Punk Rock Takes Ram's Head Live by Storm

It was just another night of noise at Baltimore’s Ram’s Head Live! for California-based punk veterans, Bad Religion and their audience.  A little over six months ago they were here on their 30th anniversary tour, celebrating the recent release of their newest record, The Dissent of Man. This time, however, they were opening for friends and protégés, Rise Against, a Chicago based punk band founded twelve years ago in 1999, who were celebrating the March 2011 release of their album, Endgame.

Sounding more like the pop-punk bands that were once popular in the early 2000s, the opener for the two bands, Massachusetts-based, Four Year Strong did their best to raise the crowd’s spirits, but the crowd, composed of mostly college-age kids to late twenty-somethings, was having none of it. That didn’t stop them from trying, however.

“I want to see you with your hands in the air right NOW!” the front man cried, jumping up and down enthusiastically like a child on a sugar high as he strummed his guitar, seemingly ignoring the motionless pit area on the floor in front of him and the crowds watching silently from the balconies above, only two people bopping their heads.  

It became obvious that most people were there for Bad Religion and Rise Against as the once stagnant crowd sprang to life as soon as Bad Religion took the stage, ripping into the first of their fifteen song set and the first track off The Dissent of Man, ‘The Day The  Earth Stalled.’ This carried them into their second track, titled ‘Wrong Way Kids,’ before lead singer Greg Graffin addressed the crowd personally. Looking a lot less punk rock and a lot more ‘middle aged dad’ in his later years, Graffin, receding hairline and all, took to the mic dressed in a long- sleeved, red plaid shirt and jeans.

“It’s great to be back here in Baltimore. It seems so long since we’ve been here playing for you guys.” Graffin quipped, to a chorus of cheers and laughs from those who had attended their October show. As they played on, Graffin reached into the band’s archive, playing selections from The Dissent of Man, their 2008 album, New Maps of Hell, and of course, some of their hits from way back when. “How many people here have never seen or heard us before?” Greg shouted to the audience, looking for newcomers. Looking satisfied as the newbies identified themselves, he continued “It’s always nice to get new fans, but what about all you veterans out there? This one’s for you.”

 And with that, guitarist, Greg Heston, dove in on guitar—playing the opening riffs to 1988’s “Do What You Want,” forty year old fans and younger, (but lucky to know someone older with a decent taste in music) fans sang along to every word, nodding their heads to the music “We picked this song off Guitar Hero,” Graffin joked when he and the rest of the band had finished. “Now we’re gonna go even further back. All the way back to 1994,” he continued, to laughter. Both his band and the older members in the audience were fully aware that the band’s origins date back to 1979, when Graffin was fifteen-years old. “This song’s called “We’re Only Gonna Die...thought we’d try out a Sublime cover,” he continued sarcastically, lightly poking fun at the band’s cover of their song, again—to hearty chuckles from the audience.

Coincidentally, the band’s last song, ‘Sorrow,’ was not only their quietest song of the night, if you could call it that, but also the one with the most energy. “And there will be sorrow no more,” the crowd echoed Graffin, swaying and nodding to Heston’s and Jay Bentley’s guitar and bass riffs, and bopping to Brooks Wackerman’s drum beats before the song came to an end, the stage lights dimming. “One more song! One more song! One more song!” the audience, both young and old, chanted hopefully. Unfortunately for them, the band had already left the stage, dashing all hope of an encore as Bad Religion was hurried off the stage to make way for the last, but not least, main attraction.

A break between both sets, as roadies dressed head to toe in black, took turns rearranging microphone stands and tuning guitars, gave the audience members time to  walk around before Rise Against took the stage.  

After a brief break between sets,  the stage lights suddenly brightened, then dimmed, cheers of “Rise Against!” echoing throughout the room as Rise Against drummer Brandon Barnes and  guitarist Zach Blair signaled for the beginning of their first song, ‘Chamber the Cartridge’ off their 2006 album The Sufferer and the Witness.

The audience was wildly participative, even more so than they were with Bad Religion. Crowd surfers were carried one by one to the front of the stage, helped up by security who seemed to be enjoying the music a little too much as their fists pumped enthusiastically with the rest of the crowd. The stage lights flashed, complimenting vocalist Tim McIlrath as he shouted his lyrics at the top of his voice. It was like a party with the Jersey Shore cast, only without the house music, gelled hair, and horrible orange-tinted, fake-tanned skin. 

After playing a few hits off their new album, Tim McIlrath chose several titles from their older albums, including ‘The Good Left Undone’ a track from the same album as their opening song. “All because of you, I haven’t slept in so long. When I do, I dream I’m drowning in the ocean…” McIlrath belted, guitar in hand as he and Blair quickened the pace of their playing, challenging the audience to keep up with them. Of course, not all of the songs were fast paced.

At some point in the show, the flashing stage lights were replaced by a steady blue glow as McIlrath and Blair exchanged their electric guitars for acoustics and began to   play the well-known hit, ‘Swing Life Away,’ until there wasn’t a speechless mouth in the whole room. The crowd sang with him, word for word, swaying to the music as they did so, the blue lights continuing to glow.  After a brief speech, McIlrath then began to play his anti-war anthem, ‘Hero of War.’ “This song goes out to all of the soldiers who are out there, right now doing what they can for this country. I look forward to the day we can welcome all of our brothers and sisters back home where they should be,” Mcllrath said.

Nearing the end of the set, McIlrath returned to his fast paced roots with ‘Ready to Fall,’ the crowd’s fists pumping with McIlrath’s every word. “If you can be loud, this is the time. Right here, right now. If you know the words then help me out!” McIlrath shouted to the room, requesting the audience’s help. “And now I’m standin’ [sic] on the rooftop,” McIlrath sang. “Ready to fall!” the audience responded, enthusiastically as always, but apparently not loud enough for McIlrath who requested they do it over. “I want you to feel it! I want you to mean it! I want you to believe that you feel it!” he exclaimed. Disappointed by their efforts a second time, McIlrath yelled the lyrics to the audience at the top of his voice, prompting them to create an even louder response to which he grinned and ended the set.

This was too soon for the audience, however. As soon as the lights dimmed, chants of “Rise Against!” could be heard from all around the room, hundreds of voices chanting in unison. And, unlike Bad Religion, Rise Against was fortunately able to return for not one, not two, but three encore songs.

It says a lot that a band like Bad Religion gladly agreed to open for Rise Against--who in turn opened for the former during their first tour. If bands like Bad Religion and Rise Against are this capable of drawing both middle aged and young Americans together, perhaps there is hope for the music industry after all.