Rockhal, Esch sur Alzette, Luxembourg7th November 2022
Rise Against - “Nowhere Generation Tour” - Support: The Story So Far
A year out from the release of RISE AGAINST’s chart-topping, critically acclaimed ninth album ‘Nowhere Generation’, the Chicago band returns with ‘Nowhere Generation II’: a propulsive, five-song follow-up that serves to continue a critical dialogue between themselves, their fans, and the world at large. The new EP, written and recorded alongside the material for ‘Nowhere Generation’, looks beyond its full-length counterpart’s scrutiny of the chronic social, economic, and political instability and inequality that pervades the modern age. II is as biting as it is hopeful, and is a further testament to the resonance of a band that continues to defy the status quo of modern rock.
“I think of RISE AGAINST as dystopian art,” says McIlrath. “Like any good dystopian art endeavour, you’re singing about the world and what it might be like if we keep going down the road we’re going down. It’s the inevitable conclusion of what would happen if we keep making the same decisions. That’s what dystopian art is designed to do, to make you realize that and inspire you to make some changes. ‘Last Man Standing’ is looking down that road and trying to paint a picture of what it looks like.” The picture RISE AGAINST paints is one of a generation younger than them struggling to find a path forward in an increasingly inhospitable world. The impulse to dig into these issues was spawned by McIlrath meeting fans all across the globe - from the United States to Australia to Japan to Germany - and each of them were articulating similar apprehensions. “They were communicating the same anxieties and fears about their lives and what tomorrow is going to look like. Those fears and anxieties were all connected no matter what language they were speaking. I just couldn’t ignore it after a while,” he says.
‘II’ closes with ‘Holding Patterns’, a song where the fire in RISE AGAINST’s belly comes roaring even further out. Parts of the track recall the breakneck, hardcore-inspired moments that typified the band’s early years, but now feature the powerful maturity of a band still firing on all cylinders. The result is both an impactful tune and a prescient reminder when, at the top of each chorus, McIlrath sings, “When we are barely holding on, we hold each other.” The refrain encapsulates the journey RISE AGAINST has been on for their entire career, but it also serves as a succinct reminder of what ‘II’ is grappling with in each and every song, and provides a bit of light in the all-consuming darkness.
Additional Concert Info
Doors: 19:00
Start: 20:00
Tickets & Info: https://www.atelier.lu/shows/rise-against-5/
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/3212002155797171
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