Nearly three decades into their storied career, New Jersey’s own Thursday still feels like they’re just getting started. The post-hardcore legends made their way to the Nile Theater last week to celebrate a few significant album milestones with a nearly sold out crowd of diehard fans.
Singer Geoff Rickly appeared at the back of the room, illuminated only by the flashlight clutched in his hands, to open the first set with “Empty Glass”. He made his way through a respectful crowd to finish the song from the Nile’s sidestage perch before Act I kicked in with a full throttle performance of songs from both A City by the Light Divided and No Devolución. The audience mirrored Rickly’s energy, throwing their bodies into the set alongside the band as they performed deeper cuts and fan favorites alike. Even the band’s attempt to slow things down with “The Lovesong Writer” ended in a cacophony of sound that continued to whip the audience into action. The band hasn’t lost a single step or missed a single beat since their formation and their raw intensity was impossible to turn away from as the first act concluded with “At This Velocity” and “Sugar in the Sacrament”.
A brief intermission followed before the band reappeared in fresh threads and with a second wind beneath their feet for the official 25th anniversary of Full Collapse. Arguably one of their most acclaimed records, this full length performance of the album was the most anticipated moment of the evening and the band once again poured everything they had into the performance. The album is a crashing symphony of post-hardcore excellence and undoubtedly the blueprint for so many that followed in the years after its release- and it more than holds up over two decades later.
“Cross Out the Eyes” and “Paris in Flames” were the highlights of the album set, drawing the room into muted moshpits and spirited singing along with Rickly’s raw, rasping vocals. The band seems to have no plans to slow down anytime soon and they were nothing but outwardly grateful onstage, thanking their fans for continuing to show up all these years later. The album and the evening ended with “Understanding in a Car Crash”, concluding another unforgettable performance from Thursday within the Nile’s storied walls- with undoubtedly more entries to come for many more years.
