Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Thrice @ Saltair
by Jeremy C. Wilkins & Ricky Vigil
Online Exclusive / Posted November 18, 2008 More Exclusives
Thrice (courtesy of myspace.com/thrice)
I still remember doing my usual check on 24 tix.com for new and upcoming shows and having to rub my eyes a few times to make sure I was seeing was true I saw when I read the bill for this show. Could all four of these bands really be on the same bill? Were my eyes playing tricks on me? Thankfully, it was all true and my anticipation for this show began the very moment the shock wore off.
Arriving at the poorly named Great Saltair (there is nothing great about it), I was greeted as usual by the ever-so-friendly parking attendant demanding five buckaroos from me just for my tires touching the property. As if the service, venue and processing fee on tickets on top of the ticket price for fans wasn’t already enough, a parking fee is administered/forced. What can you do? Nothing.
The line was already weaving around the outside of the venue like a slithering snake when I arrived. In spite of the light drizzle that was coming down, the excitement of the fans for this show overshadowed all else.
New Jersey’s, The Gaslight Anthem, took the stage and began blasting the audience with their Springsteen-infused brand of punk rock. Many, who hadn’t yet heard the musings of TGA, were taken by surprise and enjoyed their set. These NJ boys have a lot going for them right now– not only do they have talent shooting out of the eyes, ears, nose and mouth like the character David Lo Pan from the classic Big Trouble In Little China, but to be on a national tour with scene big wigs like Rise Against, Alkaline Trio and Thrice gives them a huge level of exposure.
Bottom line for TGA: they sounded amazing and their overall stage presence was fantastic. Their new songs from their latest The ’59 Sound and their previous LP, Sink Or Swim, were all played to perfection. The only complaint I had is that there wasn’t more time in between doors opening and them going onstage in order for more people to be able to see this great band.
When Thrice took the stage, they were met with an applause of approval and rightfully so. The band have recently undertaken and completed putting out their series of concept-centered EPs, Fire, Water, Air and Earth. Diehard Thrice fans know that they are a progressive band, never doing anything the same-which is also why lukewarm fans have fallen by the wayside and dedicated fans cannot get enough of the band.
With a wide variety of music, Thrice has no shortage of the type of sets they can play, which makes every performance of theirs different from the last. Sure, there are always a few staple songs through the set, but isn’t that what we all come know expect and look forward to? As the band pounded through several songs and crossed from genre to genre, from screaming to singing, from electric guitar to keyboard, they even managed to fit in a cover of The Beatles’ "Helter Skelter." Thrice’s work was not compete until they played a crowd-favorite, "The Earth Will Shake," allowing all to sing and scream with the band. –Jeremy C. Wilkins
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Normally, I detest Saltair. One would assume that a west-side dweller like myself wouldn’t mind the trip to a dank, stinky room populated by X96 aficionados who are just one step above Juggalos in terms of musical fandom, but I know better than them. I hate driving there, I hate having to pay five dollars to park, I hate having to pay five more dollars to get into the bar, and I hate seeing people throw their devil-horned hands into the air after a particularly "sick" solo. However, I let it all slide on this night. Though this show boasted a lineup of some major-label punk-ish bands and a band that will likely end up on a major label in the near future, I still had high hopes. The Gaslight Anthem and Thrice did not disappoint, so I was anxious to see if Alkaline Trio and Rise Against could keep to the same standard.
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