Thrice prove they’re not to be forgotten at The Fillmore

Thrice | photo by Matthew Shaver | http://www.brightloud.com/

Thrice is a rock band with a curse, one that began at a tumultuous time for rock music. The early 00s were ripe lands for something new, and the emo laden seeds of the mid to late 90s were the ones that sprouted. There were a lot of different names for the genre, but the one that landed hardest was “screamo” and due to the tag, mixed with the evolving digital press landscapes, Thrice is a band cursed to a certain place and time.

Not really, but the idea is that if a band like Thrice comes out with new material, the first lines out of many peoples mouths (mine included here, I am as culpable as anyone) are usually “What year is this?” To most people, they fell off the grid after 2003’s The Artist In The Ambulance not really realizing that some of their deepest works come soon after. Yes, they started as a punk band, but Thrice grew into a rock and roll band representative of much more than a small place in time. Things don’t always go so easy, though.

The press was sometimes unforgiving (when Vheissu came out, I remember a critic deriding them for trying to be the Radiohead of punk music. Why? Because they dared to try something new). They persevered through this, creating stronger and stronger albums, until the point they found themselves at a venue in Philadelphia called the Fillmore, standing against the shouts and screams of a thousand fans. Some of them around since middle school, some from college, but all hung on for the wild ride that is Thrice.

Dustin hasn’t lost a bit of his vocal heft, despite the years of chord shredding. Songs like “Silhouette” actually benefit from the maturity. When listening to the earlier albums, there is a Billie Joe Armstrong twang in his voice, but all of that has been smoothed away, and the 35 year old croons a little more, right before crashing into guttural screams.

When the first notes of “Yellow Belly” hit, I got goosebumps. It’s an even more epic song in the open space of the Fillmore, the crushing line “You’re less than half a man” soared through the rafters. Lead guitarist Teppei Teranishi has maintained his prowess throughout the years, skillfully bouncing back and forth between new material like their fresh single “Black Honey” and older, more playful songs like “In Years To Come”.

The Breckinridge brothers were on point the whole night as well, Riley especially. The rapid fire delivery on “Cold Cash and Colder Hearts” shook the floor, while the more mature works like “The Sky Is Falling” showed off the depth of his skills.

They’ve lost nothing over the years, despite hiatuses, side projects, and family life outside of the spotlight. Always feels good to have old friends back in town, whether you made them as an angsty teen, or an adult that didn’t have time for the “emotional punk.” It was a thunderous night for rock fans, one I won’t soon forget, no matter what year it is.