Thrice & mewithoutyou at San Diego’s Observatory North Park

A night of singalongs and nostalgia was in full force as Thrice celebrated the 15 Year Anniversary of their killer album, Vhiessu. What was ultimately a rebrand of sound for Thrice became the biggest staple in their music career and fans from front row to back were there to shout every word at North Park’s Observatory Theater in San Diego on February 25th.

Leading off the night was Holy Fawn, a self-proclaimed band of “four creatures making loud pretty noises” from Pheonix, Arizona. Singer/guitarist Ryan Osterman commanded attention from the audience with incredible breakdowns, dainty vocals, utter screams of power and headbands, creating a beautiful silhouette of hair. Up next, Drug Church took the stage for a simpler take back to an emo kid’s soul. Heavy vocals by frontman Patrick Kindlon blended perfectly over the band’s catchy riffs and fluid rhythms. In between each hard-hitting line, Kindlon sported the biggest smile in appreciation of fans losing their bananas in the pit. Fans moshed to favorites, such as “Weed Pin” and “Unlicensed Hall Monitor”, while Drug Church kept them on their toes by playing their new single “Bliss Out”.

Focused on shredding, Thrice did not address the crowd until ‘Vheissu ‘ was completed…

Soon after, mewithoutyou took the stage, while diehard fans gripped the front rail for what could possibly be the last time they see them live. Singer Aaron Weiss has recently announced the intention to retire the band by the end of 2020, so fans were ready to rage. The audience shouted the words back to hits such as “January 1979”, “Messes of Men” and “The Fox, The Crow and The Cookie”.

Finally, Thrice took the stage. Not wasting any time, Thrice started with a banger — “Image of the Invisible”. A short introduction to follow by lead singer/guitarist Dustin Kensrue, simply stating “we’re Thrice and this is Vheissu”, left the crowd screaming, as the band continued to play the album in its entirety. Focused on shredding, Thrice did not address the crowd until Vheissu was completed and the audience was still ready for more! To a pleasant surprise, the band continued with some B-Sides to the album, including “Lullaby”. By the end of the night, the audience was left with a few last post-Vheissu songs, including “Circles”. As far as anniversary shows go, we’re hoping for a 20 Year Anniversary for this one. Don’t miss Thrice as they have a few more shows announced this fall, including the S.S. Neverender Cruise heading out of Miami in October!

Photography by Franny Kovacs

Share this article

or