Rise Against kicks off tour in Chicago with politically charged message
True music fans remember their first concert. For Joe Principe, of Chicago melodic hardcore quartet Rise Against, that first concert changed the course of his life.
He was 13 and living in Melrose Park at the time. And he was determined to see hardcore punk legends Bad Brains at Chicago's Vic Theatre in 1989.
“I caught a ride from my older friend. He was the only guy that I hung out with that had a license. I didn't tell my mom where I was going. I hid in the back of the venue and I was blown away. It changed my life really,” the bass guitar player said of the formative concert experience. “I had a lot of pent-up energy growing up. Especially growing up in the town I grew up in. So it was a great release. It made me want to pick up an instrument.”
Twenty-eight years later, things have come full circle as Rise Against drops its eighth studio album “Wolves” Friday - mere hours before performing the band's single largest headlining concert in Chicago at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island alongside the Deftones.
Principe grew up in Melrose Park and calls Downers Grove home now. And while seeing punk music live usually meant leaving both, putting together a band of his own was very much a possibility in the suburbs. His first band, 88 Fingers Louie, proved to be a learning experience.
“I learned everything I know playing in 88 Fingers Louie. We were all learning how to play our instruments and we were always trying to challenge ourselves as musicians. And we were trying to figure out how to write a song! It allowed me to learn what works and what doesn't work,” Principe said. “We were trying to definitely mirror our influences growing up. And, when we started Rise Against, without a doubt, we definitely rode the coattails of 88 Fingers Louie for the first couple of years.”
Music in general, but punk more than any other genre, became a primary voice of opposition to the Reagan administration in the 1980s. Growing up as a fan of punk and hard-core music meant consuming that idea as an influence even if, at a young age, it wasn't fully unpacked until later. For Principe, exposure to the socially aware recordings of artists such as the Dead Kennedys and Bad Religion would wind up having a profound impact on the razor-sharp focus of Rise Against down the line.
“Rise Against was very serious from day one. We wanted to carry the torch of hard-core bands like Minor Threat and 7 Seconds. They always had strong, positive messages in their lyrics,” he explained. “That was kind of the goal for Rise Against. It was almost like an unspoken goal.”
Since the release of “The Sufferer & The Witness” in 2006, each of the last four Rise Against studio albums have debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 album chart. It's a remarkable feat for a hard-core act in the internet era and sets the bar high for “Wolves.”
Rise Against is no stranger to tackling political figures and ideas in song. The Trump administration is addressed on “Wolves,” just as President George W. Bush was on previous releases.
While the songs that make up the new album were written this past August and September, under the assumption Americans would elect their first female president, recording took place as the election cycle itself was unfolding.
Principe was in the studio on election day, with co-founding Rise Against member, vocalist and songwriter Tim McIlrath, a Rolling Meadows High School alum. Trump's win had a profound impact on the finished product.
“I know Tim had to shift some lyrics around and kind of rethink the direction,” Principe said. “He was getting texts nonstop like, 'Oh, I can't wait to hear the new Rise Against record!'” explains Principe of the assumption that “Wolves” would be a wholly anti-Trump affair. “And it's like, 'Well, no. That's easy.' It's easy to point out all the misgivings and all of that. He didn't want to write an obvious record. He wanted to leave people with a sense of hope.”
The idea on “Wolves” was to expose injustice. And the band leaves listeners on an optimistic note with closing track, “Miracle.”
“I actually sequenced the record. And that was the intent. You start off with 'Wolves,' and it's a song about empowerment. Then you close with 'Miracle.' It's a nice bookend. It leaves people with this message of, 'look within,'” he said.
And while the new album looks ahead, Principe is grateful as Rise Against launches the band's U.S. tour at Northerly Island.
“I always like to say thank you for the years of support. We're going on 17 years of Rise Against, which is insane. And the fact that we're headlining Northerly Island in our 17th year is amazing. I feel nothing but gratitude.”
Rise Against with the Deftones
When: 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 9
Where: Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island, 1300 S. Linn White Drive, Chicago,
Tickets: Start at $49