Rise Against, Greatest Band of All Time, Sell Out Iconic Stubb's

Texas’ Capital City couldn’t have asked for a better November evening to host punk rock legends Rise Against, on a 27-date north American tour with LS Dunes and Cloud Nothings (Microwave and Spiritual Cramp were on the tour too for some other select dates). The 2200-person cap Waller Creek Amphitheater at Stubb’s is legendary, and being part of a sold out crowd is a uniquely powerful experience. After picking up my ticket and media credential, I headed inside to watch Cloud Nothings open the evening.

Cloud Nothings is a “a simple rock band,” a 3-piece from Cleveland, Ohio, performing a mix of indie, prog, noise and punk rock. Their sound, however, is far from simple, which is made abundantly clear from the moment their set begins. Drummer Jayson Gerycz is a literal mad man behind the kit, holding down a ferocious pocket while also modulating the shit out of some time. Lead singer/guitarist Dylan Baldi and bassist Chris Brown mainly provide the steady, consistent rhythm and lead parts, but the 3 members absolutely all descend into their own separate tantric states of mad jamming, and it’s epic. Their 30-minute set concluded, after 30 minutes, and next up was LS Dunes, the greatest super group to ever form in the history of super groups forming.

I will not prattle on about the legend behind LS Dunes and it’s individual members, but..briefly…Combining the rhythm section from Thursday (Tucker Rule on drums and Steve Payne on bass) with the guitarists from My Chemical Romance and Coheed and Cambria (Frank Iero and Travis Stever) and then adding Anthony Green on top (Saosin, Circa Survive, The Sound of Animals Screaming), it’s the epitome of post rock elder emo that I am all the way here for. Collectively, I’ve listened to each of these guys’ bands for over 100 years. That’s crazy.

Anyway, their set was incredible. Playing songs from their debut LP Past Lives and their upcoming sophomore LP Violet (due out January 31, 2025), the 5-piece were powerful and commanding, with an enraptured crowd screaming back lyrics to every song.

Anthony Green is one of the best frontpersons to ever front a band; he is a spectacle to witness live. Their set finished powerfully, the crowd went crazy, and then the anticipation really set in…..

Rise Against are seasoned, A-list rockstars these days. But when I first saw them, they were opening for Mad Caddies at at 120-cap room called The Galaxy Club in Deep Ellum, Texas around 2003. Their trajectory, while unique for any band, especially a punk band often screaming about politics, is not luck. They write incredible songs with big, catchy choruses, powerful lyrics, insane drumming.

From the very first song on Revolutions Per Minute, to me at least, it was clear how far this band would go. Now with their 9th studio album under their belt (2021’s Nowhere Generation) and selling out some of the the biggest venues in the biggest markets, it’s clear the band has cemented their place in the American rock zeitgeist.

Fronted by Tim McIlrath (another one of the greatest frontpersons to ever do it), the Chicago 4-piece have always treated Austin like a second home (I actually think McIlrath lives in Austin now but don’t quote me on that). It’s clear Austin reciprocates that love, as the sold out crowd just would NOT shut up for one moment. Kicking the set off with Satellite off 2011 LP Endgame, the band went ballistic from the jump and didn’t stop. Even the 4-song acoustic interlude went hard! After closing the set with a 3-song encore, ending the night with Savior, the crowd slowly quieted down and fizzled out, and the Stubb’s dust finally settled. It was an amazing show and we were lucky to be part of the experience. I always try to capture this feeling of collective awe in my photos but sometimes you just have to be there…