Gabe Saporta was quoted in a recent interview saying, “I usually get bored of a band after their third album”. Of course he was speaking of his upcoming third album with Cobra Starship but he may have also been alluding to his own career, as experienced in his tenure with Midtown. I didn’t give that quote much consideration until seeing Thursday take stage at the March 17, 2009, Rockstar Taste of Chaos tour.
Three years ago Thursday toured with Rise Against, Circa Survive and Billy Talent, playing to a full house on the outdoor stage at Club Revolution. That 2006 tour was in support of their third full length album, A City By The Light Divided. This time around in support of Common Existence the partially emptied venue was unnerving enough that Geoff Rickly addressed it openly saying, “Some of the kids have left to go outside and to try to get Bring Me The Horizon’s autograph. Thank you for sticking around to be with us tonight”.
The difference between Thursday and the three bands that played before them, Bring Me The Horizon, Pierce the Veil and Four Years Strong, is that the others were selected for the tour by fan voting. These three bands represent what’s hot in music now. Thursday was appointed to the tour by accomplishment and name recognition. The result was half the club clearing out moments before the curtain opened for their set.
One of the determining factors for this may have been because the show was on a week night, as it was the younger portion of the audience that disappeared. Another thought is that the other bands were all significantly more metal based and the pairing of them with Thursday just wasn’t a good match. What I fear most is that Gabe Saporta has it all figured out. Has the world moved on without Thursday?
The night started out with Cancer Bats, the other band not selected by a voting system. They were loud and like an unrefined Pantera. They made for better pictures than what I remember of their music.
Pierce The Veil followed them which was a step up but still a little too cute for my taste. The pictures reflect that they rely a lot on image. The fluorescent guitars and the choreographed segments came off as completely contrived but at the same time it effectively held my attention.
Four Year Strong was the band that most appealed to me. I would hate to discredit the band by describing their sound as pop-punk but that is exactly what they are. Just like New Found Glory, FYS capitalize on mixing in gang vocals and hardcore riffs which makes their music memorable. Despite coming out dressed in matching varsity jackets they have an intimidating presence. Music aside if I had to judge them by appearance I would assume they played Gainesville “beardcore”.
I have to give recognition to Bring Me The Horizon for turning the floor into a ragingly aggressive pit. I have never considered an English accent to be that tough but their music was out of control.
The big news since last Tuesday’s show is that Bring Me The Horizon guitarist Curtis Ward quit the band. The earliest announcement I can find online is from March 19, 2009, two nights after the tour stopped in Ft. Lauderdale. Barring him taking stage in Orlando the next evening I may have the last pictures of him as a member of the band. Does this qualify as an exclusive?
That brings us full circle back to Thursday. I was troubled by seeing the crowd thin out the way it did but that was only a fraction of my initial aversion. The crowd was sent into a frenzy as the set was opened with “At This Velocity” and “Resuscitation Of A Dead Man”. Through both songs Thursday was barely visible from the absence of light. If the house lights weren’t set to strobe they were arbitrarily pointing into empty space or at the ceiling. I’m not sure if this was a calculated decision or a parameter set into the lighting system in order to mimic the sound, but it hindered my ability to take quality pictures.
Thursday went on to play their biggest hits like “Understanding In a Car Crash” and “Counting 5-4-3-2-1″ while mixing in songs from the new album “Friends In The Armed Forces” and “Beyond The Visible Spectrum”. I was hoping to hear “Paris In Flames” but my close second choice ”Cross Out The Eyes” was performed as an encore.
