Rise Against rocks the Mesa Amphitheater

Kylea Riffle

Right when the guitarist of Rise Against jumped and struck the strings of the guitar, their several hundred fans jumped with them and cheered.

The energy level was off the scale in the Mesa Amphitheater as opening acts Hot Water, The Gaslight Anthem, and especially the headlining band, Rise Against, performed their songs on Sept. 28.

This was the Chicago-native group’s first return to the Valley since joining the Sound Strike boycott in response to the passing of Arizona’s controversial immigration law, SB 1070. The fans were really thrilled to have them back.

The energy from the bands carried over onto the audience was almost overwhelming. What was really impressive was the three-paneled presentation screen of the music videos playing behind the bands while they performed live.

Their concert consisted of songs from previous albums including their sixth and politically charged album, “Endgame.”

Most of the songs were fast, upbeat, and at times emotionally charged. A few, notable songs that Rise Against played from that album were, “Make It Stop (September’s Children)”, “Satellite”, and “Wait For Me”.

“Collapse,” and “Swing Life Away” were a couple of other memorable songs that Rise Against rocked.

The final song, “Prayer of the Refugee,” was  a great song to end the night with its energizing lyrics that (like the rest of their songs) were powerful, and appealing.

Typically, I stray from live bands and concerts because the sound quality usually lacks compared to studio recordings, but because Rise Against and their openers played so well and passionately interacted with the audience, I was proven wrong.

The overall message I walked away with from the concert was that we need to take care of each other. We can not let anyone get control of our lives-even if that means the government, and we can change the world.

Whether changing things on that big of a scale is a possibility or not, I know for sure the concert was a remarkable experience.

  • Mesa Legend Staff

    These are archived stories from Mesa Legend editions before Fall 2018. See article for corresponding author.

Welcome to the Mesa Legend! Subscribe to know more about what goes on at Mesa Community College!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *