Ryan NorrisThe coldest night of the weekend, thirty-seven degrees outside with the wind chill factor. People were bouncing up and down, around the block, impatiently anticipating being let into the Electric Factory.
On the play list for Saturday, Feb. 12, were opening acts Submersed and Philadelphia’s very own Silvertide, along with the head lining act, Alterbridge.
Submersed hit the stage at approximately 8:25 p.m. The lead singer, Don Carpenter, knew exactly how to get the crowd all fired up. It is easy to get the crowd psyched when a band member praises them and salute their hometown.
“The Electric Factory is one of our favorite venues to play,” Carpenter said. “It is so great to be so close to your fans especially when you make it possible for us to do what we love every day.”
At the end of their set, Carpenter proposed to his girlfriend in front of the entire audience. Needless to say, his future wife was balling her eyes out as she answered “yes” once she spotted the ring.
After popping the big question, Silvertide pounced on stage to announce that it was their bass player, Mark’s, birthday. “Everyone should “raise up their glass and join in the celebration,” said a Silvertide member. The lead singer then distributed a six-pack of Yuengling amongst the group.
Riling up the crowd, Silvertide played an intense set, including the lead singer hanging from the bar- level of the Electric Factory. After 45 minutes, it was the moment everyone in the audience had been waiting for. Alterbridge had finally come to life.
At 10:28 p.m., Myles Kennedy, Mark Tremonti, Scott Phillips and Brian Marshall hit the stage to “wow” the audience with an unforgettable performance.
Playing an hour-long set, Alterbridge played eight songs including their latest single, “Open Your Eyes.” Kennedy, lead singer, had the crowd swaying from side to side and praising the lead guitarist, Tremonti. Every time Tremonti performed a solo, the crowd went absolutely insane.
Members of the audience were banging their heads to the beat of the drum and every time a string was picked on the bass. During slow and acoustic songs such as “In Loving Memory,” fans whipped out lighters while moving side to side as if it were a pop concert.
At the end of the show, all three groups came onto the stage an threw their drumsticks and guitar picks into the audience so that fans could take home some form of memorabilia with them.
One 12 year-old boy caught a drum stick from the middle of the crowd and said, “This is the best show they have ever put on.” The boy had been to three other Alterbridge concerts to compare to.
People filed out directly to the booths that were set up. In each booth were the artists from Submersed, Silvertide, and Alterbridge signing CDs and posters as well as talking to die-hard fans.
Many fans couldn’t have much more: a proposal, a hometown success, and a killer performance for one of today’s hottest rock bands. Doesn’t get much better than that.
Posted to the web by Ryan Norris
