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Rise Against/L.S. Dunes/Cloud Nothings – The Sound, Del Mar, Ca




 



​By Jeffrey Easton
 


Rise Against are stalwarts of modern punk.  Consistently releasing records and living life out on the road.  Just give them a venue and their loud aggression will make it their own.  Their Last record, Nowhere Generation, has been simmering with fans for the last three years, a real masterpiece if you will, but that’s not why we have Rise on the road still.  They are out for the fans that want to see an in your face punk show and that’s what they got Friday night in Beautiful Del Mar.
 
Opening the show was Cloud Nothings, an indie band from the mid-west that to my shock, still has not blown up to where they should be.  Slogging through tours and releasing records since 2009, this edgy three piece led by Dylan Baldi reminds me of the indie explosion of the early 90s, bands that stayed on the road and made a name for themselves through the fuzz of their amplifiers.  Their set was a walk through their catalog, Stay Useless, I’d Get Along and Mouse Policy from their new album Final Summer, A longer Moon and So Right So Clean..  Check out Cloud Nothings if you are down with punk, indie, stuff that’s not on your usual plate, they deserve it,
 
L.S. Dunes are the super group you always wanted.  The band is full of seasoned pros from Circa Survive, My Chemical Romance, Thursday and Coheed And Cambria that have gelled like they have been together for 20 years.   Their debut, Past Lives, dropped in 2022 and I was pleasantly blown away by how great it was.  Mining from the influence of their respective bands and in my opinion, the Warped era, they made a record that sounded like nothing else being released.  With their respective schedules, its hard to tour but opening for Rise Against, they have made the best of the stage they were given.   Coming out with a bang with their single 2022, Anthony Green, one of the best vocalists Ive heard in years, dominated the stage with his fast as a shark movements and going by the sold-out crowd, they were here as much for them as the headliners.  Dropping bombs like Fatal Deluxe, from upcoming record Violet, Permanent Rebellion, Bombsquad,  Past Lives and Machines as that sweaty punk energy oozed off of the stage. As said, their second record, Violet, will drop in 2025 and by the tone of the singles, will contend for record of the year.
 
Rise Against needs no introduction,  they have been stalwarts of the punk scene for over 25 years now but the actions on stage bely that time.  They own the stage as if they had just started out, showing the fans they have what it takes to make it.  Now here they are, 9 albums and multiple Eps deep in a career that has garnered fans all over the world, strings of sold out tours and respect from their peers.   They have always been a band for the fans, no distance between them and the fans and tonight Tim was in the face of the fans as he belted his way through their set.  The set was filled with singles and deep cuts the hardcore fans haven’t heard in years as Tim Stated they weren’t here to sell you anything, they just want to be out.   As they started the set, the fans launched into singing every word back to the band, I witnessed the dedication these people have put into Their band.  Satellite, Under The Knifer, State Of The Union,  Behind Closed Doors, from one of my top albums, The Black Market, the title track,  Blood-red White And Blue, Make It Stop, the set was packed.  The money spent getting in, supporting the band by buying merch ( I know I spent way to much but worth it) was for a great cause.  The band gets to continue touring and releasing their street level gospel.   Rise one again gave a show that nobody that saw this tor will forget.  No matter if you saw them on Warped Tour 2006, I was there, or this tour, you got the same dedication to the songs and the fans, the same blood and sweat spilled on the stage.  Rise Against are timeless.
 
Official Rise Against Site
Official L.S. Dunes Site
Official Cloud Nothings Site



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