Rise Against + Pennywise
Southampton, Guildhall 09-11-14
It’s been over ten years since I first and last saw Rise Against. I can remember it (kinda!). I’d gone to New York for a few days. I booked tickets to see Bad Religion & Rise Against playing on the night I arrived there. In theory this sounded like a great plan, head to a friend’s bar, have a couple of pre-match drinks and head along to the punk rock show. In fact it was a great plan and I remember having a great time. Yes, I had enjoyed a few more beverages that I’d planned. But back in those days I enjoyed a drink. So the chance to see them again, sober, a decade later and the fact they were playing with one of my favourite bands, Pennywise, was a real treat!
I have lost count how many times I’ve been able to see Pennywise over the last twenty or so years. But the fact that Jim is back on vocals makes this time round all that more exciting. I saw them with Zoli from Ignite on vocals and although he did a great job, the Pennywise sound I grew up with, skating too, really is all about Jim’s vocals. For a skate punk band to clock up over 25 years is an impressive feat, especially when you actually consider that there isn’t a massive amount of variation within their sound. But I love this band, every album has been played in great amounts on my stereo (although About Time is always my Pennywise “Go To” album). As you’d expect from them, the set was fast, furious and Fletcher was of course swearing his head off. Set list wise you got some classics like “Same Old Story”, “Society”, “Pennywise” and “Fuck Authority”. The crowd seemed to be getting into it which is always a worry when a band that has had such a great career and influenced the main band on the tour and the people there don’t really know them. But, the Southampton crowd got into it, circle pits ensued and they even got into the final sing-along as they closed with the absolute classic “Bro Hymn”. Even if the sound is these ‘larger’ venues isn’t great, Pennywise still proved to me why they’re such a great band and I’ll keep going back to see them every chance I get.
Chicago’s Rise Against have really been propelled into the main stream in the last few years. As I mentioned at the start of this review, I last saw them over ten years ago so was pretty keen to see how they’d changed since those days. This tour is in support of their latest full length “The Black Market” an album that hit the top 20 in the UK album charts, which is no mean feat for a punk rock band. The one thing Rise Against do still have in their favour is that fact that unlike many punk bands that do the major label thing (aka “selling out”), they have managed to maintain their integrity and roots. Which is a very positive thing, even though they now have that mass appeal and the assembled crowd is not your typical punk crowd.
As they hit the stage, which has large neon letters spelling out the word “RISE” (maybe the label didn’t give them enough for an “Against” as well), the crowd goes crazy. Kicking things off in ferocious fashion with “Ready To Fall” from 2006’s “The Sufferer & The Witness”. Followed by “Give It All”, “Re-Education (Through Labor)” and “Behind Closed Doors”. The crowd are already worked up, singing the words back at singer Tim McIlrath. Obviously they’re here to promote their latest album (which hit number 3 in the US charts!), so you know you’re going to get a fair few from that and the crowd wanted them. They were treated to the likes of “Tragedy + Time”, “I Don’t Want To Be Here Anymore” and “People Like Here”. But the fact that Rise Against gave a pretty good mix up of most of their albums was great to see, too many bands will play most of their latest release even though a lot of people want to hear a real mix. I know I wanted a real mix up of their albums. For me though their 2004 release “The Unraveling” is by far my favourite of theirs and I would really have loved to have heard more from that release (“Everchanging” would have been my pick if I could have chosen) but all we got from that incredible album was “Alive And Well”, still it had me thrusting my fist into the air singing along even though the crowd who had been singing along to every word beside me seemed a bit lost at this point. That’s OK, I am used to getting funny looks!
The crowd were treated to two encores as well which housed “Swing Life Away”, “Make It Stop (September’s Children)” they closed with “Savior”. The band themselves were seriously on form, working the crowd and the light show was impressive. The main issue is that in the large venues like this, with a high roof, you lose a lot of the atmosphere and also the fact that if I am honest the sound was pretty bad. Not the fault of the band at all, but it’s just these over the top sized venues.
Rise Against proved to me that they really do have some killer tunes and if they played a smaller venue I’d be back like a shot to see them again! Especially if they announced a whole set playing “The Unraveling”!
Mr. T
The Black Market is out now – go pick yourself up a copy!
Thanks to Ashley for making the show happen.
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