint. They’re great dudes, and put on a show that’s just as great. Check out their conversation with Meltdown here!

• Rival Sons

  1. Mirrors

  2. Open My Eyes

  3. Do Your Worst

  4. Sweet Life

  5. Pressure and Time

  6. Darkside

  7. Secret

  I got to attend the intimate VIP experience they put on for a select group of fans, and it was incredible. Awesome to compare what they do on stage, to the acoustic set. Very different vibes…but equally as awesome. Check out their interview with Meltdown here!

• Bad Omens

  1. ARTIFICIAL SUICIDE

  2. Like a Villain

  3. The Grey

  4. Glass Houses

  5. What do you want from me?

  6. Nowhere to Go

  7. Broken Youth

  8. Limits

  9. Take Me First

  10. THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND

  11. Just Pretend

  12. Dethrone

  Bad Omens had Pine Knob going crazy! They had a really cool set-up on stage and I really dug their performance. Meltdown talked to Jolly from Bad Omens about TikTok and more, check it out here!

• I Prevail

  1. Bow Down

  2. Body Bag

  3. Self-Destruction

  4. Bad Things

  5. Come and Get It (With Limp Bizkit “Break Stuff” intro)

  6. Hurricane

  7. There’s Fear in Letting Go

  8. Chop Suey! (System of a Down cover) (Shortened before transitioning into FWYTK after the first chorus)

  9. FWYTYK

  10. Breaking Down

  11. Deep End

  12. Judgement Day (With Slayer “Raining Blood” intro)

  13. Choke (With Deftones “My Own Summer” intro)

  14. Scars

  Encore:

  15. Gasoline

  I Prevail was the perfect choice to close out the show. It was my first time seeing them, and the pyrotechnics were insane in the best way possible. It was so cool to watch. Proud of our local guys! You can see their interview with Meltdown here.

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