Date: November 22, 2003
Location: Avalon Ballroom - Boston, MA
Bands: Coheed & Cambria, Thursday, Thrice
I showed up to the show about an hour before doors, and was surprised to see that pretty much everyone who was attending had already arrived and gotten in line. In the first place, I was amazed that the show had sold out so quickly. When doors opened, everyone rushed in and packed the Avalon Ballroom for an incredible show.
Coheed & Cambria took the stage first. I've seen them a few times, and they played a good mix of old and new songs, although I'm not familiar with the new CD. They put on a great performance as always, and got the crowd doing for the rest of the evening. Next on the bill was Thrice. This was my first time seeing them, and they were absolutely incredible. This is a band with a ton of energy that never falters throughout their set. They know how to work the crowd. They played songs off "Artist In The Ambulance" as well as off their previous release, "Identity Crisis". It is no surprise that they have just been signed to Island Records. After they finished, Thursday took the stage.
Thursday was definitely the highlight of the evening. You'd be hard-pressed to find a band that gives a more incredible, emotionally charged live show. Singer Geoff Rickley barely stands still for more than a few seconds, and is quite the hard object to photograph. Along with his signature arm and head movements, he enjoys crawling on the stage floor quite a bit. The crowd knew every word to every song, and rightfully so. They blazed through songs off almost every album, making it an amazing setlist that included "Jet Black New Year", "Understanding In A Car Crash", "Paris In Flames", "Cross Out The Eyes", "Signals Over The Air", and more. During one of the softer songs, Geoff sat down on the edge of the stage to sing, at one point, without the microphone. It was an insane moment, I was in the back of the club and could hear him perfectly. A strange silence fell over the club and his powerful voice radiated through the club, this was the first time I'd ever seen someone sing without a mic and actually be heard. In the moment of silence that followed, the crowd erupted into cheers. They also performed the tragic "Steps Ascending", which Geoff said was written about a friend who was killed before they could make amends after a fight. The lighting just added to the crowd's involvement, when it was time for them to sing alone the house lights would go up. All you could see were hands in the air and all you could hear was the kids singing as one.
I highly recommend you to stop and check out this tour. Words cannot describe the amazing live performance given by Thursday which is only accented by the energy and talent of Thrice and Coheed.
For More Information:
• Coheed Official Site: www.coheedandcambria.com
• Thursday Official Site: www.thursday.net
• Thrice Official Site: www.thrice.net