Thrice Farewell Tour – REVIEW

Thrice is one of those bands that has shaped the underground music scene, as well as everything here at Digital Tour Bus. It is safe to say that if Thrice didn’t exist, this website wouldn’t be here. For these reasons, it is very sad to see them go. Check our our review of their “Farewell Tour” after the break.

When a band announces a farewell tour it stirs up tons of emotions in their fans. From sadness that they wont put out any more records or do any more tours, to happiness because of the memories it stirs up from all the tours and albums in the past. With a extensive tour history over their fourteen years, eight studio albums, one live album, five EPs, five singles, two compilation albums, eight music videos, and no member changes Thrice was always there for their fans. For their last Chicago date Animals As Leaders and O’Brother accompanied Thrice for support. With only three bands on the bill it made this show very intimate because there wasn’t huge production going on switching between their sets.

Opening up the show was O’Brother. A five-piece American Rock band coming out of Atlanta, Georgia. O’Brother was joining Thrice for the second time on tour, the first time was on Thrice’s Major/Minor tour. As soon as they walked on stage you could tell they had nothing but respect for their fans and those who came out early to see them open up the show. With off beat rhythms, grungy guitar tones, ambient vocals, driving bass and heavy in your face percussion they immediately stole all of the crowd’s attention. For both who knew and didn’t know them, their opening song “Lo” was a huge hit off the bat. These guys were masters at controlling and using their amp feedback to compliment songs flows and even keeping the listener glued in in between song changes. Finishing off their set was a very impressive example of the musicianship with their song “Lay Down”. With no flashy lights or stage theatrics this band stole a lot of hearts on this tour. They seemed very natural and passionate about their music and delivering everything they had for the crowd. O’Brother is definitely a band too keep regularly checking out what they have to offer on record and on tour.

A very technical instrumental Progressive Metal band with two guitarists who are familiar with every string and fret on their eight string guitars and a very talented drummer took the stage to be direct support for Thrice. Immediately I was impressed with the unbelievable amount of talent in this group. I could not imagine the rehearsal time it took to stay on track with the very entertaining flow of heavy rock, blues and ambient riffs, rhythms and tones of the eight string guitars. I could imagine the task one would have to take on keeping fans tuned in with no vocals for a whole set. Animals As Leaders nailed that perfectly. With two large projectors on each side of the stage showing programmed visual effects that went along perfectly on the click track with the musicians. It was amazing to see these guitar players go from heavy “Metal core” breakdown rhythms to riffs sweeping every fret of the guitar. Even if you are not in to heavier music this group demands respect for their talent and the time it must take to put on this show. Two songs that stuck out for this set was “Earth Departure” and “Weightless”, both are well worth the buy on iTunes with out even pressing the preview button. If you have any love for music you will find something in these incredible musicianship packed songs.

The time the sold out Metro crowd was waiting for was hear, Thrice was taking the stage. To start off their twenty-three song set (yes you read right TWENTY THREE SONG SET) Thrice came hammering with their song “Image Of The Invisible”. The whole venue got to their feet and you could feel the force that was created with everyone singing every word right along with lead singer Dustin Kensrue. Starting off the set with a few of their heavier songs like “Under A Killing Moon” and “Silhouette” really got the crowd moving and pumped to see Thrice on their farewell to Chicago. I have always been amazing with how comfortable Thrice looks on stage, loving every moment with the fans and playing their hearts out. You could almost sense from the four members what memories each song was bringing back to them as they play them for one of the last times live. They played a set basically designed by fans voting online for what songs they wanted to hear on the farewell tour and this brought out the fan favorites and even a few songs off their first record like “Phoenix Ignition” and “T&C”. Thrice’s main set hit twenty songs, then they got chanted back for two more for an encore, then after the crowd started up a “THANK YOU THRICE, THANK YOU THRICE” chant They came back out for a second encore to end the night with an almost perfect pick “Anthology” off their newest record. The night did not end there! With Invisible Children on tour with them, Dustin played an acoustic set at a bar next door to raise support for their cause. With a five song set Dustin played four of his original songs that can be heard off the Please Come Home Record and a Thrice original “Come All You Weary”.

I am almost 100% sure I can say a huge thank you goes out to Thrice for giving so much to the music community and showing some real values as people not “rock stars” to the world. I can definitely see Thrice gaining fans years to come after their farewell. As for the two supporting acts make sure you keep your eyes, YouTube and Google searches going for Animals As Leaders and O’Brother.

Information about this review…
Tour: Thrice Farewell Tour
Band: Thrice, Animals As Leaders, and O’Brother
Reviewer: Dustin Smith
Date: June 2, 2012
Venue: The Metro in Chicago, IL