photo credit: weworemasks

As a reader of this blog, no one should be surprised to see Thrice show recaps on the reg. I’ve seen nearly every Thrice tour in Texas since 2001, and the current tour in support of Major/Minor is #20. That’s right, I’ve seen ONE band TWENTY times, and I’ve never gotten tired of it. Excuse my clearly biased glow and praise of this band, and hit the jump for the recap.

-grizzly


photo credit: weworemasks

I don’t usually show up early to shows, but when I do, it’s for a band like Moving Mountains. I know Favorite Gentleman’s O’ Brother was the first band to perform, but an interview with Thrice prevented me from catching the band’s set, of which I heard good things from the crowd. Moving Mountains have been a personal favorite of mine for years now, and since the band came out, I had been waiting for them to grab an opening slot on a Thrice tour. Three years later, here they are, supporting their Triple Crown Records debut, Waves.

photo credit: weworemasks

Gregory Dunn was minimal on the chatter, other than a few tribute-esque words for the late Steve Jobs. The band powered through songs off of the aforementioned Waves, and it was almost as if you could hear the crowd being won over. And while albums like Pneuma and Foreword boasted an extended instrumental interlude here and there, Mov Mou spent no time showcasing those, while they played a Waves-heavy set. And even the set-closing “With One’s Heart in One’s Mouth,” was a 4-minute abridged version of the 9-minute monster.

photo credit: weworemasks

La Dispute took the reigns of the direct support slot, after metal act Kylesa had to cancel due to a family emergency. If there was two words to describe their set, it would be “maniacally weird.” The spoken word vocals had an obvious mewithoutYou vibe, and the music laid down a heavy post-hardcore vibe of Saetia and Hot Cross. (And you know, I’m wondering if anyone even remembers those Hot Cross guys!) With a new album Wildlife recently hitting stores, the band had a small, but cult-like following that yelled in support, while the rest of us were deciding between “What is this, I don’t even…” and “the fuck?” Several Party Rock Anthem shufflin’ dance moves later, it was time for Thrice to hit the stage.

photo credit: weworemasks

Granted, I’m no photographer, nor do I have a professional grade SLR. I rely on a wide-angle lens on a point and shoot camera, but I’m still boasting 14.1 MP. But enough with the tech talk. I want to direct a huge “WTF” to the light guy at the House of Blues, on record: You suck, dude. I felt like it was impossible to get a truly great shot of Thrice, so I have to supply the readers (and the band) with the best subpar pictures this side of Willowbrook Mall.

photo credit: weworemasks

Anyway, Thrice made it abundantly clear that the night belonged to their latest album, Major/Minor. Of the album’s 11 songs, a whopping 7 were played on the 18 song setlist. It’s safe to say that it might not have been the best idea to see last night’s Thrice outing without being a fan of Major/Minor. And prior to the show, I was swearing up and down that Beggars remains my favorite of the two. After the show – a totally different story. Hearing songs like “Words in the Water” and “Blur” were especially thrilling, breathing in an entirely different life to songs I already liked.

photo credit: weworemasks

While the setlist was heavily in favor of the new jams, every oldie that Thrice brought out was a resounding “goodie.” Between performances of “Cold Cash, Colder Hearts” and “Of Dust and Nations,” it’s no wonder that this was the first Thrice show I’ve seen that hasn’t been met with calls of “Deadbolt!” Turns out, a half-capacity crowd at the House of Blues is the best the band has seen in years. A great deal of them seemed to be super fans, cheering and singing along emphatically to every song.

photo credit: weworemasks

One venue-shattering performance of “The Earth Will Shake” and set-closing “Anthology” later, the band threw the biggest curveball of the night in the encore: “Phoenix Ignition.” Could it be true? A song that’s on an album that basically doesn’t exist to the casual Thrice fan, a song that I haven’t seen performed since The Artist in the Ambulance days was performed, and the band seemed to have a blast playing it. And for the cherry on top, “To Awake and Avenge the Dead” closed the night. Here’s to the 21st show.

photo credit: weworemasks

SETLISTS

[MOVING MOUNTAINS]

My Life is Like a Chase Dream
Where Two Bodies Lie
Tired Tiger
Always Only for Me
The Cascade
Cover the Roots, Lower the Stems
With One’s Heart in One’s Mouth

[THRICE]

Yellow Belly
The Weight
Promises
All the World is Mad
In Exile
Call it in the Air
Silhouette
Cold Cash, Colder Hearts
Circles
Treading Paper
Blur
Words in the Water
Of Dust and Nations
Firebreather
The Earth Will Shake
Anthology
–
Phoenix Ignition
To Awake and Avenge the Dead