John Stamos joins Chicago’s Riot Fest following more than a decade of pursuit

John Stamos finally made his first appearance at Chicago’s Riot Fest on Saturday, taking the stage with the Beach Boys in a moment that had been twelve years in the making.

The festival had been chasing Stamos since 2013, when they initially extended an invitation for his fictional Full House band Jesse and the Rippers. Their attempts only got bolder and more unusual over time. At one point, they even unveiled a butter sculpture of Stamos, nicknamed “Butter Stamos,” and in 2017, they hosted a John Stamos art show as another playful way to get his attention.

This summer, Riot Fest revealed how they ultimately managed to lock Stamos in: by booking the Beach Boys, the group that currently features him as a touring member. Stamos “begrudgingly” agreed to join the festival once the plan came together.

In August, however, he presented a humorous list of conditions before confirming his spot. Riot Fest founder Riot Mike had to get a tattoo of the actor, which he did. A Chicago pizza place had to create a Greece-themed pie. The festival needed to organize a Stamos lookalike contest, sell merchandise approved by Stamos himself, and even follow a tongue-in-cheek rule that no one could look directly at his hair.

Once those requests were fulfilled, Stamos finally stepped onto the Riot Fest stage on Saturday. “WE DID IT,” the organizers celebrated on social media.

Alongside his set with the Beach Boys, Stamos also joined in the festival’s many Stamos-inspired activities, posing for photos with the butter sculpture and showing off merch featuring his own name.

He later posted his own collection of highlights from the day, joking on social media, “‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ if I went to Riot Fest?”