RALEIGH, NC | The Sunday night sermon in Raleigh was brought to you by Rise Against. The Chicago punk veterans rolled the Ricochet 2026 tour into Red Hat Amphitheater on September 27, and the congregation showed up early and loud. Walking up to the venue, there was a buzz in the air. Folks of all ages lined up ready to take the barricade, and it was clear this crowd had come to do more than listen. With Alkaline Trio and Teen Mortgage on the bill, it had all the makings of a punk rock night with something to say—and nobody on that stage was shy about saying it.
First up was Teen Mortgage, who lit a match coming out, telling the crowd right off the bat where they stood: “Fuck ICE, Fuck Donald Trump, and free Palestine.” The crowd’s cheers set the tone for the night. They are a two-piece band, which is not something you see every day, especially on a stage this size.
Out of Washington, DC, guitarist and vocalist James Guile and drummer Ed Barkauskas make a racket that sounds like it should take twice as many people—hardcore aggression with a garage-rock snarl and just enough hooks to stick. They blasted through their set with plenty of commentary on the state of affairs and their message, and by the time they walked off, nobody in the amphitheater was confused about what kind of night this was going to be.
Alkaline Trio came on next, bringing their punk rock roots to a very excited fan base. The front row was littered with their shirts, and those fans were very enthusiastic. The band has been at this since the mid-’90s, and they blasted through their set with some of their more well-known songs and fan favorites. They played “Blue Carolina” and dedicated it to the North Carolina crowd, turning a 2003 Good Mourning track into a love letter to the room.
Then came Rise Against. As the lights went down, the energy built. They opened with “Satellite,” and the crowd whipped into a frenzy. They blasted into “Make It Stop (September’s Children),” and just like that, the whole crowd was in the palm of their hands. “Give It All” brought frontman Tim McIlrath down into the pit and into the crowd, and the crowd gave their all back. It is one thing to hear a band play an anthem about giving everything you have. It is another to watch the singer climb down off the stage to prove he means it.
Their set was full of hits and fan favorites, the kind of run that reminds you just how many songs this band has that people know every word to. They brought it down for “Hero of War” and reiterated how a song they wrote for one situation can often stand the test of time, as we tend to repeat history for the same reasons. Nearly two decades after it first appeared on Appeal to Reason, the song landed like it could have been written last week, and on a night that opened with Teen Mortgage’s battle cry, it felt like the thread tying everything together.
They finished strong with their most well-known song, “Savior,” and the crowd would have loved a second encore. More than a quarter century after forming in Chicago, Rise Against are still treating the stage like a pulpit, and on this Sunday night in Raleigh, the congregation was more than happy to answer the call.
ALKALINE TRIO
TEEN MORTGAGE
