Rise Against, AFI and Anti-Flag - Niagara Falls, NY

The first leg of “The Mourning in Amerika Tour” came to a close when it made it’s way through Western NY last week, with a sold out show at Niagara Falls’ Rapids Theatre. Headliners Rise Against, touring in support of of their latest release “The Ghost Note Symphonies, Vol. 1”, have brought along support from AFI and Anti-Flag. The venue filled in early; well before the headliners took the stage. The openers, two bands who could have just as likely headlined the tour, drew their own legions of loyal fans.

Pittsburgh Punks Anti-Flag kicked off the night with their politically-charged set that demanded crowd participation. I’ve been a fan of the band since their 2001 album “Underground Network”, and have had the pleasure of seeing their live show multiple times throughout the years. It’s constantly evolving with the addition of newer tracks, while still working in the classics that are sure to keep the pits moving. They manage to funnel all the energy of their typical headlining set into a condensed 10-songs that span their career.

AFI was next and exploded onto the stage with their classic “Girl’s Not Grey” off of 2003’s “Sing The Sorrow. The first time I saw the band live was during that era, at my first Vans Warped Tour in 2003. Every time I’ve managed to catch AFI live, I’m always left truly in awe. Singer Davey Havok is never shy about abandoning the limitations of a stage by engaging the fans amongst the crowd.

Rise Against rounded out the night with a extensive 19-song setlist, starting off with “The Violence”, “Satellite” and “Survive”. At this point in the night, you didn’t have to be within the front-of-house crowd to work up a sweat. From the balcony, you could see a thick haze of humidity filling the Rapids Theatre. The band mellowed things down with a 4-song acoustic break before heading into their 3- song encore, ending with “Prayer of The Refugee”.

The tour picks up again next month in Minneapolis, and goes through the month of September.

Rise Against Photo Gallery - All photos by: Keith Barker