Chicago punk rockers Rise Against brought their high intensity live show to Charlotte this past Thursday as they rocked a near capacity crowd at The Fillmore. As the house lights went down, the huge letters R-I-S-E lit up at the back of the stage, two on each side of the drum kit. Lead guitarist Zach Blair appeared and pumped up the crowd with his fists raised in the air. As lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Tim Mcllrath made his way to the center microphone, the band ripped into “The Great Die Off” from their latest album “The Black Market.” The mood of the evening was set early on with Blair running, jumping, and kicking all over the stage. The energy was palpable and the crowd eagerly fed off of it. Mcllrath’s facial expressions are second to none and allow his passion for the songs to radiate through the audience. As the giant letters changed colors through the evening, Rise Against ran through a solid set including crowd favorites “Re-Education (Through Labor)” and “Prayer of the Refugee.” The crowd surfing was intense and everyone seemed to be having a great time. The live sound quality was exceptional and the four piece band sounded tight. Bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes kept driving the rhythms all night but stayed in the background for the most part, allowing Mcllrath and Blair to have their way with the audience. A special shout out was given by Tim to some young guests who were up against the barricade at only nine years old. He commented to the crowd that you must start them rocking young in Charlotte which got an appreiciative roar from the fans. He also reminisced about what he was doing at that age and admitted he was most definitely not attending a punk rock show.
Although the music is a great mix of punk and hardcore, the lyrics are often politically centered and thought provoking. The band likes to send a message like the song “Help Is On the Way,” a reaction to the government’s response to the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. After a raucous set, the band slowed things down and told the crowd that they wanted to do something that they were unable to do at this year’s Carolina Rebellion and play a few acoustic numbers which included a poignant rendition of “Hero of War” before closing things out with “Swing Life Away.” After a few minutes of the audience screaming “Rise Against!, Rise Against!,” the band re-appeared for a two song encore with an electrifying performance of “Savior” capping things off. Rise Against is a band that absolutely must be seen live to be fully appreciated and they definitely brought their “A” game to the Queen City.
A special mention must be given to opening act Killswitch Engage whose metal mayhem was a perfect start to the evening. Guitarist Joel Stroetzel lights up the stage with his blazing fretwork every chance he gets and guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz was an absolute madman posing and flexing for the crowd and chugging a beer mid-set. Their rock solid set included the classic “Rose of Sharyn” and newer hits like “Always” and “In Due Time.”
If you have a chance to check out The Black Market Tour this fall, do so and treat yourself to a night of rock and roll that you won’t soon forget.
Rise Against Setlist:
The Great Die Off
The Good Left Undone
Satellite
Give It All
The Dirt Whispered
Re-Education (Through Labor)
Survive
I Don’t Want To Be Here Anymore
Collapse (Post-Amerika)
Make It Stop (September’s Children)
Prayer of the Refugee
Help Is On the Way
Midnight Hands
Ready To Fall
Hero of War (Acoustic)
Swing Life Away (Acoustic)
Encore:
Dancing For Rain
Savior
We would like to thank Juliana Plotkin from Capitol Music Group for the credentials to review the show.
