Thursday Brings "War All The Time" To Concord Music Hall
chicago, illinois - january 30th, 2024
New Jersey hardcore heroes Thursday took to Chicago's Concord Music Hall on Tuesday night for an exciting album play of their record "War All The Time," celebrating 20 years of the record, with some fan favorites sprinkled in after. Thursday effortlessly packed out the 1400-capacity venue, with frontman Geoff Rickly noting that this was the 6th time they played Chicago in the last 2 years, and it seems fans still can't get enough.
It's no secret that Thursday are a master of their craft. Veterans in the music scene, they understand what makes a live show captivating, from the early days playing the legendary DIY venue The Fireside Bowl in Chicago back in 2001 to taking over Riot Fest, Chicago's premier annual rock festival, Thursday brought the fire, sounding tighter than they ever have, as they made an electric entrance with their first song off the album; "For the Workforce, Drowning."
Fans were screaming, singer Geoff Rickly was getting as close as he could to further connect with the audience, entertaining the chaos ensuing before me. Fans didn't miss a beat, being sure to chime in on all the sing-a-long parts strategically baked into the songs. The night had only just started.
War All The Time is a special record. Somehow darker than their major label debut "Full Collapse", it covers heavy topics from when it was written, such as the Iraq war. Frontman Geoff Rickly took a minute to talk about this, pointing out that, even though this record was written 20 years ago, it seems not much has changed since, calling out the current political climate of today, more specifically the United States and their large scale funding to their military. It was emotional. Outside of the concert hall, there was so much hurt in the world, but the band and fans alike were brought together through the power of music, and all you could feel in the room that night was love. Even if it was just for that brief hour and 30 minutes, there was nothing but love in the room, as fans cheered on and sang along to the rest of the album.
Once the album play had concluded, the band treated us to some fan favorites, such as "Cross Out The Eyes", and their revolutionary cult classic masterpiece "Understanding In A Car Crash", both off their debut "Full Collapse". A welcomed selection of encore tracks, fans made sure to keep up the energy, screaming all the words, or, as the band themselves put it on the eponymous track from the album; "The kids are still screaming." With the performance Thursday brought to Chicago Tuesday night, I don't think they'll ever stop.
