Rise Against Headline Tour 2012 feat. The Gaslight Anthem – REVIEW

The Rise Against, The Gaslight Anthem, and Hot Water Music tour package was easily the group of bands we were the most excited to see at Chicago’s Riot Fest! Check our our review of their sets after the break.

Probably the most highly anticipated package to take their tour through Chicago’s Riot Fest was the Rise Against, The Gaslight Anthem, and Hot Water Music tour! All three of these bands brought the festival to the next level with their performances.

Hot Water Music, bands like this are why Riot Fest is as big as it is. Grungy vocals, fast, loud and straight forward riffs make it easy to get rowdy and release all that teenage angst in the pit. The ocean of a crowd seemed pretty amped and eager for these old school punk rockers to take the stage. Once they hit the stage and started their set, everyone up front started to move and everyone in the back started to nod their heads and tap their feet in acceptance.  I expected a solid performance but not the most intense stage show, seeing as the members of Hot Water Music were in their 40’s and after almost 20 years of being in a punk band definitely took its toll. Everyone could tell that they were struggling through the set but I have to give them a big plus for effort and a big plus for a solid set. I was very pleased to see that there was such a big turnout of people from all ages and demographics supporting these punk veterans.

Mid-day at Riot Fest, it was hot and most of the crowd was feeling the fatigue of the day. Gaslight Anthem was slotted to play the Riot stage and the hype about them was very prominent. As they began to play, the mood didn’t heighten and nothing really felt too special. Yes they were very talented and had a great sound, not to be ironic or anything but their music had an anthem type feel to it and it was pretty cool. The crowd seemed to be happy but not ecstatic or wild as if they were at Gogol Bordello’s set. They had a good set, it sounded awesome and they had a decently large turnout, but they just didn’t do it for me. I guess when I see a band live, I expect to see a ton of energy, tight musicianship and a great stage show. If a band is musically talented and tight but has no real energy to entertain me visually, I might as well just stay home and listen to them on record. That’s what happened with Gaslight Anthem.

The hometown heroes of Chicago, Rise Against tore it up and was perfect to close out the first night of Riot Fest. Before their set even started, all of their friends and family packed the sides of the stage to see their boys live the rock star dream that night. As the lights dropped and the intro ran the anticipation grew and grew and the fans were hungry for some music. Rise against took the stage with huge smiles and the intent to melt everyone’s faces with their songs. They did just that, Rise Against came out firing on all cylinders and got everyone screaming for more. A Chicago favorite, everyone in the crowd had some kind of connection or story about them which made their set that much more intense. With their overall message as a band, it is awesome to see the impact they can make with their music. With their Black Flag cover at the end of the night, they finished off day one with a huge bang. The entire set was a culmination of high energy, full out rock and full love from the crowd.

Information about the review…
Tour: Rise Against Headline Tour 2012 / Riot Fest
Bands: Rise Against, The Gaslight Anthem, and Hot Water Music
Reviewer: Jim Vondruska
Date: September 15, 2012
Venue: Humboldt Park in Chicago, IL