Rise Against at Thebarton Theatre
Words by Christie Thompson
It’s safe to say that anyone who walked through the doors of Thebarton theatre on Friday night will never forget the night they had. The combination of Friday’s scorching hot weather (which didn’t let up after the sun went down) and the thousands of bodies crammed in the venue to witness punk legends Rise Against tear up the stage had everybody in the room dripping in sweat and running amok. A fog of humidity clouded the room as front man Tim McIlrath amped up the crowd by telling them it would ensure it to be a show they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.
The two-decade strong band from Chicago played a completely sold out show and despite the sauna-esque conditions, had adrenaline levels peaking throughout the audience. Performing a versatile set list with a piece of every album in it, Rise Against played the perfect combination of all of their most powerful songs, including Prayer of the Refugee, Hero of War, Behind Closed Doors and Savior, to name a few. Known for their passionately poetic anthems that stand up for global injustices, Rise Against stirred a serious amount of emotion in Friday’s audience.
Taking the opportunity to show fans some new material, the band also gave the audience a taste of their latest album, Wolves. Keeping their progressive political themes in tact, the 2017 album addresses the current issues in the U.S. particularly focusing on the election of Donald Trump and his controversial reign.
McIlrath says of the album, “In many ways, a Rise Against show is a safe space for our fans, but I realised… I want to create dangerous spaces where misogyny can’t exist, where xenophobia can’t exist. I want to create spaces where those sentiments don’t have any air, and they suffocate: where those ideas die.
Wolves isn’t about creating a safe space, it’s about creating a space that’s dangerous for injustice.”
The album has already received overwhelming response, becoming their fifth album in the top ten of Billboard 200.
Once again Rise Against planned their tour perfectly with supporting acts that compliment their sound and vibe, with Sydney punk band Bare Bones warming up the crowd excellently. Performing well-known tracks like Thick as Thieves and White Knuckles Black Tar from their debut album Bad Habits, the relatively new band, formed in 2013, looked right at home playing to a large crowd.
We’re sorry to say that if you missed this show, you really did miss out. However if you’re in Sydney or Brisbane, it isn’t too late to find tickets to the remainder of the Australian leg of the tour – I’m even considering it myself.
For this concert we give a solid 10/10.
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