Thrice and Circa Survive co-headline Toronto’s Rebel
When I heard that both Thrice and Circa Survive were coming to Toronto on a co-headlining tour, I almost was immediately hitting enter on ticketmaster.com to snatch up a ticket. A bit of a strange process for myself I admit. I usually don’t have to buy tickets thanks to media privileges (la dee da).
But, this show was different. Very different.
I’m a huge fan of both bands and have been listening to these guys for well over a decade. This was going to be a great show. And when a show of this magnitude comes to Toronto (ones with diehard, cult following fans like myself), there’s always the chance that media won’t get approved to cover it. This was one of those shows that I wasn’t going to be taking a chance on missing, hence the ticket purchase.
Despite being amped for months leading up to the show, all the hype I built up within myself flatlined mid set during Circa Survive’s performance. The whole night seemed to be plagued by audio issues and no vocals sounded. I thought it was just the opener Balance & Composure sounding off, but as the night progressed it was evident that it was more than just some shaky vocals from frontman Jon Simmons, as every bands vocalist noticeable struggled with their sound. The audio errors evolved further during Thrice’s set unfortunately. It progressed to sound cutting in and out for what felt like their entire set and it’s a damn shame because the show was set to be one of their best yet. Both Circa Survive and Thrice had stacked setlists for the Toronto fans. Anthony Green and the boys played tracks spanning their entire discography and yes… Circa played In Fear and Faith for all the Juturna diehards. Thrice celebrated the 10 year anniversary of their epic 4 disc record The Alchemy Index and dedicated a mini set half way through the setlist featuring a track off each element (Fire, Water, Air, and Water). Not to mention, they played Deadbolt. So stoked about that!
All things considered, it was still a great show. I fought through the sound issues and focused on getting into the moment and successfully reveled in all the nostalgic sounds from my past. Not to mention the new songs from both bands, I LOVE their new stuff.
Check out all the photos from the night below. At least there was some great lighting to snap some killer shots.
Words / Photography by: Steve St. Jean
**All photos © Beyond The Watch. Do not use or reproduce w/o permission**
