Uprising at the Factory

Well, with the Phillies coming up with that big NLCS win last night, everyone in the city is probably in a pretty good mood today. So we wonder whether everyone's going to be too cheery to be appropriately angst-ridden at the Electric Factory tonight and tomorrow, when punk/hardcore standard-bearers Rise Against (MySpace) and Alkaline Trio (MySpace) will play what promises to be one hell of an aggressive show. (Or, because they're playing two nights, is it two hells of aggressive shows? Our sense of grammar is off this morning.)

We've seen both of these bands before, so we think we have a good idea of what to expect—namely, a ton of people and a ton of energy. Oh, and a ton of sound. We're definitely bringing our earplugs for this one (if for no other reason than because we have previous experience with Alkaline Trio having some poor sound mixing and the earplugs should help minimize that). And for the record, no, you're not a wimp at all for wearing earplugs, despite what the cool kids tell you about how awesome deafness is.

The bands will likely be focusing on material from their respective recent releases: Rise Against's Appeal to Reason, and Alkaline Trio's Agony & Irony. We've only heard a couple tracks from Appeal to Reason, but love what we've heard so far. And Rise Against has gotten better with every album. If they keep up the trend, then that's saying something, because their 2006 effort, The Sufferer & the Witness was nothing short of outstanding. And Agony & Irony is a solid addition to Alkaline Trio's catalog, and a return to some edginess that many of their diehard fans felt was missing from the just-a-little-too-polished Crimson.

But even as both bands have enjoyed increased mainstream success over the last couple years, they haven't mellowed out any in their concerts. So if you're not the type who can enjoy, or at least accept, a hot, loud, crowded, sweaty show, you'd better stay away from the Factory tonight and tomorrow. But if something kills your Phillies high between now and the concerts, and you have to get some aggression out of your system, then we'll see you there.

(Oh, and if you're a big fan of the other two bands on this tour, Thrice and The Gaslight Anthem, fear not! As we mentioned in today's edition of "Can't Miss This!", we'll be covering their performances at tonight's show and posting a review tomorrow.)

Rise Against, with Alkaline Trio, Thrice and The Gaslight Anthem
Tonight, Thurs., 10/16/08 & tomorrow, Fri., 10/17/08
The Electric Factory, 421 N. 7th St.
8:30 p.m. (Doors 7:30 p.m.)
Tickets: $31 (tonight), $28.50 (tomorrow)

Image via Flickr user evilmutent