Hello friends. Let me start by saying this not about the music. It has been a while since we have experienced what would be called as a normal life. Some time ago we were still confined to restrictions and directives how to live, now we are starting to get some sense of the life as we knew it. Nothing says more that we are free to live now, as being cramped in the crowd of a thousand people having a few beers, screaming, singing, and moshing during the concert. For me this show is the first after the pandemic, and what a feeling it is!
While some shows in the Northeast US have been happening since mid-July, the concert season is just kicking into the full gear now. For the legendary New Jersey rock music venue, The Stone Pony this is the first show of the season. Their summer stage has already scheduled a slate of big ticket shows that will run all the way into the month of October.
Outspoken punk rock band Rise Against is touring this summer in support of their latest album Nowhere Generation, that was released this year on June 4th. They are supported in this tour by American punk rock Descendents, who have been rocking on and off since 1977.
Rise Against’s current lineup have been together since 2007 and have produced five of the bands nine studio albums. Tim McIlrath (lead singer, guitar), Brandon Barnes (drums), Joe Principe (bass) and Zach Blair (lead guitar) have always been involved in politics and have never shied away from having their voices heard. Their songs always touch sensitive social and political issues in the country and world. As a band that believes that a music can be a catalyst for a change, they try to speak to their listeners to embolden them to fight for a change.
Stone Pony show was their second of the tour. The night before they rocked New York City. Both shows were sold out. Band opened the set with call-to-action song The Numbers, setting up the stage for the night with their melodic yet hard hitting punk rock style. They followed up with Re-Education (Through Labor) and Satellite.
The whole show was packed with the tremendous energy on and off the stage. The band’s appeal stretches beyond your everyday punk rock fan and is inclusive of people of different walks of life, age, and music tastes. Packed venue was loud and raucous. Typical mayhem with mosh pits and crowd surfing were popular sight.
Other notable songs performed by the band were – Ready To Fall, Give It All and Prayer Of The Refugee. While for the encore the band performed Survive and arguably their most notable song written Savior.
Rise Against continues to tour the United States for another month, before participating in festivals and heading overseas.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Andris Jansons
