Chicago’s three-day, punk-rock carnival was host to Slayer, Jawbreaker, Raconteurs, Patti Smith, Rise Against, Bob Mould, Rancid, Bikini Kill, Lucero, the Struts, and more. Here are our favorite guitar-related moments from the 15th annual gathering.
Lucero’s Ben Nichols
Quite possibly the man who writes the saddest songs at Riot Fest kicked his feet up and had a helluva good time with his dancing partner—an Epiphone Sheraton II. In our 2015 Rig Rundown, we found out that: “At the end of the day, Nichols appreciates how it sounds, how it plays, and that if something ever were to happen to it, he could go to a local guitar store and replace it without taking out a loan. He actually records with the Sheraton II rather than the higher-end, fancier cousin ES-335. Like Venable, he uses Ernie Ball Slinkys .011–.048 strings.”
featured-storiesgwarthe-raconteursbob-mouldgear-galleriesguided-by-voicesartistsanthraxguitaristslenny-kayewhats-newbassistscherry-glazerrbloc-partyflaming-lipsglassjawspecial-featured-storiesdashboard-confessionalmanchester-orchestraagainst-merise-againstalex-skolnickrideluceroslayerthe-strutstestament
![Rig Rundown: Steve Vai [2023]](https://www.premierguitar.com/media-library/rig-rundown-steve-vai-2023.jpg?id=38640211&width=600&height=400&quality=85&coordinates=0%2C0%2C200%2C0)