Two Reviews for the Price of One! Cheap!
Anna sez:
At best, the opening bands at the Rockstar Taste of Chaos Tour were contrived, mind-numbing noise. So it was with low expectations that I watched Thursday take to the stage amidst the droning sound of engines taking off. But to my surprise, they didn’t crash.
When performing live, artists always walk a fine line between producing music that is felt and music that is understood. Too loud and the meaning is lost, too soft and the audience cannot feel the pressure, the passion, the emotion. Unlike the preceding acts, Thursday managed to walk that line admirably.
To begin with, Thursday’s performance included melodies, a far cry from the grunting and thrashing displayed earlier in the evening. At times reverting to a primal sound, the lyrics became indecipherable, yet the meaning behind each song was not lost, as lead singer Geoff Rickly made a point of detailing the message of each song before striking the first note. By surfing between distinct, thoughtful lyrics and utter, animalistic angst, Thursday made the jump to the primitive sound even more brazen and jarring.
Amidst the glaring lights and swirling smoke, Thursday rocked the stage while the crowd surfed and moshed. Wildly whirling the microphone, Rickly ricocheted his body across the stage, rocking first left and then right before stumbling to the top of an amp, his fist raised high, pounding the air with the steady beat of the drums.
But despite an enthusiastic performance, the biggest drawback Thursday faced was out of their control. Because the Rockstar Taste of Chaos Tour catered to a young crowd, the venue was jam-packed with adolescent, angst-ridden teens, who no one could possibly understand because they were the only ones with problems in the world. Weighing the benefits of seeing Thursday live and having to deal with snotty melodramatic teens, I think the recording would have sufficed just fine.
Stephanie sez:
About 6 years ago when I was only a teenager in high school, I’ll admit that Thursday was one of my favorite bands. These days they've added a keyboardist and departed a bit from the sound of their debut, which was drenched with intense screaming vocals and emotional peaks and troughs. On the newer songs, Geoff Rickly sings more and screams less and it's much easier to discern the hooks and melodies.
The Nokia Theatre is a huge venue. I wandered in circles for quite some time before finally finding the room with the stage. Bring Me The Horizon, a UK deathcore band, played right before Thursday and got the crowd pumped for the main act. The moment the lead singer hit the first chord, the crowd pushed back and parted like the red sea to make room for the thrashing, flailing limbs that abounded in the circular mosh pit. Oliver Sykes barked in a low guttural voice as the drums clashed like a thunderstorm and electric guitars pierced through the noise in long metal solos. Nearing the end of the set, Sykes took a leaping dive from the stage into the fully packed crowd.
As Thursday took the stage I was quickly pushed into claustrophobia as the crowd pushed forward as if the walls were closing in on us. I was pressed between bodies, moist and hot from dancing and forced proximity. Thursday mainly stuck to songs off their new album, however they belted out a few of their older songs, giving some fans a nice fix of Thursday nostalgia. "Understanding in a Car Crash” came booming off the stage with smashing drums and hollering vocals. The vocals quickly changed from melodic crooning to guttural screaming, creating an intense contrast and highlighting the darker mood of their earlier work. Rickly screamed, “We open up the lens and can’t stop!” as he lifted his hand, enticing the crowd to scream along with him under the red stage lights.
Rickly bounced all over the stage, taking full advantage of the large platform, and at some point took a minute to interlude about the political and economic climate of the country. What followed was a recent stab at more socially conscious lyrics, and though they did come off like bad poetry at times, the fact that they are making an effort to send out a potent message is admirable.
At this point, Thursday has moved toward a combination of early 90’s post-hardcore with a little of The Cure or The Smiths mixed in. With the added synths, they come across as a bit more light and airy rather than simply dark and intense as before. In general, the latest material sounds a little cluttered, crammed with too many ideas for such weak compositions. Though Thursday seemed to be having a hard time streamlining their sonic pluralism into something concrete and accessible, the show was nonetheless full of energy and excitement. It was nice to see an old favorite, especially when they busted out songs from War all the Time and Full Collapse.
