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Bands: Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Thrice Where: Worcester Palladium By: Jay I arrived at the Worcester Palladium just before 7:00pm. Fact: The Worcester Palladium has a fire-department mandated capacity of 2,160 screaming fans. Fact: When I arrived at the Palladium, there were still some tickets available at the window, so it must not have sold out as of the show’s 7:00pm start time. Opinion: It must have been damned close to selling out, because there wasn’t anywhere to stuff another screaming fan inside the place. The crowd was all manner of energized, enthusiastic and ready for some auditory love. That excitement was contagious, and the big three (Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Thrice) came in with many reports (my own among them) of giving great live shows. The bar was set pretty high from the outset. Would Rise Against, the Alkaline Trio, Thrice, and the relatively unknown Gaslight Anthem be able to meet my artificially high expectations? Actually, yes. I had not heard of the Gaslight Anthem prior to learning about this tour, and they were a pleasant surprise. The jangly guitars, straightforward drums, and leather-jacket vocals all combined for a retro aesthetic that did not feel at all gimmicky. They were a perfect opening salvo: quick, unexpectedly intriguing, and timely getting off the stage. Thrice came on at 7:50pm. Thrice, next, was the picture of restraint. Drawing primarily on their Alchemy Index: Volumes I – IV, most of their tunes and even the set itself built slowly towards short bouts of intensity. The decision to go with deliberation and tension over speed was a strong one, though a couple of harder oldies made it into the set. The crowd responded well to this ramp up and release dynamic, swaying, singing, and yelling along where appropriate. The Alkaline Trio started promptly at 8:50pm. They opened fast and loud with fan favorite “Private Eye” and followed it up with “Calling All Skeletons” from their latest album, Agony and Irony. Their sound was rich, full, and loud; Matt (Skiba’s) ululating played off of Dan (Adriano’s) crooning even more impressively than it does in recordings. The set was built on new stuff from Agony and Irony, with “I Found Away”, “In Vein”, “Over and Out”, and the single “Help Me” all played, though the oldies “I Lied My Face Off” and “Goodbye Forever” were also performed. Another nod was thrown to older fans when Matt announced “this song is for anyone who owns a record called Goddamnit” before playing “Cringe”. The crowd was appealed to again during their finale, “This Could Be Love”: Matt asked everyone to sing the lyrics “love for fire” during the second half of the song, and a huge number in the crowd (fans and non-fans alike) complied. The atmosphere had that perfect concert quality, fans displaying not only an excitement but an eagerness to be involved. This was not one of those shows where fan favoritism meant that many people left after “their band” had performed. By my rough count, 0 people left in-between sets. Rise Against took the stage at 10:00pm. The set took off like a roman candle, and the crowd loved it. From twenty seconds deep into the first song, the entire front 2/3 of the crowd was jumping and fist pumping. Lead singer Tim McIlrath was jumping around himself while masterfully going back and forth between singing and yelling, and not dropping any of the lyrics. He enjoyed the crowd’s enthusiasm, remarking “I’m proud to be in front of this many people who still give a shit, who still care about the music.” The crowd continued to flip out during the many anthems in Rise Against’s set, particularly “Don’t Hold Me Up”, “Rooftops”, and “Life Less Frightening”. In addition to the frenetic energy and well-maintained vocals, Rise Against executed some guitar solo work and drum fills that were straightforward but fun. They also debuted some new material from their new album Appeal to Reason, most notably the solid songs “ReEducation Through Labor” and “Collapse”. Rise Against left the stage and came back for a five-song encore, two of which were acoustic; it was a fitting cap to an energetic, well-executed set. 11:05pm and the show is over. If you weren’t there, you absolutely missed out. |
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