Standing on the floor space in front of the stage at the Hollywood Palladium, fans eagerly awaited the moment when Rise Against were to take the stage. Marking the first night of its three dates in Los Angeles, the Halloween show was the only one not sold out before the doors opened.
While bands such as The Gaslight Anthem and Thrice gave a good effort, for some reason their performances seemed rather lackluster. Thrice’s music was devoid of the energy that colors its studio albums, creating an uncharacteristically still moment for a normally unruly rock crowd.
It was immediately clear who the diehard fans of the band were: the ones screaming and singing along to every lyric. The rest of the audience seemed jaded ““ perhaps it was the animal masks the band members were wearing. Whatever the reason, those in attendance seemed lost and took advantage of Thrice’s performance to use the bathroom.
Dressed in all white and bleached blond hair as a reference to the characters from the movie “Funny Games,” the boys in Alkaline Trio looked especially creepy because they were lacking their usual black garb.
Lead singer Matt Skiba teased the crowd by opening the set with “Private Eye” from their 2001 album “From Here to Infirmary,” but sadly, the set list for the night was saved for newer songs off their recent release.
While fans yearned for the band to play their favorite tracks, Alkaline Trio stuck to new material. The band’s experience from being around so long paid off, because they were able to turn their newer songs into crowd sing-alongs.
But it was clear the crowd was there to see Rise Against, despite the grumblings from numerous audience members about the band’s vocal opposition to the war in Iraq.
From the moment the band played its first note, the crowd erupted into an angry mob, pushing and shoving every which way to get to the front of the stage.
A clear divide emerged between the front of the audience, which consisted of older fans who enjoyed getting their heads kicked by crowd surfers, and the back, which consisted of people who wanted to stay clear of the riot.
Rise Against played a good mix of songs that showed the full range of its career. Lead singer Tim McIlrath leaped around the stage onto the speakers like a madman, encouraging the crowd to sing along. With songs like “State of the Union” and “Give it All,” it was hard not to be moved to punch or shove the people surrounding you.
The band returned for not one, but two, encores, consisting of an acoustic set and a short set of covers.
As a special surprise, Mark Mothersbaugh from Devo joined them onstage.
Again, the age gap was evident as the older generation excitedly sang along to “Beautiful World,” while the younger people just pogoed along. For its more than 90 minute set, Rise Against kept its energy up and inspired the crowd with its politically subversive lyrics.
To the casual listener, the music might have sounded all the same, but to those in attendance, each word had a different meaning that resonated with them even after the show.
““ Michelle Castillo
E-mail Castillo at mcastillo@media.ucla.edu.