Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The story of Rise Against's music video controversy over the song The Violence from the album Wlves
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In 2017, punk band Rise Against planned a music video for their single “The Violence” at a surreal location in Croaker, Virginia: a private farm filled with 43 giant, decaying concrete busts of former U.S. presidents, originally from the failed Presidents Park theme attraction. The concept matched the song’s theme, which asks whether violence is an inevitable part of human nature or a choice we can reject, by placing the band among crumbling symbols of political power.
Rise Against, long known for politically charged songs about war, torture, and government abuse, saw the location as a nonpartisan metaphor: the statues represented power across the political spectrum. The band obtained a permit from the property’s board of directors, arrived with the crew, and began shooting. Partway through, however, the board abruptly revoked the permit and ordered production to stop, labeling the band’s message “anti-government” and “anti-American.”
The shutdown reflected a broader post‑2016 climate where criticism of power was often conflated with hatred of the country itself. To the board, a punk band famous for dissent, performing a song called “The Violence” among eroding presidential heads, looked less like art and more like an attack on sacred symbols. Rather than consider the song’s philosophical lyrics, they treated the project as a threat and chose the safest route: cancel it.
Rise Against responded publicly on May 1, 2017—May Day—through a Facebook statement. They recounted the permit being pulled and reframed the “anti-government” label as a compliment, comparing themselves to past workers and activists who were told to “sit down and shut up” but fought for rights like weekends and eight‑hour workdays. They declared they would remain “unapologetically loud” and called the board’s rejection a “badge of honor.”
With the original concept killed, the band released a lyric video instead. “The Violence” still performed well on rock radio, and the album Wolves debuted in the U.S. top ten, topping several rock charts. Live, the story of the banned video became part of the song’s mythology, turning the attempted suppression into free publicity. The incident ultimately highlighted how efforts to tightly control political imagery can backfire in the internet age, drawing more attention to the very artistic critique authorities hoped to contain.
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The story of Rise Against's music video controversy over the song The Violence from the album Wlves
Podcast on Apple Podcasts
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rock-n-roll-true-stories-podcast/id1876614383
My second YouTube Channel
youtube.com/@RockNRollTrueStories2
In 2017, punk band Rise Against planned a music video for their single “The Violence” at a surreal location in Croaker, Virginia: a private farm filled with 43 giant, decaying concrete busts of former U.S. presidents, originally from the failed Presidents Park theme attraction. The concept matched the song’s theme, which asks whether violence is an inevitable part of human nature or a choice we can reject, by placing the band among crumbling symbols of political power.
Rise Against, long known for politically charged songs about war, torture, and government abuse, saw the location as a nonpartisan metaphor: the statues represented power across the political spectrum. The band obtained a permit from the property’s board of directors, arrived with the crew, and began shooting. Partway through, however, the board abruptly revoked the permit and ordered production to stop, labeling the band’s message “anti-government” and “anti-American.”
The shutdown reflected a broader post‑2016 climate where criticism of power was often conflated with hatred of the country itself. To the board, a punk band famous for dissent, performing a song called “The Violence” among eroding presidential heads, looked less like art and more like an attack on sacred symbols. Rather than consider the song’s philosophical lyrics, they treated the project as a threat and chose the safest route: cancel it.
Rise Against responded publicly on May 1, 2017—May Day—through a Facebook statement. They recounted the permit being pulled and reframed the “anti-government” label as a compliment, comparing themselves to past workers and activists who were told to “sit down and shut up” but fought for rights like weekends and eight‑hour workdays. They declared they would remain “unapologetically loud” and called the board’s rejection a “badge of honor.”
With the original concept killed, the band released a lyric video instead. “The Violence” still performed well on rock radio, and the album Wolves debuted in the U.S. top ten, topping several rock charts. Live, the story of the banned video became part of the song’s mythology, turning the attempted suppression into free publicity. The incident ultimately highlighted how efforts to tightly control political imagery can backfire in the internet age, drawing more attention to the very artistic critique authorities hoped to contain.
Have a video request or a topic you'd like to see us cover? Comment below or send in your idea: bit.ly/3stnXlN
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TIKOK:tiktok.com/@rocknrolltruestory
Instagram: instagram.com/rnrtruestories
Facebook: facebook.com/RNRTrueStories
Twitter: twitter.com/rocktruestories
Blog: rockandrolltruestories.com
#riseagainst
These videos are for entertainment purposes only. DISCLAIMER rockandrolltruestories.com/youtube-disclaimer
