Oct 29

Oct 29 Show Review: Thrice Bring "Horizons/East" To Life in Berkeley

Thrice
w/ Touché Amoré
The UC Theatre
Berkeley, CA
October 26th, 2021

Photos and Review by Jared Stossel

After a weekend that soaked the San Francisco Bay Area with the largest torrential downpour in quite some time, the sun came out and fans came out in droves to see Thrice, one of the most well-regarded acts within this side of the alternative rock scene, headline Berkeley’s UC Theatre. The four-piece act, who are currently on tour promoting their eleventh studio album, Horizons/East, came through with a pitch-perfect eighty-minute set that spanned their decades-long career.

The show was opened by Touché Amoré, the post-hardcore darlings of the new-emo revival that have been taking the world by storm for the better part of ten years. The five-piece band, fronted by vocalist Jeremy Bolm, wasted no time careening through a powerful set list that got the crowd on its feet. Everyone was wide awake by the time Thrice took the stage.

I don’t exaggerate when I say that Thrice put on a pitch-perfect show; they really are a flawless live act, and I don’t feel that they’ve ever released a bad album. “The Color of the Sky” and “Scavengers”, two tracks from Horizons/East, kicked off their set before the crowd started to scream every word of fan-favorite “The Artist In The Ambulance”.

Thrice pulled material from eight of their eleven albums throughout the set, with most of it coming from Horizons/East. Their performance of “Hurricane” (from To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere) provided one of the best moments of the evening, and I couldn’t help but watch and listen in amazement. Moments like “Hurricane”, “Firebreather”, and “The Earth Will Shake” defined the show; high energy at the right moments, yet powerful at all times.

As with most shows I’ve witnessed recently, the band didn’t do a lot of talking in between songs; they were on a mission, one that would not be interrupted by stage banter. After a brief pause and thanking everyone for coming out, Thricebrought their set to a close with “Beyond The Pines” and “Anthology”, amidst a stage washed over with brilliant color. While it did finish around 10:30, which is nice given that I have a long commute back home, I couldn’t help but think that I would have been just fine if it went longer. I think the fans in attendance that evening would agree with me.

Thrice Set List
The Color of the Sky
Scavengers
The Artist In The Ambulance
Black Honey
All The World Is Mad
Of Dust and Nations
In Exile
Summer Set Fire To the Rain
Hurricane
Buried In The Sun
Just Breathe
Robot Soft Exorcism
Dandelion Wine
The Long Defeat
Firebreather
The Earth Will Shake

Encore:
Beyond The Pines
Anthology