Rise Against is still finding something to fight for

As a band that has been around for more than 25 years, Rise Against could probably be forgiven for settling into nostalgia mode. Instead, the Chicago punk rock veterans are still writing new songs, arguing over setlists and finding ways to keep things interesting for the generations of fans who have grown up alongside them.

Just in time for a U.S. tour that brings Rise Against to Phoenix at Arizona Financial Theatre on Wednesday, Oct. 14, the band has recently released two new singles, “Katy Bar The Door” and “Living Undercover.”

“I had the music to ‘Katy Bar the Door’ laying around, and Tim (Mcllrath) had the music to ‘Living Undercover,’ so I demoed music, sent it to Tim and he started working on lyrics,” says Rise Against bassist Joe Principe. “Once he was done, it was pretty apparent that both songs were up to snuff and just in time for the U.S. tour we have coming up.”

Written in the aftermath of violent ICE raids in Minneapolis, “Katy Bar the Door” shares its name with a traditional idiom that means that trouble is coming and all hell is about to break loose. In a press release, Mcllrath described the song as “what it feels like to be alive in 2026 … bearing witness to the fragility of democracy is a scary thing, and it demands a response.” 

Principe admits that at first, the “jaded old punk rocker” in him would argue that no one is listening. But then, he saw the proof in his 17-year-old son, who’s been paying attention to lyrics by bands like Dead Kennedys.

“I try hard not to preach to my kids because when you’re growing up and your parents are telling you to do something, you’re going to do the opposite,” Principe says. “But political lyrics started resonating with him without any outside influence.” That realization changed Principe’s view of what music can accomplish.

Phoenix audiences will be listening as well, as the band promises to deliver a setlist designed to engage both new and longtime fans. 

“I’m really big on covering the career of the band,” says Principe. “Dave Grohl said it best. I just saw Foo Fighters, and we just played with them in Rio. He made a comment: ‘It’s my job to cram 31 years of Foo Fighters into what, a three-hour set?’ I was like, that’s totally accurate.

“We don’t play that long, but for us, it’s all about cramming our career into a setlist so you appeal to every generation of fan. I want people to say, ‘That was rad. Oh, I wasn’t expecting them to play that song. I’m so glad they did.’”

Fans can expect to hear the band’s hits as well as songs like “Survive” and “State of the Union,” tracks that were never singles but were still popular and resonated with fans.

“It’s a hard balance to maintain,” Principe says. “You have four guys in the band trying to agree on what 15 songs to play. We look at our top 20 lists on Spotify and Apple Music and make a core setlist with popular songs, and then we each pick three songs to rotate in and out of the setlist throughout the tour.”

The tour also gives Rise Against a chance to reconnect with fellow Chicago pop-punk rockers Alkaline Trio, who they’ve known and played with throughout their history. “The stars kind of aligned with this one because it’s been so long since we’ve actually done a proper tour with them, and we wanted to just hang out with our friends and have a good time,” Principe says. 

He adds, “When you’re a band as long as we have been, it’s always nice to reconnect with old friends because the road can be lonely. You want to be with your family. You want to be with friends, people that you just kind of grew up with. That’s what Alkaline Trio is to us. At this point, we’re lucky to have success with both of our bands, so we figure, why not celebrate that together?”

Rise Against. With Alkaline Trio. 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14. Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W. Washington St. Tickets start at $51 plus fees.