New Jersey natives Thursday were an integral part of the early 2000s emo scene. They released hit after hit, and, in the end, inspired many of our favorite artists today. Perhaps their definitive album, War All The Time, reached 20 years old and they are touring the nation in support of the anniversary. While Thursday's time in the limelight may have passed, the post-hardcore legends brought their friends in Rival Schools and Many Eyes to give us a night to remember in Orlando at the Beacham.
Kicking off the late-afternoon was a newer band, Many Eyes. While the band may be new, they actually formed in the ashes of Every Time I Die's public and dramatic break-up, with the legendary Keith Buckley handling vocal duties. I have seen ETID live and they were great, but, shockingly, Many Eyes may have outdone them. Buckley's stage presence, many years later, is still second-to-none in the heavy music scene. They played a set of mostly unreleased music but a few of the released singles performed were: "Future Proof," "Revelation," and "Mystic Cord."
Rival Schools followed and they took the energy up five notches. While they may not have been as heavy as the openers, their set showcased so much fun energy. I am not typically a fan of their style of music, yet I had so much fun shooting these emo veterans. Their vocalist, Walter Schreifels, stole the show throughout their performance, he had a certain gravitational pull to his performance that captivated myself and the rest of the audience. After a fun-packed 45-minute set they closed their section of the night with crowd-favorite "Wring It Out."
The band everyone came to see, Thursday, finally took the stage. From the bat, these elder-emos commanded the entire stage. The performance was intense and energetic. They kicked off the night with "For the Workforce, Drowning," as part of their War All The Time album playthrough. Most of the bands I have captured have been on the younger side, yet Thursday makes a case that live performance ages like fine wine.
On a night packed with charismatic frontmen, Geoff Rickly stole the show. Every time I turned my head, he was jumping, dancing, and interacting with the crowd. He truly made Thursday an absolute dream to photograph. His vocals sounded as sharp as ever, maybe even better than the album recording. The crowd could tell as well, there is something special about hearing hundreds of people singing together in unison. What better moment than when the crowd screamed along with "Understanding in a Car Crash" to conclude the night.
Check out a date of the War All The Time 20-Year Anniversary Tour
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