Live Review: Rise Against - Manchester Academy 22/11/22
Chicago punks Rise Against return to Manchester for a seminal show that showcases just why exactly they mean so much to so many.
Regardless of whatever show you’re at, there’s always going to be die-hard fans. Those that stand on the barrier, forgoing breathing space in favour of screaming back each and every song in the faces of their favourite bands and artists. It’s an impressive level of devotion. Especially when viewed through the eyes of an aching thirty-something from the back of a venue.
How about if that level of devotion isn’t just coming from those front and centre however, but seemingly from everyone in the room. That’s how it feels tonight, as Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath prowls the Manchester Academy stage under an orange light; 1000 fists pumped in unison to an empowering and rallying chant of ‘Rise! Rise! Rise!’
Indeed, though this sense of union will be familiar to those who attend shows often, it’s rare that it should feel so pronounced, so affirming. Opening with an emphatic ‘Re-education (Through Labour’), the band establish a breakneck pace that doesn’t until almost the encore.
Of course, such a pace is suited to the band’s hardcore roots, and tracks such as ‘Ready to Fall’ and ‘Prayer of the Refugee’ benefit from such a blistering delivery, though it’s the anthemic ‘Like the Angel’ that really takes off, lighting a fire in the belly of the audience who crowd-surf, mosh pit and sing back every word as if it were their own personal swansong. It’s both emotional and empowering.
Elsewhere, ‘Architects’ and ‘Satellite’ provide further soaring moments of anthemia that showcase Rise Against’s somewhat more poppier sensibilities. These tracks still of course aren’t without their own levels of biting anger and frustration, it wouldn’t be a Rise Against song without them, but they do provide a glimpse at how diverse the band can be.
An acoustic duo of ‘Swing Life Away’ and ‘Hero of War’ see McIlrath alone on stage with just an acoustic guitar. It’s here we get the evening’s first real taste of respite, though both still see the entire crowd singing every word. It’s an interesting pairing too, whilst both are equally as emotional, the former is a gentle and tender offering about the important things in life, the latter a scathing attack on the American military complex disguised as an acoustic ballad. Yet just further proof at just how diverse a band Rise Against really are.
It isn’t long before McIlrath is once again joined by bandmates Joe Principe, Brandon Barnes and Zach Blair, the trio greeted by a cheer as a they return to the stage for the now-ubiquitous encore that comes in the form of another two tracks ‘Make It Stop (September’s Children)’ and ‘Saviour’. It’s of course the latter that goes down strongest. Moshpits erupt around the Academy’s modest confines, and crowd surfers jostle for space as they’re propelled towards the front. It’s raw, it’s weighty, and it’s a moment of sheer catharsis that joins the crowd together in a final moment of union.
And then just like that, we’re left blinking into the house lights and a sweaty, bruised and cleansed crowd head to the venue’s doors, safe in the knowledge that, even though tonight was over far too soon and weirdly featured no songs from Nowhere Generation despite this tour being in support of it, that they’ve just seen one of the most vital punk bands of our generation in an atmosphere of sheer solidarity.
Words by Dave Beech
Photos by Maryleen Guevara
