Thursday are in the middle of doing a 21st anniversary tour for their critically acclaimed record, War All the Time. They've brought along Emo/Post-Hardcore legends, Rival Schools, and Keith Buckley's new Metalcore project, Many Eyes. I was fortunate enough to catch the show when it hit Santa Ana.
Many Eyes have been releasing new singles steadily since their debut in Fall of last year. With this being their first tour and only a handful of songs available, it was impressive to see how many people turned out for their opening set. Buckley and Every Time I Die fans, as well as newcomers, made sure to have their voices heard during the songs they already knew, like "Revelation." While during songs that haven't officially been released, some notable track names being "Speechless" and "Amateurs," you could still find fans in the crowd singing what they knew -- likely picking up what they've heard from live videos earlier in the tour. Altogether they had 9 ferocious tracks that fans can look forward to on their upcoming album.
Next up were Rival Schools. The band recently came out of hibernation to celebrate their debut record, United by Fate. Thursday's own Steve Pedulla is working double duty this tour filling in for Ian Love during Rival Schools' set. Most of the band's set consisted of United By Fate tracks while sprinkling in a few from their sophomore album, Pedals like "A Parts For B Actors" and closing with "Wring it Out." They sound better than ever and who knows how long this reunion will last. If you missed out on their reunion shows last year, don't miss your chance again.
Thursday took to the stage and kicked off "For the Workforce, Drowning." The crowd erupted! I haven't seen an audience like this for Thursday in a few years. The last time they came through, Rickly was also dealing with a broken foot, which hampered the performance a bit. The crowd was also noticeably younger. So much so that even Rickly took a moment to acknowledge how the audience has been younger this tour and told a story of how a young fan misunderstood "War All the Time" and asked why they were pro-war, to which he corrected and reassured it was the opposite. On top of playing through the 2003 record, the band capped it off with fan-favorite "Jet Black New Year." Thursday finished off the night with "Cross Out The Eyes," deep cut, "Beyond the Visible Spectrum" from Common Existence, and of course no Thursday show is complete without "Understanding in a Car Crash." While this tour isn't the first time the band has played through War All the Time. it certainly feels more monumental than any of the other times over the years. If they're rolling through your town, don't miss this tour.
