Last year, Chicago’s premier punk gathering RiotFest transitioned from a five-day, multi-venue adventure to a three-day, single-venue mohawk exhibition in Humboldt Park.

While I got to see tons of legendary acts like X, Mission Of Burma, and Guided By Voices, there were five performances that were definitely highlights of the weekend.

1. Rancid

Florida ska-punkers Rancid played the third-to-last set of the night on Saturday, and were surely the most enjoyable band of the weekend. I’ve been listening to Rancid since 5th grade, so finally seeing them live was a great experience. They played plenty of classic songs like ‘Time Bomb’ and ‘Ruby Soho’ from their fantastic “…And Out Come The Wolves” album, plus some personal favorites like ‘Fall Back Down’ from Indestructible. With tons of energy and an even more energetic crowd response, Rancid definitely shined as the fest’s standout performance.

2. The Replacements

After a 22-year hiatus, college rock legends The Replacements ended the weekend on Sunday night with a blisteringly groovy set, working their way through tracks spanning their entire catalog. They kicked off the set with ‘Takin’ A Ride’ from their 1981 debut, “Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash!”, and throwing in hits like ‘I Will Dare’ from ‘Let It Be’ and ‘Alex Chilton’ from “Pleased To Meet Me”. Though mainman Paul Westerberg forgot some lyrics on multiple occasions, he and the rest of group seemed to be having an absolute blast throughout the entire set.

3. Brand New

Hailing from New York City and having some of the most dedicated fans on the planet, renowned post-hardcore outfit Brand New delivered an emotionally intense 60-minute set, playing a mixture of songs from their four full-length releases. As a tour stop in the middle of celebrating the ten-year anniversary of their seminal sophomore full-length Deja Entendu, they filled the middle of their set with tracks from the modern classic, with my personal favorite being ‘Okay, I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t.’ At the end of their set, they played a loud and raw version of ‘You Don’t Know’ from “The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me”. I took the opportunity to secure my wallet, phone, and keys in my bag so I could ascend to the top of the crowd and float towards the front of the stage. One of the biggest highlights of the entire weekend (and my entire life) was crowd surfing over a sea of thousands of Brand New fans. Definitely an experience I’ll remember forever.

4. Hostage Calm

Connecticut pop-punk quintet Hostage Calm only had a 30 minute set early Sunday afternoon, but they certainly delivered an incredibly fun set despite the rainfall. Their set began with lead singer Chris Martin walking out on stage with just an acoustic guitar, easing slowly into ‘The ‘M’ Word,’ one of the standout tracks from their fantastic second album, “Please Remain Calm”. After running through non-album single ‘Ollie Ollie Oxen Free,’ the band wasted no time playing only one selection from their 2010 self-titled album and filling the rest up with more cuts from “Please Remain Calm”. Another extreme performance highlight was at the end of their performance when they played ‘Don’t Die on Me Now,’ my favorite song of theirs. Martin hurled himself backwards into the crowd and was lying face to face with me during the final chorus. Do yourself a favor and take 36 minutes to listen to “Please Remain Calm”. You won’t regret it.

5. Saul Williams

On Friday afternoon, rapper, poet, and spoken word artist Saul Williams walked out onto the largest stage of the festival and delivered 30 minutes of powerful, inspiration spoken word pieces. Besides the Fall Out Boy fangirls that were standing at the front of the stage being extremely disrespectful, the entire crowd was silent as Williams preached his heart out, sometimes speaking incredibly fast but still making it able for you to understand his message. Once he finished his last piece, he jumped out into the audience and sold books of his poetry out of his own book bag, and I was fortunate enough to meet him, take a photo with him, and have him sign a copy of his latest book, “The Dead Emcee Scrolls”.

RiotFest is by far the most enjoyable music festival I’ve ever been to, and if you’ve never been, do yourself a favor and mark your calendars for September 2014. And if you don’t have an absolute blast, then you don’t know fun.