Thursday, Thrice & Coheed And Cambria
 

ENTERTAINMENT

by RYAN FISHER

The Terrapin Times Layout Editor

          Riding the wave of success brought by their major label debuts, Thursday and Thrice brought their cold, co-headlining show to Washington on November 20^th.  Along for the ride was New York band Coheed and Cambria who, despite remaining on the independent Equal Vision records, have developed a strong nationwide fan base as a result of their unique music and relentless touring.  The crowd came out early, as the line stretched around the block from the entrance of the 9:30 Club an hour before show time.  The concert had sold out weeks in advance, and for good reason: it was a showcase of three of the hottest acts in the rock scene today.

            Coheed and Cambria were first to take the stage.  Opening their set with the epic “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3,” the title track of their newest release (and easily one of the best albums of 2003), the band’s energy and enthusiasm were readily apparent.  With a voice that puts Geddy Lee to shame, singer/guitarist Claudio Sanchez led the band through their unique blend of punk and progressive rock, as they played a set consisting mostly of songs from their new album.  They also included crowd favorite “Devil in Jersey City” from their previous album, Second Stage Turbine Blade, and closed the set with the standard “Everything Evil” from the same album.

Next up were Thrice.  While their newest album, The Artist in the Ambulance, showed a more melodic emphasis, their live set was rooted more deeply in hardcore reminiscent of Botch and pre-Mike Patton Dillinger Escape Plan.  The band steamrolled thorough its nearly hour-long set, but vocalist Dustin Kensrue paused to promote the December 5^th show in College Park featuring Fairweather and Darkest Hour.  Despite a relatively poor sound mix (particularly evident on more metal-influenced songs like “Deadbolt”), the band still managed to please their fans and convert the rest, and proving themselves as one of the better hardcore acts out there.

            Closing the show was the New Jersey band Thursday, riding the success of their newest album War All The Time, which debuted at an impressive #7 on the Billboard album charts.  Opening with War All The Time’s “For the Workforce, Drowning,” the band then went back to 2001’s Full Collapse for “Paris in Flames” and “Understanding in a Car Crash.”

It was drummer Tucker Rule’s birthday, which was celebrated with a between-song cake and the audience singing “Happy Birthday,” which singer Geoff Rickly joked was “pretty good for people who can’t clap in time.”  Rickly then dedicated the next song to “Tucker, since it’s an old song and he’s an old bastard” and the band launched into “Cross Out the Eyes.” 

After closing the main set with “Division St.,” the band returned for an encore, starting with title track “War All The Time.”  Often misinterpreted in reviews of the album, the title is not an anti-war protest, but rather uses war as a metaphor for love and human emotion.  The band then finished things off with “Autobiography of a Nation,” and promised to be back soon which, judging from the crowd’s reaction, couldn’t be soon enough.