If you have been waiting for D.R.I. to swing back through the Capital District, here is your Friday night: August 28, Empire Underground, 6:30 PM. And if you have never been into that basement on North Pearl Street — now you have a reason.
About D.R.I.
D.R.I. — Dirty Rotten Imbeciles — formed in Houston in 1982 and helped lay the foundation for crossover thrash. Their 1987 album Crossover did not just define the sound; it named the entire subgenre, and bands like Suicidal Tendencies, the Cro-Mags, and Nuclear Assault were working from the same blueprint they helped draw. Over four decades later, founding members Kurt Brecht (vocals) and Spike Cassidy (guitar) are still in the band and still relentlessly on the road. Their Midwest and Great Lakes run earlier this year included a 20-track set — no coasting, no nostalgia trap.
The Albany date is one of the first stops on their East Coast run (August 26–September 14), with Words That Burn in support. The band spent much of 2026 grinding through European and UK dates before pointing back toward the American coast — which means they will arrive in Albany fully road-sharp.
About Empire Underground
Empire Underground is the basement stage at 93 North Pearl Street in downtown Albany, part of the Empire Live complex that opened in fall 2021. The space is built to close the distance between the band and the audience — intimate by design. For crossover thrash, getting packed into a basement club is not the compromise. It is the point.
Tickets & Logistics
Doors at 6:30 PM on Friday, August 28. Tickets are through Ticketmaster — link below. Empire Live box office hours are Monday through Friday, 11am to 4pm, if you need to handle anything in person before the show. This is a small room with a band that has been filling club floors for over four decades. Do not wait on this one.