LIVE FROM THE PIT: Rise Against

On a night when the Manchester Ritz was filled to capacity, the anticipation for Rise

Against’s performance was palpable. The room being packed with 1500 strong to witness

the return of the iconic Rise Against made for some very moist viewing. While a short set of

dates for this stop off in the UK, Tim Mcllrath says they’re excited to be in a never before

played venue. There’s a palpable excitement, and honesty, as he said “Manchester… We’ve

been looking forward to this one”.

The venue, brimming with fans from all walks of life, buzzed with excitement as the lights

dimmed and the first notes of Satellite rang out. From that moment, it was clear that this wasn’t just a concert; it was a communal experience, a cathartic release for all those in attendance. The crowd screamed the song in unison throughout; it was the perfect opener.

To the surprise of many, somewhat of a deep cut followed with ‘Under the Knife’ keeping

things going at a relentless pace. While it’s not a “never played” track, its not their most

played, and good god did the crowd have some love for it, as well as the last of their opening three, ‘Give it All’. This sandwiching of loved tracks meant the atmosphere in Manchester was off to a soaring start, making it a loud night even for those of us rocking the Loops™. The energy in the room remained at a high but took an emotional hairpin with ‘Make It Stop (September’s Children)’ next up. This is absolutely one of those tracks that people weld a connection to, and in a modern Manchester in the midst of Pride season, put a lump in the throat of many. ‘The Good Left Undone’ and ‘Worth Dying For’ brought the tempo back up, and is a case of something Rise Against do often where there are incredible, poignant moments in the set, before they bring fans a release with the reminder they’re at one of the best rock shows on the planet. It has to be said as well, for tracks that came out nearly 20 years ago, Tim McIlrath’s vocals don’t seem to have aged a day.

What’s very telling about Rise Against’s back catalogue is that there is ONE song in this

entire set that came out after 2011 (more on what track that is later). ‘Re-Education (Through

Labor)’ and ‘Help Is on the Way’ keep things moving on a high by being popular tracks, but

do bring the pace down a smidge, which honestly was needed as the paint is peeling off the

walls as they reached halfway in the set with the incredible ‘Ready To Fall’, which is usually

a lot earlier in the set.

The contrast was stark when the band transitioned into 'Hero of War’. The room fell silent, every word hanging in the air as McIlrath tells a story some of these fans will have listened to thousands of times. It never seems to lose its potency. This is certainly the break period in the set as Tim continues the solo effort with ‘Swing Life Away’. Obviously so much is made

of the intensity when Principe, Barnes and Blair are all on stage as well, but when Rise

Against’s lighter stuff is on show, you can hear a pin drop. Peoples attention is in a vice grip.

They followed this with that one track we mentioned earlier that was made after 2011, a new

number called ‘Want it All’. This is the only part of the set anyone could consider a lull, as the

full outfit returns to the stage, the lights are bright, but the crowd is still. This point in the set

had a lot of people spent and such a new number was very jarring for those eager to sing

along. Similarly, the inclusion of ‘Like The Angel’ kept things unfamiliar for some fans, as this

has only really been getting played in the UK on their post-covid tours. Still bangs for us

personally though.

A common denominator of this show is that Rise Against have a lot of key tracks as well as

one 10/10 album in that 2006 The Sufferer & The Witness, so the bulk of this set is one or two songs off other albums, before a banger from the mid-00’s. Hence, the band going a

whopping 4 tracks without dipping into Sufferer means the place came unglued for ‘Prayer of the Refugee’ when it ended the main portion of the set. The energy in the room reached

another peak with this one, with the crowd singing along as if their lives depended on it.

The minute or so the band was off stage made for somewhat of a ripple amongst the crowd

as it set in just what songs were left for their encore. The three Rise Against gave them was

nothing short of spectacular. ‘Survive’ has a very special vibe as it is both off the 10/10

album, but also has insanely niche reference that one fellow attendee couldn’t help but

mention, that it was on the Smackdown vs RAW 2007 soundtrack. God, life was good back

then. ‘Audience of One’ was a surprising inclusion personally, but also definitely got that

singalong going in a much happier way than some of their catalogue would. Rise shows are

genuinely a bit of an emotional journey, the lighter tinged track right at the end really helped send them home happy. That said, it all came down to ‘Saviour’, a song that has become synonymous with Rise Against’s live shows. The crowd’s energy was unwavering, even as the final notes played out. It was the perfect ending to an unforgettable night.

By the time the last chords faded and the lights came up, the Ritz was a sweltering cauldron

of sweat and euphoria. The taps had run dry, and fans were left hoarse and exhausted, yet

undeniably satisfied.

Words and Photos: Nic Howells