Repetition is a curse for many bands; for Rancid, it's a virtue. The stalwart punk band from California has been at it for almost 18 years, singing working-class anthems that mix street punk with rock, pop and ska. If you charged them with repeating themselves from one album to the next, they'd probably plead guilty and their fans would shout, "Hell, yeah."
They showcased that hefty catalog, too, much of it from their most acclaimed album, "... And Out Come the Wolves": "Roots Radicals," "Olympia WA," "Time Bomb," "The 11th Hour" and "Ruby Soho." During that one, they let the crowd (about 1,500) roar the chorus. Bassist Matt Freeman also had his vocal moment, during "Tenderloin." This show was a lot like last year's sold-out show at the old and infernal Beaumont Club; and I'm guessing that most of the diehard fans wouldn't want it any other way -- unless it meant making Rancid the headliner.
Rise Against was in town in mid-November, when it drew a huge crowd to the Uptown. Seven months later, it drew another -- a horde of fans who are as loyal to the scene as they are to its bands and the music. The all-ages feature is also a big help. What else is there for pre-teens and adolescents to do on a Friday night?
I'm not a fan, but I understand the appeal: hard, precise, rapid-fire political/anti-authority hardcore punk infused with-metal. The energy from the band never waned, especially dervish lead singer Tim McIlrath (even during the acoustic numbers). But it took the crowd towards the middle and back of the room about a half-dozen songs to muster some real enthusiasm. By the end of the show and all through the encore, the room was on fire. The setlist included nearly two dozen songs, and when I say they all started to sound alike after about the first dozen, I say it with respect and a good amount of appreciation. One man's sense of redundancy is another's habit or fetish.
| Timothy Finn, The Star
Rancid setlist: Radio, Last One to Die, Roots Radicals, Nihilism, Olympia WA, Salvation, Bloodclot, The 11th Hour, Fall Back Down, The Way I Feel, Time Bomb, Tenderloin, East Bay Night, Ruby Soho.
Rise Against (from the setlist at the sound board): Collapse (Post-Amerika); State of the Union; Re-Education (Through Labor); Paper Wings; Long Forgotten Sons; The Good Left Undone; Chamber the Cartridge; Drones; The Dirt Whispered; Blood to Bleed; Audience of One; Savior; Survive; The Unraveling; Prayer of the Refugee; Everchanging; Hero of War. Encore: Dancing for Rain; Give It All; Ready to Fall.
Rancid's set was way too short...not even close to an hour. They came on after 8 and were done at 8:45.
Posted by: bob | June 13, 2009 at 10:38 PM
I would have loved to have heard more Rancid they were tight Friday night.
Posted by: Ken | June 15, 2009 at 05:28 PM
more rancid. less rise against.
Posted by: dan | June 25, 2009 at 04:33 AM
SEEING THEM IN 5 HOURS AND I NEED MORE RANCIDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Posted by: brad | July 31, 2009 at 01:07 PM