Rise Against brought their high-energy punk rock sound to a sold-out Knitting Factory this past Monday night. Joining them on this leg of the tour were Destroy Boys and Speed of Light, two female-fronted bands that delivered raw, emotionally driven sets. I was unfamiliar with Speed of Light prior to the show but became a fan almost immediately, the band provided sound and energy were undeniable. I was also excited to finally catch Destroy Boys after first coming across them on a punk radio station 4–5 years ago, and they more than lived up to expectations.
Speed of Light
Destroy Boys
Rise Against
For over two decades, Rise Against has remained a staple of the punk rock scene, known for their explosive live shows and socially conscious lyrics. When the lights dimmed and the band took the stage, the crowd was absolutely electric. The stage production was striking, clean and polished in a way that felt almost unexpected for a punk show, while the band sounded as tight as ever. Their message, calling out the injustices of the world, still resonated just as strongly as it did in the early 2000s. They opened the night with “Re-Education,” a longtime staple of their setlist, immediately igniting the crowd. The energy never let up over the next hour as fans tore through the pit, with a constant stream of crowd surfers moving across the audience.
Anyone who has seen Rise Against before knows it’s not all relentless guitars and intensity. Midway through the set, things slowed down as vocalist Tim McIlrath stepped onstage with an acoustic guitar. The fan next to me shouted, “Hero of War,” anticipating what was coming next. McIlrath delivered a powerful performance of the protest song “Hero of War,” followed by a solo rendition of “Swing Life Away.” The mood in the venue shifted completely, an emotional moment as the weight of both songs connected deeply with the crowd, who illuminated the space with the glow of their phone lights.
The rest of the band returned to the stage to close out the evening with the staple “Prayer of the Refugee.” As the crowd roared for more, Rise Against came back out for a three-song encore, performing “Make It Stop,” “Like the Angel,” and “Savior.” The setlist felt thoughtfully balanced, spanning the band’s 20 plus year career. There wasn’t a single moment in the night that felt like filler, and every song was one I had been looking forward to hearing live.
Rise Against will be on tour all summer across Europe before returning to the United States this fall to kick off a headline tour with Alkaline Trio. A full list of upcoming dates and tickets can be found via the bands website.
