More From "Mourning in Amerika 2018"
My wife and I caught the second to last show of the "Mourning in Amerika 2018 Tour" featuring Rise Against, AFI, and Anti-Flag, this past weekend in Santa Barbara. We had seen Anti-Flag at the Warped Tour back in the late 1990's. At this MIA2018 show, the Pittsburgh, PA band had the difficult task of playing to a half empty venue during daylight, and they really rose to the task. Lead singer Justin Sane really engaged the crowd while the band rocked through an intense set that went all the way back to their debut hit Die For Your Government.
Next up were AFI. I had last seen them with my kids at a small, teen club in Goleta or Santa Barbara called "The Living Room." We may have seen them on a Warped Tour too. The sun had set and the venue filled a bit more by the time they took the stage. They played all the hits, but never really engaged the crowd. Really, all I recall is a light show.
This was our first time seeing Rise Against, and I hope it won't be our last. The Chicago band killed it! We were on our feet, dancing, throughout the set. Well, except for a few acoustic songs Tim McIlrath played during a short intermission for the rest of the band - see my #MonochomeMonday post. The photos in this post are all Rise Against. See them if you get the chance!
Dancing on the crumbling precipice
The rocks are coming loose just at the edge
Are we laughing? Are we crying?
Are we drowning? Are we dead?
Or is it all a dream?
Are we not good enough? Are we not brave enough?
Is the violence in our nature just the image of our maker?
Are we not good enough? Are we not brave enough?
To become something greater than the violence in our nature?
Are we not good, good enough?
Or is it all a dream?
To a predetermined fate are we condemned?
Or maybe we're a book without an end?
We're not stories, we're not actors
We're awake and in control
And this is not a dream
So can we break this mold
And set in motion something new?
Forgetting what we know
An evolution overdue
Fight the current
Pull the ripcord
Get away!
Are we not good enough? Are we not brave enough?
Is the violence in our nature just the image of our maker?
Are we not good enough? Are we not brave enough?
To become something greater than the violence in our nature?
Are we not good, good enough?
Well-trodden paths are all we take
We need a storm, let's pray for rain now
To wash these roads away
Let's get off track and wander far
Same roads lead to same destinations
Follow nothing but your heart
We're talking in our sleep
And sleeping through our lives
And we dream of the places where we never die
We step from the shadows and into the light
Are we not good enough? Are we not brave enough?
Is the violence in our nature just the image of our maker?
Are we not good enough? Are we not brave enough?
To become something greater than the violence in our nature?
Are we not good enough? Are we not brave enough?
Are we not good, good enough?
Or was it all a dream?
"The Violence" by Rise Against