Rise Against/A Day to Remember
Tour Review & Photos by Ashley Osborn
January 27th already started out perfect. It was a 40 degree day in Chicago, the sun was shining and I was feeling great. Words couldn’t explain how much I was looking forward to gracing the presence of 9,000 other Rise Against fans in their hometown on this beautiful night. The show was at UIC Pavilion and it had sold out incredibly fast. I knew I was in for a treat. To top it all off, the incredible A Day to Remember was opening the show!
A Day to Remember’s set was flawless and strong. It was my 8th time seeing them and they honestly get better every single time. The second the band walked out onstage, the crowd was quiet with anticipation. As soon as the intro to ‘Downfall of Us All’ kicked in, the entire crowd was chanting along. I would try to type the chant out in words but I’m unable. It was an eerie echo but it brought a smile to my face. A Day to Remember has this incredible ability to own a crowd a millisecond after they step onto any stage you give them. Vocalist Jeremy Mckinnon’s emotion in his screaming and chanting captures you instantaneously and the show just gets better from the start.
The HIGHLIGHT of A Day to Remember’s set was when Mckinnon took center stage to state how this had been the band’s biggest indoor show. He stated that it was ‘a dream come true’ and I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything so genuine shared with so many people. The room was dead silent as he spoke and his sincerity clearly touched the audience. Shortly after, Mckinnon entered the infamous clear ball and ‘Homesick’ kicked in. Guitarists Kevin Skaff and Neil Westfall, bassist Josh Woodard and drummer Alex Shelnutt held the stage down with grace as Mckinnon ventured through the audience. Overall, the band’s performance was incredible. They played 12 songs and did a great job mixing old and new. It was amazing to see them again and I look forward to my next A Day to Remember encounter as always.
Rise Against. Where do I even begin? I was honored with the chance to attend their hometown sold out show. As I stepped into the photo pit and turned around, the anxiousness of the fans front and center just hit me at home. Rise Against’s very creative intro came from Catch-22 and the room was dead silent. The second that the band stepped visibly on stage the crowd erupted with unexplainable, uncontainable and uncontrollable yet simple joy. The band opened with ‘Survivor Guilt.’ As their set continued the band started playing ‘Collapse’ and vocalist Tim Mcllrath’s energy exploded as he left his center stage position and took the mic off the stand. Mcllrath jumped and moved to the end of the walk-out center stage and knelt, danced, jumped and interacted with fans up close.
The band played a very solid old and new mix of 13 songs before they slowed things down and did an acoustic set. The four song acoustic set, which I will not ruin for you, was absolutely breathtaking. I had never seen or heard Rise Against true acoustics before and Mcllrath’s vocal capability is astonishing in that type of setting. This is literally what topped the entire show for me and it is something that is worth going to see in itself. I will tell you that they closed this portion of their set with ‘Give it All’ and after that left the stage. The crowd was left in awe and despair as they so desperately chanted for the band to come back to the stage and leave them with an encore to remember.
The encore was of course exciting. At the same time, it was odd. I could feel the crowd’s excitement and sadness. This crowd did not want this show to end but the band closed their mind-blowing set out with such grace that it did not matter. Mcllrath, fellow guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes gave off overwhelming sense of pride when they lead into their last song of the night. The band mates looked at each other and a sense of accomplishment drifted over us and hit the 8,999 and I people in the room directly in the heart. The second ‘Savior’ started, the band made it clear that this was their last song and the crowd went wild. I don’t recall one body not moving to the music, one mouth not singing along and any eyes not watching every move that was happening in front of them. It was a gracious moment and the band held it with strength.
These two bands have incredible music chemistry with their fans. This is honestly one of the best shows I have attended in at least a year. A Day to Remember and Rise Against both know how to hold down a stage and take it over right away and with a very strong fan base and even stronger music how could you miss this tour? That’s right. You can’t! So be sure to catch it while you can and check out Rise Against’s website for the rest of the dates (Glassjaw is even opening a date in NY)!
See more photos here!
