If the Boston working class punk band Street Dogs do anything well, its play anthems that cause fists to pump in the air, and encourage circle pits that take up most of the floor. The band opened the set with the class war inciting “Not Without a Purpose,” and singer Mike McColgan spent the beginning portion of the set jumping off monitors in front of the stage. They slowed things down with the prayerful “Final Transmission,” which McColgan dedicated, as always, to the men and women in the Armed Forces. McColgan declared mid set that a travesty of justice had been committed by the International Olympic Committee when they gave the 2016 Olympic games to Rio. “I’ve never been to Brazil,” McColgan said. “But Chicago is the greatest American city.” Circle pits became fast, strong and huge during party anthems like “Tobe’s Got a Drinking Problem” and “In Defense of Dorchester,” McColgan’s tribute to the neighborhood where he grew up. They closed out the show with “Drink Tonight” and McColgan jumped into the crowd at the finish of the song and people carried him to the far back of The Congress. L.A. based NOFX closed out Saturday night at The Congress with a good mix of old and new songs, starting off with “Linoleum,” off their break though album “Punk in Drublic.” Lead vocalist Fat Mike spent the entirety of the show dressed as a grease painted, dirty and mildly terrifying clown. NOFX played a few new songs including “Cokie The Clown” which Mike said was the first time they played it live. Video, shot by Alternative Press. Midway through the set Alkaline Trio front man Matt Skiba stormed the stage brandishing a novelty lapel flower and attempted, but failed, to douse Mike. A second attempt minutes later yielded success. Alkaline Trio closed Riot Fest on Sunday night at The Congress. NOFX made sure to throw in a few classics like “Rico” and “Kill All The White Man.” The band finished their set by dancing to “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” from the adult-themed puppet musical “Avenue Q.” Closing out with someone else’s song and dance was a ballsy move, but an encore would have been nice.
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