Riot Fest 2025 in Chicago, headlined by Green Day, has sparked online discussion after a disturbing incident was shared by a fan on Reddit.
Fan alleges wife was groped during Green Day concert
In a post that quickly gained attention, one fan described how his wife was groped during the Idles performance before Green Day’s headlining set near the barricade.
“To the jackass who groped my wife by the Riot Fest barricade… It was during Idles,” the fan wrote. “I told you off because I thought you just accidentally bumped her trying to squeeze your way to the rail. You backed off, which was smart. Turns out, she just told me you groped her chest – as in, full-on squeezed.”
The fan added that he didn’t realize what had happened until after leaving the park, but issued a warning to the alleged perpetrator:
“If I see you at a Green Day show EVER again, I will toss you straight over that railing. So yeah, probably best you stay home next time.”
Other fans quickly expressed sympathy in the comments. One wrote, “Damn this is really sad. I’m sorry you and your wife had to go through this. Hope you have a better time at the next concert you go to 🙏.” Another added, “Oof. It can be hard being a woman in the scene. I’m sorry that happened to her.”
Beyond the alleged assault, several fans used the thread to voice frustrations about crowd behavior at this year’s Riot Fest. Many described the atmosphere as chaotic and inconsiderate.
“That crowd was some of the worst etiquette I’ve ever seen—so sorry this happened,” one commenter said. Another wrote, “For a punk festival it had the absolute worst crowd pit-wise. I stayed in the back tonight because being up close for blink and Weezer was hell with how many people pushing and shoving me… No one cared about personal space, and apparently everyone in Chicago had ‘a friend’ at the front of the barricade.”
Riot Fest has not publicly responded to the incident.
The fan’s post adds to ongoing conversations in the live music community about safety, harassment, and concert etiquette, with many calling for stronger crowd management and zero tolerance for misconduct.
