Cold Waves is a Chicago festival built around industrial music, and it started as a memorial. In the summer of 2012, Chicago sound engineer and musician Jamie Duffy died suddenly, and that year 14 bands played one night to raise money for his family. The festival says the success of that show turned it into an annual event, moved it to Metro and later took it to Los Angeles, New York and beyond. Cold Waves still calls itself a fundraiser for suicide prevention charities, and it is produced by Cracknation Records.
Cold Waves XIV, the 2026 Chicago edition, ran for four nights from Thursday, September 24 to Sunday, September 27, 2026. Thursday was at Bottom Lounge and Friday to Sunday were at Metro, and the Chicago shows were 18+. The festival's own tour page listed Stabbing Westward, PIG, Acumen Nation, 16Volt, Purest Form and Kaput for the Friday night at Metro, and its Chicago 3-day pass for the Metro nights named TR/ST, King Woman, Youth Code and Chalk "& more". We only list artists the festival confirmed in text, so our list is partial; check the official site for the full bill.
Chicago was not the only Cold Waves stop in 2026. Cold Waves LA ran on Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12, and Cold Waves Austin on Friday, September 18; both were all ages. Earlier in the year, Cold Waves presented Space Echo, a new single-day event at Radius Chicago on Saturday, May 2, 2026, built around Failure and the 30th anniversary of their album Fantastic Planet.