And so to the main course and I’ll admit now that I have only heard two singles from the album, but on the basis of those two songs wanted badly to cover this band. As the band’s name implies, these guys live and perform those political wrongs that go largely untouched by so many bands. And the point was emphasised just prior to the guys mounting the stage, as the two video screens projected scenes of political, social and environmental ills, without accompanying music so as to focus the attention.

Recently, we covered the Shinedown show (also in Manchester) and argued that we were subject to too many lectures and requests to hold hands and wave. Effectively, the show kept stopping for quite long periods, disrupting the flow. No such problem here. Songs were rattled out like repeated Howitzer shells, leaving one breathless but wanting more. It was superb.

The capacity audience of well over 2,000 ranged in age from 14-44 which was interesting as I had initially expected the younger end of the spectrum. But as I had explained earlier, I hadn’t heard the new album or indeed any Rise Against album. The band’s polemical underbelly is certainly part of the attraction, but as they illustrated tonight, it’s the songs that hammer home the nail…

Tim McIlrath has a voice and look that reminds me of Dave Grohl, and he performs with mountains of authority and minimum animation. He’s like a fuckin’ magnet, drawing the crowd to him until there his - totally and utterly. He leaves it to his band-mates to do the physical gym stuff, and boy do they do it well. Instrumentally the band is as tight as a duck’s hole but dramatic with it. In fact the instrumental performances were a strong feature of the night.

Then there were the songs… The show represented a baptism for me; a 20-song discovery and an indication of where this band had been and where they were heading. Out of the twenty songs performed just six were from the latest album APPEAL TO REASON, but they were cleverly slotted amongst what I guess were historical favourites. Shit, there was no guess about it… The fans left no stone unturned as they sang, clapped, waved and screamed their approval. The videos were replaced with a pair of American flags in a combination of protest and love; the ideal backdrop for the band’s songs.

There was the occasional talking respite but it was brief enough and good enough to work without disrupting the show’s irresistible, machine-gun flow. And of course the fans lapped it up - when Tim said ‘jump’ they set off like rockets, and created one of those really special shows one prays for (and are all too rarely delivered).

Special moments? For me, not unnaturally, they revolved around the new songs like the explosive opener ‘Collapse’ with its F1 pace, battering guitars and drums, venomous Tim vocal and screaming backing vocals. Magical! The darkness and contemplation of ‘Re-Education’ won me over, while the bass vibe and message of ‘Long Forgotten Son’ inspired and resonated - big-time.

But my standouts were the highly accessible and slower-paced ‘Audience Of One’ and the beautiful, sad and reflective ‘Hero Of War’, unquestionably the anthem of our troubled times. That was the new but then the encore arrived with three standout older tracks: ‘Dancing For Rain’, ‘Give It All’ and a stunning ‘Ready To Fall.’ And after that all I can say is ‘job done boys.’ If I’d owned the new album it would have been on repeat play on every one of the 60 miles journey home. When a band can sell-out a 2,000 plus venue like the Apollo, there’s usually a very good reason, and I witnessed it for myself on the night that Rise Against and support acts played. Brilliant!

Rise Against Setlist

1. Collapse (Post-Amerika)
2. State of the Union
3. Re-Education (Through Labor)
4. Paper Wings
5. Long Forgotten Sons
6. The Good Left Undone
7. Chamber the Cartridge
8. Drones
9. The Dirt Whispered
10. Audience of One
11. Blood to Bleed
12. Savior
13. Survive
14. Blood-Red, White, and Blue
15. Prayer of the Refugee
16. Everchanging
17. Hero of War
18. Dancing for Rain
19. Give It All
20. Ready to Fall