05/06/2008 - Philadelphia, PA - The Electric Factory

To those who've been to this place, how easy would it be to sneak a camera in it?

Tainted Seance:

To those who've been to this place, how easy would it be to sneak a camera in it?

Each time I've seen a show there I've had a camera. I actually told the security lady I had a camera in my pocket during the "search".

I highly doubt you'll have to sneak it in

Hey I'm coming to the show and wondered if anyone could help me out with a little info on the venues location in relation to hotels and the train station. I'm actually from London but am visiting a friend in New York (how lucky am I that these dates were announced? It's fate lol) and we decided as we were in the country anyway that we should come to the show and hopefully see a bit of Philly while we're there. So any advice would be awesome. Thanks in advance

Philadelphia is a beautiful town full of lots of culture as well as many attractions to go to (I strongly suggest going to the Museum of Art and the Mutter Museum [which has creepy dead things!!!!] as they are awesome). However, the bummer about The Electric Factory is that it's kind of located in a bad part of town. It's not necessarily the best representation of Philadelphia and there's a lot of rundown buildings, as well as homeless people in the streets begging for money. There's a nice bar/grill a few buildings down from the Electric Factory (actually on the same sidewalk) where you can get some delicious food while waiting, and it's typically best to arrive at least a good 2-3 hours early to the event if you want to get a great spot in line. I got there about 2 1/2 hours early for the Evanescence concert, and was maybe about 50-100 people back, but got incredibly close so that was all that mattered .

As for trains, I am not entirely sure...but if your friend from NYC is familiar with major highways/interstates you can find directions here: http://www.greatseats.com/venue/electric_factory/directions.asp

And here is a list of hotels in the area:
http://city.ask.com/city?mode=biz&what=hotels&where=421+North+7th+Street,+Located+On+7th+Street+Between+Callowhill+and+Spring+Garden+Philadelphia+PA+19107&qsrc=258&o=10285&l=iac#1

Also, keep in mind that the EF is a small venue so if tight crowds, being pushed towards the stage is not your thing, there is an upstairs bar/balcony that will allow you to watch the show from above which is what I might end up doing anyways. MCR's crowds can be quite rowdy, and as much as I want to be up close to gerard, I don't want to be torn to shreds so I'll probably watch from the side and up above so I can look down right onto the stage and see everything.

Endoftheworld you rock! Thank you so much. That's all really useful information. I'm definitely interested in the Museum of Art and the Mutter Museum (I inexplicably love creepy dead things lol) and I'll have a look around for a hotel. Ideally we don't want to be too far from the venue as we don't want to get lost in the middle of the night on the buses but if public transport runs fairly late then I'm sure with some research we'll be ok.

Oh and we love to get sweaty down the front so it's all good. This'll be my 25th MCR show so I'm used to the isane crowds and frankly nothing can be rougher than Rage Against The Machine in 1993 and I just about survived that lol.

Thanks again for replying in so much detail, I really appreciate all your help

No problemo. Having lived only about an hour and a half away from Philly all my life, I have visited there quite a few times and thus if you have any more questions just feel free to ask. I love to help people new to the area =).

I'm so excited about this show. Well, both this and the one on the 7th. It will be my first time in Philly as well. Not only do I get to see MCR twice but I get to go with all people I have met here on INO and I now consider to be some of my closest friends.

Edit: I don't know if it is cause I've only seen MCR in Florida and crowds here generally suck ass but none of MCR shows have been rough. I've been up at the barrier for 2 out of 4 and had pleasant experiences.

EndOfTheWorld:

No problemo. Having lived only about an hour and a half away from Philly all my life, I have visited there quite a few times and thus if you have any more questions just feel free to ask. I love to help people new to the area =).

Aw bless you. I guarantee you'll soon be sick of me asking questions lol!

porcelinajune:

I'm so excited about this show. Well, both this and the one on the 7th. It will be my first time in Philly as well. Not only do I get to see MCR twice but I get to go with all people I have met here on INO and I now consider to be some of my closest friends.

Edit: I don't know if it is cause I've only seen MCR in Florida and crowds here generally suck ass but none of MCR shows have been rough. I've been up at the barrier for 2 out of 4 and had pleasant experiences.

Glad to know my friend and I won't be the only Philly virgins lol.

Oh and do I take it from your name that you're a Pumpkins fan? I like you already

Big_Pants:

EndOfTheWorld:

No problemo. Having lived only about an hour and a half away from Philly all my life, I have visited there quite a few times and thus if you have any more questions just feel free to ask. I love to help people new to the area =).

Aw bless you. I guarantee you'll soon be sick of me asking questions lol!

Oh no, not at all. Go ahead and ask questions. I find out it's easiest to enjoy Philadelphia, if you research the best things to do there first =).

I'll be there on May 7th. Got shut out of May 6th. I'll be up on the balcony, I'm under 5ft and can't deal with the crowds down below.

It'll be my first time seeing MCR, although i've been a fan since Bullets. I just never wanted to deal with the crowds before but i think this'll be an awesome show since i can kind of be away from the teenies. This, I think, will be the first concert I've ever been to where many of the attendees will be almost young enough to be my children. Yikes.

My first MCR show. Should be my third, but I had the unfortunate luck of having tickets to the Allentown Fair in 06 and State College last April. You all know how those ended. >=[

Im going to this show!
Its going to be awesome, I really can't wait. I think the reason it will be such a big deal for me, its cause I'm going to Philly from Scotland hahah, just to see the boys

I'm so excited!

Tainted Seance:

To those who've been to this place, how easy would it be to sneak a camera in it?

depends on the crew there that day really and also whatever the band says.

The Factory has a no camera policy. However, if a band stipulates that they will allow cameras, then you can bring them.
If you sneak one in when a band says no pictures, and some guard that is having a bad night catches you, they will not hesitate to reach into the crowd and grab it. I've seen it happen to lots of people.

It's a toss up really. There have been days I've had no problem, others that they won't budge. They do usually make an announcement prior to doors opening if cameras will be allowed.

General info about the Factory:

-Bathrooms are usually available at the bar next door. They just ask that you leave 50 cents on the bar as a fee of sorts. Hey if you're not buying anything, it's the least you can do. If you're not old enough, they may not let you in.
-There is a Rite Aid and the Silk City Diner a few blocks away on Spring Garden. Good for food and whatever else may be needed.
-There is a driveway in the parking lot that they need to have constant access to. You will see it, don't block it. They will not hesitate to scare the pants off you and pull up really close to you.
-WATCH THE PARKING SIGNS. VERY important. They WILL tow your car.
-And a note about the upstairs seating area, I believe you must be 21 to sit up there because they serve alcohol. Unless with the remodel they changed policy. I've honestly never sat up there, but it looks pretty nice.

The people who work there are awesome. They may seem like hard asses sometimes, but it's really for your protection and benefit. Be nice to them, it does make a difference.

This is my favorite venue. I'm so excited about seeing them here.

^^^^^^

LOL Angie, I'm so glad you will be with us. Too bad you don't have a ticket for the next night. What time do you think you will be getting there? I think we will be lining up for a good chunk of the day.

porcelinajune:

^^^^^^

LOL Angie, I'm so glad you will be with us. Too bad you don't have a ticket for the next night. What time do you think you will be getting there? I think we will be lining up for a good chunk of the day.

Mandy I'm ready to have asphalt ass for these shows. I will treasure the hours spent with all the crazies waiting with us

Mikey Way.:

Can I ask, how large is the venue?

I can't find sites for it anywhere : /
Thanks in advance!

The capacity ranges from 2,000-3,000. I've seen many different amounts depending on the sites I've checked.

Thank you

porcelinajune:

^^^^^^

LOL Angie, I'm so glad you will be with us. Too bad you don't have a ticket for the next night. What time do you think you will be getting there? I think we will be lining up for a good chunk of the day.

I'm not sure what time I'll be there. I am going to try to sweet talk my way into having the day off...but I doubt it will happen. I'm going to ask if they'll let me work in Philly or somewhere very close by that day. I hope to get there no later than 3pm.

And I'm going to try my best to get a ticket for the next night. Go figure, now that I have some cash there are no more tickets for sale right now. boo.