Rise Against was a welcome distraction for Nashville fans when they played a nearly sold-out show on Election Night at Marathon Music Works.
With election results coming in slowly throughout the evening, there was a visible tension inside the venue. While fans were glued to their phones in between acts, the feeling of uncomfortableness was even felt by the bands on stage.
Cloud Nothings got the show started without mincing words, going straight into its heavy instrumentals. While it was clear that the Nashville audience was unfamiliar with the band, many found the set to be a breath of fresh air, as they could focus their attention elsewhere for 30 minutes.
The group continued with its fast-paced tempo into the middle of their set when lead singer Dylan Baldi addressed the crowd, first thanking fans for coming out and then joking that the band was not used to a big crowd. He did get serious shortly after and stated that the venue was “a good place to escape reality for a little while if you know what I mean.”
Once Cloud Nothings got off stage, that general uneasiness crept back into the venue as people once again began checking their phones and looking at the news. That was until L.S. Dunes took the stage and provided fans with a distraction as they got to enjoy the supergroup consisting of members from some of emo’s biggest bands. The group consists of Anthony Green (Circa Survive, Sasosin), Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance), Tucker Rule (Thursday), Tim Payne (Thursday) and Travis Stever (Coheed & Cambria).Green made it easy for fans to let loose early as he was a maniac on stage in the best way possible. The lead singer jumped all over the stage, slung his microphone, and tossed his mic stand in the air for good measure. The crowd thrived off that energy and moshed along with the group.
The only slight bummer in the set came when Green apologized to the crowd for not being his usual social self on stage. He admitted to the audience that he was weird when pressing issues were at hand. However, he did offer a positive message before the group performed their final track, “Fatal Deluxe.”
“I hope that no matter what happens, we will be in good hands,” Green said. “Thanks for paying attention to us. You are magic. You are hope.”
For only the second time in their 20-plus year career, Rise Against took to the stage in Nashville as a headliner. The last time the group headlined a show in Nashville was in 2018 when they also performed at Marathon Music Works. This time was a bit different, and lead singer Tim McIlrath addressed the tension early into the group’s performance.“Let’s have a good time. Put the phones you’ve been using to check the results down and in your pocket,” McIlrath said. “There’s nothing that we can do now. Tomorrow is going to be here, and that’s a fight for another day. Let’s have a good time and enjoy tonight.”
Rise Against made it easy for longtime fans to connect with the setlist, as they made sure to play tracks throughout their entire discography. The band also noted that it was the 20th anniversary of their second album, Sireen Sound of the Counter Culture, and they would be playing songs off that record – including “Give It All,” “Blood To Bleed,” and an acoustic performance of fan-favorite “Swing Life Away.”
While performing tracks that fans enjoyed, Rise Against also brought the energy needed for fans to fully be distracted for the 90-minute set. The group jumped around on stage and even saw McIlrath interact with fans as he grabbed a bullhorn early into the set before jumping out into the crowd. Fans fed off the energy, moshed, and crowd-surfed for most of the performance.
Before leaving the stage, McIlrath addressed the lack of Nashville shows and stated that the group would change that in the future. On Friday morning, fans learned that he kept his promise, as Rise Against is joining Papa Roach for the Rise Of The Roach Tour, which includes a stop in neighboring Franklin at FirstBank Amphitheater. Tickets for that tour will go on sale soon, and a list of dates can be seen on Rise Against’s website.
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