Rise Against
Returns the Favor

Four Year Strong, Bad Religion and Rise Against

Sunset Cove Amphitheater
Boca Raton, FL
April 23, 2011

Review and Photos by Juan Hernandez

It was a sunny Saturday, the sky a light hue of baby blue obscured only by the sun's spectacular rays. The Florida Turnpike, usually a commuter's worst nightmare, was a street racer’s dream. Heading north to Boca Raton for the first time was an oddly pleasant trip. Locating the Sunset Cove Amphitheater was a bit of a maze, but after driving with a flock of cars and following the venue's signs for over a mile I located it....in a park.

Alan Day - Four Year Strong

Since it was my first time at this venue I took the time to walk around and look at the peaceful park and beautiful lake that surrounds it. One of the many signs indicating the impending concert in the park was a Four Year Strong banner hung on the stage. Early arrivers bought beer and watched as more people trickled in.

Starting off the day was Massachusetts based Four Year Strong. I've seen them on stage once before alongside Bring Me the Horizon, Cancer Bats, Pierce the Veil and Thursday (a random lineup in my opinion), a few years back. They weren't particularly aggressive or emotionally fulfilling back then so I didn't expect much this time around. Their performance turned out to be a lot better than before; clearly evolving as a band since the last time I saw them. They performed songs from their second and third albums Rise or Die Trying and Enemy of the World. Although their set was fairly short consisting of only eight to 11 songs (including “Maniac,” “Must Suck to be Four Year Strong,” “Enemy of the World,” and “Wasting Time”), they put on an awesome performance that definitely made up for the last time I saw them.

Greg Hetson - Bad Religion

For some, the next band was not only legends but the reason for a life of following punk rock. With nearly 30 years of touring and 15 studio albums, Bad Religion is undoubtedly underground punk music's biggest act. For those that are curious as to why they are not headlining this current tour, it's not that their fan base isn't huge or they aren't still relevant. Around six years ago a young Rise Against was picked to be the opening act for Bad Religion. After becoming a popular act, Rise Against wanted to return the favor by bringing the legends on tour with them. Quite frankly, it's flattering for a band that big to agree to play as a supporting act.

The massive crowd looked like a small ocean with everyone waving in sync. The pulsating music and widespread fist pumping made me feel like I was in the Jersey Shore.

Bad Religion

Bad Religion's list of albums is so immense that it must be a pain in the ass for them to select which songs to take on tour. Some of the crowd favorites were “American Jesus,” “Empire Strikes Back,” “21 Century (Digital Boy),” “Sorrow” and even a few newer songs like “Wrong Way Kids” and “The Devil in Stitches.” While their performance wasn't as intense as I had hoped, the crowd ate it up. I found it a little weird that while the music was loud, it didn't feel as though the band gave enough of an effort for the crowd to enjoy it THAT much. Bad Religion will be recording a 16th album sometime soon, which some band members say might be the last.

Headliner, Rise Against, is one of those bands that you always seem to hear in a random game, film, or TV show. I first heard them in Guitar Hero and some wrestling commercials. I looked them up a bit more and only a short time later I was surprised I didn't own a pair of Rise Against underwear. I was ecstatic to see them live and fortunately it wasn't a letdown. This tour was in support for their latest release End Game, which debuted at #2 on Billboard's Top 100, a huge achievement for any punk band. The massive crowd looked like a small ocean with everyone waving in sync. The pulsating music and widespread fist pumping made me feel like I was in the Jersey Shore.

Audience

The band performed some great songs like “Blood Red White and Blue,” “Audience of One,” and “Hero of War” which brought out the lighters and cell phone LEDs. Rise Against killed the show, jumping like they were on hot coals while their guitars waved frantically towards the crowd.

The bands turned out to be as good as the weather.

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