This past Sunday night (Oct. 25), Thursday returned to New York’s Bowery Ballroom to close out its fall headlining tour in support of the band’s most recent full-length, Common Existence, and although the tour rolled through the same venue just one month prior (Sept. 20), the two shows could not have been more different.

You see, the tour may have officially been in support of Common Existence, but, for Thursday, Sunday night was all about reveling in the past. This New York show was one of two special dates on the tour (the other being Hollywood, CA on Oct. 10) where the band would delve into its music catalog and play a classic CD in its entirety (California got War All The Time). It was on this night that Thursday fans flocked like doves from all over the country (and even Canada) for a chance to see Geoff Rickly and Co. perform Full Collapse, the band’s sophomore release, from front to back.

For those not familiar with Full Collapse, the release of the CD on Victory Records marked Thursday’s major label debut. Although professional reviews were mixed, the album helped the band gain prominence in the current music scene of the time and the first single, “Understanding in a Car Crash”, would go on to become one of the New Jersey outfit’s most well known songs and a staple at live performances. Thursday ended up splitting from Victory and has since released three more full-length LPs, but none have been as popular, or as influential, as Full Collapse was.

The band took the stage around 10 p.m., emerging to the instrumental “A0001” and immediately launched into “Understanding in a Car Crash”, a song that had Rickly, the lead vocalist, throwing himself about the stage to the music (he would go on to spend the majority of the final chorus writhing about on the floor). If the energy exuded during this first song was any indication of things to come, fans knew they were in for a good night.

“Concealer” was next. Rickly took a moment to reminisce, laughing that he didn’t remember playing the song live in long time — With five full-length records under its belt to pick music from, this show was the first time that Thursday would be able to play some of its older material in long while (Full Collapse was released in 2001). The sold out crowd didn’t seem to mind one bit, willingly moshing along to “Standing on the Edge of Summer”, “A Hole in the World”, and “Wind Up” over usual set staples like “Signals Over the Air”, “Division St.”, and Counting 5-4-3-2-1”. The band’s final song of its main set was “How Long is the Night”, after which the members left the stage while the instrumental “I1100” played in the background.

The crowd was left salivating for an encore and the boys from New Brunswick were happy to oblige. They reemerged, and to the crowds delight, Rickly announced that since Full Collapse only had a 42 minute run time, resulting in a short set, they weren’t going to play just one or two more songs for the encore, but rather five or six.

The encore began with “The Other Side of the Crash/Over and Out (Of Control)”, a companion piece to “Understanding”. Three songs off Common Existence followed (“Beyond the Visible Spectrum”, “Friends in the Armed Forces”, and “Circuits of Fever”). These would end up being the only reminders of the album that this tour was in support of the whole night.

Before “Friends in the Armed Forces”, Rickly delivered an impassioned speech imploring fans to support the troops even if they did not support the war. During “Circuits” the band introduced around a dozen large black balloons for the crowd to play with, although, given the combination of the crowd’s pushing, moshing, and stage diving, they barely survived the duration of the song. “Jet Black New Year”, off the Five Stories Falling EP was next. And while Thursday usually closes out their sets with the song, the band saved one more song for the finale. The outfit closed the show with “War All the Time”, the title track off its album of the same name.

After all was said and done, Rickly’s declaration ended up being wrong: he still had his voice, but the show was a total success in capping off the tour. The band let slip that they would be playing a holiday show at Starland Ballroom at the end of December, and if Sunday night was any indication, the place will be packed with people yearning to hear Thursday play on and on and on and on.

“All those nights in the basement, the kids are still screaming,

On and on and on and on”

– “War All The Time”

Setlist:
A0001
Understanding in a Car Crash
Concealer
Autobiography of a Nation
A Hole in the World
Cross Out the Eyes
Paris in Flames
I am the Killer
Standing on the Edge of Summer
Wind-Up
How Long is the Night?
I1100

Encore
The Other Side of the Crash/Over and Out (Of Control)
Beyond the Visible Spectrum
Friends in the Armed Forces
Circuits of Fever
Jet Black New Year
War All the Time

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