Now that co-headlining tours are the norm, it was only natural for The Used and Rise Against – along with opener Senses Fail – to team up at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Saturday, July 16. The disaffected grown adults convened under the glare of blazing sun, and the struggles of being alternative in the summer were felt in this largely black-clad crowd. Thankfully, this lineup packed “so many power chords in one tour,” as a Reddit user put it.⁠ ⁠ For the full review, click on the link in our bio or visit independent.com. | Image credit: @CarlPerryPhoto⁠ ⁠ 1. For 20 years, Rise Against has been performing, as frontman Tim McIlrath said, “songs about change, songs about awareness, songs about family” – and they’re not stopping now.⁠ ⁠ 2. Among the standouts during Rise Against’s set: “Survive,” a stronghold of killer fretwork brought to life by guitarist Zach Blair’s stuttered riffs. ⁠ ⁠ 3. Frontman Bert McCracken’s voice still had the scream wattage cranked up in patches during The Used’s set.⁠ ⁠ 4. This was The Used’s first stop on the tour, and bassist Jeph Howard brought the heaviness to their sound.⁠ ⁠ 5. Senses Fail opened the concert with showmanship in spades.