Dudes in their 40s playing music for dudes in their 30s doesn't usually suggest a wild night. Don't tell Alkaline Trio's audience that, though. On Monday at the Triple Rock, Matt Skiba, Dan Andriano and Derek Grant delighted bearded punks, ex-emo kids and frat boys alike with their music's furious blend of punk-rock energy and evil, heartbroken lyrics. Rarely have words so dark and demented elicited such joy on a room full of people.

Monday night was the first part of Alkaline Trio's four-day stint at the Triple Rock, where they'll play all eight of their albums in their entirety at a pace of two per night. Many people in the audience were whispering excitedly that the Chicago-spawned band would play their classic first two albums - 1998's "Goddamnit" and 2000's "Maybe I'll Catch Fire". However, AK3 surprised everyone when they ripped into their newest album first, 2013's "My Shame Is True." Some of the older attendees looked around and blinked, not recognizing music recorded post 2005. But the youngest fans pushed their way up to the front and sang along with all 476 "whoas."

Songs that were shined up with gloss on the record came across lively and direct, cutting through all the production value and making the music feel more relatable. The songs on "Shame" could have fit right in on Alkaline Trio's first three albums and nobody would have flinched, were it not for the Blink-182-meets-Def-Leppard arena-rock sheen that characterizes many of their later albums.

"This next album is called 'Goddamnit'" were the words that sent the room into pure pandemonium. From that point on, the crowd went so nuts that the band actually struggled to match their energy at times. People were holding each other and falling into each other's arms like a faith healing. This wasn't just a band playing an old album; this was a Pavlovian response to the music of the audience's childhood.

On record, singer/guitarist Matt Skiba's songs are always the best-crafted and most recognized. But on Monday, singer/bassist Dan Andriano's songs stole the show. Andriano's spirit and focus connected with the audience on an almost cellular level. Skiba, on the other hand, stared straight ahead and seemed about as emotionally invested as Billy Corgan at a rodeo. It was like watching an unconcerned chimpanzee at the zoo scratch himself in front of a room full of toddlers and elderly people. Even the audience chanting "Let's go Wild!" in response to Skiba's Chicago Blackhawks shirt elicited no response.

It didn't seem to matter to the audience, though. Matt Skiba could have sang those songs in Yoda's voice and nobody would have cared or noticed. This night wasn't about 2015. On Monday night, it was 1998 again. Everybody was praying for you to fall, drinking you goodbye, kissing your clavicle and all the other things that sounded awesome when you were 20.

SETLIST:
'My Shame Is True' album:

She Lied To The FBI/ I Wanna Be A Warhol/ I'm Only Here To Disappoint/ Kiss You To Death/ The Temptation Of St. Anthony/ I, Pessimist/ Only Love/ The Torture Doctor/ Midnight Blue/ One Last Dance/ Young Lovers / Until Death Do Us Part

'Goddamnit' album:

Cringe/ Cop/ San Francisco/ Nose Over Tail/ As You Were/ Enjoy Your Day/ Clavicle/ My Little Needle/ Southern Rock/ Message From Kathlene/ Trouble Breathing/ Sorry About That

Encore:

My Friend Peter