Rise Against Rock Chicago’s Metro for Save Our Stages Festival
Rise Against may not have had their usual audience but that didn't dampen the energy with which they performed during a passionate set at Chicago's Metro Saturday night (Oct. 17) for the virtual Save Our Stages Festival.
The group chose the Metro not only for its history as one of the Windy City's finest rock venues but due to its own legacy with the band. Frontman Tim McIlrath stated mid-set, "We started here on this very stage," recalling pulling some of the Metro crowd into their "Give It All" video shoot.
With plenty of reverence, the singer stated, "It’s really special to me because it’s one of the places that lives in a larger than life kind of mythologized world and I always knew it was the greatest venue but when we started touring and going around the world that’s when I realized that people even outside of Chicago felt like the Metro was the greatest venue. It wasn’t just my attachment to it."
He added, "Venues like this I can’t tell you playing at the Metro is such an emotional experience being here on this stage playing music that it feels a little bit like a dream state."
"We are all so excited to be here not just to play this venue and to be with each other but to be with you and kind of remind people how important a place like the Metro is," said the singer. "We could throw the word irreplaceable around but here it means something It really really means something. This place is irreplaceable. There will never be another Metro."
The band delivered a six-song set starting with “Re-Education Through Labor," “Give It All” and “The Violence.” The group gave the live performance debut of “Broken Dreams Inc.,” before finishing the set with “Prayer of the Refugee” and “Savior.”
The performance came as part of the Save Our Stages Festival put on by the National Independent Venues Association. The event was designed to raise awareness for the plight of smaller venues during the pandemic and the need for financial assistance to keep them going. To learn how you can help, visit the NIVA website here. Watch Rise Against's full set below.
Rise Against at the #SOSFest
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