RVIVR blast through Township

Phil Collins - September 30, 2013

A lot can happen on a massive tour. RVIVR is on the first leg of such a tour right now. The band stopped in Chicago for a show at Township last night, a show which easily could have been a casualty of fate. RVIVR started their current jaunt in Seattle a couple weeks ago and played their hometown of Olympia, Washington the next day. By mid November, the tour will take the band to every corner of this country, playing shows nearly every day including three shows in Canada and one in Mexico.

A few days before the Chicago show, singer and guitarist Mattie Canino broke his pinky finger, forcing the band to cancel a show in Minneapolis and reschedule a show in Milwaukee as a solo set by singer and guitarist Erica Freas. It was determined soon enough that the broken finger would not bring this 50 plus show tour to a grinding hault, Canino would be able to play through the pain. Perhaps he took inspiration from RVIVR's songs, which at a simplistic level can often be boiled down to the idea of playing through the pain. He noted during the show that Chicago icon Michael Jordan's performance with a broken finger in the playoffs was a source of inspiration. The crowd was quick to point out that he had been misinformed and Jordan had not played with a broken finger, but actually played with the flu (game 5 of the NBA Finals in 1997, for anyone keeping score.)

Nevertheless, play on RVIVR did, and they played a set worthy of their energetic reputation. The four piece punk group is known for their championing of DIY ethics and gender equality as well as their electric live performances. Their fanbase only seems to have grown with the release of their second proper album, "The Beauty Between." They played several songs off this album including "The Seam," "Wrong Way/One Way," and "Ocean Song" as well as older hits like "Cut the Cord." The band played, well, like a band that is in the midst of a massive tour with shows most days. They were tight, blasting through blocks of songs without pause. A good crowd turned out and they seemed to have plenty of takers at the merch table, which is good to see for a band on such an epic run.

Check out RVIVR's video for "Spider Song" below.