Photo of Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath by Colin Williams
For two and a half decades, Rise Against has traveled the globe, captivating like-minded progressive fans promoting peace, mental health awareness, and environmental preservation through rock music. Rise Against’s success can be attributed to their thought-provoking lyrics, chaotic quick-tempo riffs, and powerful percussive talent that have been present since the band formed in Chicago in 1999. Front man Tim McIlrath has had a lot to say over the past twenty-five years as he and the band have evolved their sound from face-smashing hardcore punk to a more palatable mixture of modern punk/rock music.
Rise Against brought their act back to St. Louis last Wednesday, treating rockers at The Pageant to a powerhouse setlist. The band started the night strong with the wildly popular “Satellite” from their 2011 record Endgame. Rise Against has earned their reputation for authenticity as the band appears to keep their live performance setlists dynamic and raw, requiring no discernable backtracking or significant augmentation that is often prevalent in modern rock concerts. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath often engaged the audience throughout the night, explaining inspirations for songs they were about to play or telling stories of the band’s connection to St. Louis and the famous and locally lauded Sammy Hagar, reminiscing on how the band used to watch “Sammy Hagar 1983 live in St. Louis” before every live performance for inspiration.
Avid Rise Against fans were treated to several of the band’s most commercially popular songs, including “Re-education (Through Labor),” “I Don’t Want To Be Here Anymore,” “The Black Market,” and “Prayer of the Refugee.” The band leaned heavily into older material, including performing “Paper Wings” from their 2004 Album Siren Song of The Counter Culture, a song the band admitted they hadn’t performed in “quite some time.” Towards the end of their set, Rise Against created an opportunity to slow the pace of the evening and performed back-to-back singles as acoustic versions, “Hero of War” and “Swing Life Away.”
After briefly exiting the stage, the band returned for a three-song encore beginning with their latest full-length album’s title-track “Nowhere Generation” before moving on to “Six Ways Ti’ Sunday” off of their 2001 debut record The Unraveling. Rise Against wrapped up their night in St. Louis with the band’s most recognizable song, “Savior” from their 2008 album Appeal to Reason.
Rise Against (as their name suggests) has spent a quarter of a century using their talent and passion for punk/rock music advocating for social reform and humanitarianism. Wednesday night’s set was a testament to their decades-long career and the lives they have touched along the way. | Colin Williams
