it’s no surprise that i went to see thrice for a whopping 19th time last night. it’s not so much the fact that they’re “pretty much” my favorite band of all time, because that would be hard to narrow down to just one group. but for the longest time, they have been the most consistent and best band to invest time and effort into. i’ve loved part to all of their releases, most of which found their way into my top 20 in their respective release years and i can say with a straight face that they’ve never let me down live. this time, they brought around kevin devine and his god damn band, as well as bad veins and the dig.

hit the jump.

-grizzly

i walked in the venue and caught the end of a very loud, and highly engaging opening act. having missed the opening act the dig, i’d come to find out that bad veins were the duo that were rocking on stage. a fuzzy haze of post-punk and the type of strokes/killers stuff that blew up back in 2004 took over the venue, but due to technical difficulties, was cut short for concert-goers. having about 20 minutes total to win over new fans, the band definitely peaked my interests, which is more than i can say for about 90% of opening bands in general.

kevin devine plowed through houston shortly after the release of brother’s blood, an 09 favorite of mine. taking the reigns of the direct support, him and his god damn band decided to take on the harsh reality that can be thrice fans. for some reason (albeit an obvious one), kevin played songs like “another bag of bones” and “buried by the buzz” with an energy that is usually absent when he plays headline shows. it’s apparent that he decided to speed up and aggrandize for the pure approval of thrice fans, who would generally find themselves uninterested in songs like “just stay” if he hadn’t done so.

devine is one of the best performers of his genre. despite, that, he finds himself the victim of many a heckle, i’m sure. during his set, he was on the receiving end of “boos” more than a few times. someone even deciding yelling “deadbolt” during his set would be a good idea. kevin devine is a man of the high road, dismissing the guy and telling him that “the back of the venue is a nice place for guys like you.” he ended his set with a one-two punch of a brand new song (“she stayed as steam”) and “brother’s blood,” the latter of which packs a lot of heat for a seven minute song. the crowd response at the end of his set was evident of the possibility of new fans and the appeasing of old fans alike.

for the past few years, thrice sets have been plagued by the crowds they bring out. and it’s ALWAYS unexpected. one show, there’s a bunch of newcomers; in other shows there’s a huge “bro” fanbase filled with the steroid and affliclition-laden youth of the 00s. while these aforementioned bros were in attendance, it seems as thought they finally understand the concept of restraint. for the first time in five or six tours, cries of “deadbolt” and “t&c” were absent. the band was ‘allowed’ to play the setlist that they set out to play, which is a great thing for a band like thrice, who has umpteen different subgenres that lie within their discography.

for as long as the band has existed, thrice has always done their best at creating one of the most fair and balanced setlists (with new and old material), especially compared to other bands in the same vein who have upwards of 5 albums in their discography. from catering to new fans who love beggars to fans of the artist and the ambulance era fans, it’s hard to imagine anyone left home disappointed. bringing out left-field cuts like “bloodclots and blackholes” and a newly revamped version of “a song for milly michaelson” were among many highlights in a set with very few lulls.

other highlights included a mid-set nod to “the earth will shake,” a song usually reserved as a set closer for the band, and other vheissu cut “image of the invisible.” not only have they not brought that song out (in houston, anyway) in years, but kevin devine and his goddamn band were on stage to join america’s second or third favorite past time, gang vocals. i mean seriously, who doesn’t like call and response gang vocals? communists and terrorists, that’s who.

the entire band remains as precise as their live show is flawless. the quartet possesses a chemistry that seems almost too rare nowadays, especially with other bands in their genre and their revolving door-esque lineups. it’s always good to a band who has every right to be jaded about the music industry and impervious to fans actually have fun and appreciate being able to play to a crowd of 450, when they could’ve gotten used to playing to upwards of 1000 just 3-4 years ago. i mean, there’s a reason i’ve seen them 19 times.

————————————————————-

[SETLISTS]

[thrice]

[kevin devine and the goddamn band]

yr husband
carnival
another bag of bones
cotton crush
i could be with anyone
buried by the buzz
just stay
she stayed as steam (new song)
brother’s blood