Rise Against
19th February 2018
Logan Campbell Centre, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.
Rise Against have a long standing love affair with New Zealand and us with them, the band frequent visitors to our welcoming shores. Having just completed a blistering show at Christchurch’s Horncastle Arena on Saturday night, the Auckland crowd, many bearing Rise Against t-shirts from previous tours were amped and rearing to go despite the fact that for many it was the start to the working week.
As air raid sirens reverberated around the Logan Campbell Centre the crowd roared their approval and moved in tighter against the barriers, the house lights remaining on for a few moments for dramatic effect before quickly being snuffed out, plunging all in attendance into darkness. As the stage lights in shades of green perforated with shards of white burst into life, there standing before all was the almighty Rise Against; without hesitation lead vocalist Tim Mcllrath immediately began the chant of “Rise” while emphatically punching the air with a clenched fist, the fans quickly joining in; their voices raised in unbridled unison setting the tone for the rest of the set.
Hitting the fans hard and fast first up with ‘Chamber the Cartridge’, Mcllrath and co were in fine form; both lyrics and lead guitar sounding sharp and crystal clear. Barely two songs into the show and Mcllrath is already off the stage and onto the welcoming outstretched arms and hands of the fans as he surfs the first few rows during ‘Give it All’ from their 2004 album Siren Song of the Counter Culture. Dressed in black (as are the rest of the members) Mcllrath cuts a lithe figure as he quickly makes his way back to the stage.
“Auckland, we got a rowdy crowd tonight!” he hollers into the microphone, the crowd – a fantastic mix of both sexes, a great illustration of how Rise Against fans are a family of equality – howls back, letting the band know the full extent of their appreciation. ‘The Violence’ gives the audience their first taste of live music from the exceptional new album Wolves released just last year. Touted as a response to the situation and the potential future faced by both the band and their fellow countrymen following the November 2016 elections and subsequent rise of Trump as POTUS; lead guitarist Zach Blair had this to say in a recent interview with Ambient Light “we were making this record when this unfortunate election happened and this decision was decided for us and there was no way it wasn’t going to seep into what the record ended up being and the overall message.”
Formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1999, Rise Against now have an impressive eight studio albums under their belt; their penchant for punk and melodic hardcore proving to be a winning combination with millions of fans across the world. While the band shies away from being labelled an outright political band; they do however operate with a social conscience, preferring to raise issues around current problems and then offer solutions or possible actions that fans could take to assist through the medium of music. With many of the band being vegetarian and staunch supporters of agencies such as Amnesty International as well as the protection of animal rights, Rise Against are far more invested in inspiring and encouraging their fans to think then many bands on the larger commercial circuit today. Mcllrath is also a gentleman and an admirer of the theory of inclusivity as he not only profusely thanks the first support band of the night Berri Txarrak with whom they are good friends, but he also shares the love for his fans, ensuring that wherever possible he approaches the audience on either side of the stage; allowing them to not only have a rather up close and personal experience with him but for the lucky few a motivating high five.
While it cannot be denied that Brandon Barnes who sits perched on a raised drum kit tonight, surrounded by diamond panels of LEDS that cut through the often single colour curtains of stage light, is formidable with his fast paced and on point drumming; it is Zach Blair that really grips the audience by the throat. With a burning intensity he often takes to the front lip of the stage, smashing out chords while simultaneously challenging the crowd to be louder. His backing vocals also underpin Mcllraths seamlessly. Add to the mix the confident bass playing of the formidable Joe Principe and it’s a recipe for a kick ass live show.
Speaking of how the concerts where you are “sweaty and have lost your shoe” were the inspiration for Rise Against to first form and start playing live shows, Mcllrath connected with the fans as he spoke of how the band always feels at home when they play in New Zealand; a sentiment that was spoken with genuine honesty and proven by their frequent trips to the land of the long white cloud. Throughout the show, temperatures and energy levels continued to inch higher, tracks such as ‘Prayer of the Refugee’ amping the crowd up to an almost fever pitch, and seeing security begin to use their pressure sprayers on the intense mosh pit to keep them cool. Upon the song’s conclusion the entire band left the stage, many expecting Mcllrath to return mere moments later to deliver one of his famed acoustic versions of their songs. However as the seconds ticked by and he failed to make an appearance, fans became desperate, several chants of “Rise Against” and “We want more! “ permeating the air; Mcllrath arriving on stage a minute or so later armed with a guitar and an apology “Sorry to make you wait, I broke something … let’s do this song!”
What was to follow was in fact an acoustic version of three songs; ‘Hero of War’ easily taking it out for sing along of the evening as fans raised their voices with Mcllraths to sing those heart breaking lyrics about the futility of war. The crowd having been given a chance to catch their breath were then once again plunged into a break neck second half of the show; ‘Help is on the Way’ from their 2011 album Endgame leading perfectly into ‘Bricks’ which coming in at just a fraction over two minutes and performed at a scorching pace, personifying traditional punk. Tonight’s set is an outstanding selection of tracks from across six different albums, Rise Against steering clear of their first two records The Unraveling and Revolutions per Minute (released in 2003); but the fans certainly weren’t complaining; tonight’s show giving them all they could have wished for and more.
Once again Mcllrath took to the microphone to introduce one of their latest tracks ‘Wolves’, Mcllrath informing the audience that their latest album is “a collection of songs with a lot of different meanings” but that the most important was that the track ‘Wolves’ is their response to obstacles and situations that may be placed in their way and that they can choose to bury their heads in the sand or choose to “bear our teeth and fucking claws and face it like fucking wolves!”; the crowd bellowing their approval of Mcllraths impassioned speech. Finishing on ‘Satellite’ which the band dedicated to New Zealand support band Dead Favours they left the stage to waves of applause, the chant of ‘Rise Against!’ once again coming from the crowd; but the band didn’t make fans wait long before they returned to the stage; Mcllrath challenging them about whether or not they knew the next song before admitting that he stood “corrected” after the audience showed him just how well indeed they knew the track ‘Behind Closed Doors.’
Closing the night on ‘Savior’ the crowd gave it every last ounce that they had, a small circle pit spontaneously creating itself dead centre in front of the stage. “Thank you for being patient, thank you for being so fucking cool and thank you for being family” Mcllrath told the fans before all four members came down to the front of the stage to hand out guitar picks, set lists and even a signed drum skin which was sent out to the feverish hands of the audience frisbee style.
Just like a real family, after tonight’s performance, Rise Against will certainly be welcomed back with both open hearts and open arms.
Were you there at the Logan Campbell Centre for this high energy punk-rock onslaught? Or have you seen Rise Against perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Chamber The Cartridge
- Give It All
- The Violence
- Re-Education
- Dancing For Rain
- Good Left Undone
- Collapse
- House On Fire
- Prayer For The Refugee
- People Live Here [acoustic]
- Hero Of War [acoustic]
- Swing Life Away [acoustic]
- Help Is On The Way
- Bricks
- Survive
- Wolves
- Satellite
- Behind Closed Doors [encore]
- Savior [encore]
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