Thrice/Hot Water Music/Coheed and Cambria

live in San Diego (2002)

Sheena

I did not want to go to this show, but not because I hated the bands. The weather was horrible. It was very cold and raining so bad, that I could hardly see more than 15 feet in front of my car. I slid off the road a few times, so I almost didn't make it at all. But hey it's Thrice and Hot Water Music, so I took one for the team. So glad I did.

I have never heard anything good or bad about Coheed & Cambria. I had no idea what kind of music they were, or what to expect. I only half paid attention but I thought they were pretty damn good. The lead singer's voice sounded like a man-chick but hey, they can call that their signature sound. Their music was a little more intense than I am used to, but I was impressed to say the least and I would definitely go see them again.

Even though I've seen Hot Water Music more times than most of our local bands due to their constant touring, I was actually pretty hyped about seeing them. I expected there so be a sizeable amount of Hot Water Music fans, but there just weren't a lot. They were here and there, but Thrice's fans sort of took the place over. I stopped paying close attention to HWM a few shows ago, but I got re-hooked this time. I'm sure a lot of it had to do with the size of the venue. The walls contained the sound much better and the raspy vocals were much more powerful. It sounded awesome. I love the unique sound of the lead singers voice, it's truly one of their best traits that set them aside from everyone else. They played "A Flight and a Crash" among others in a seemingly short set. If you haven't seen these guys live yet, get on it!

Next up: Thrice. They has never rocked so hard in all the times I've seen them. Every time is a step above the last. These guys have captured the hearts of kids in southern California and are slowly stretching their fan-base out across the nation. I don't know when these guys are going to finally out do themselves. Their performance was outstanding. The energy from both the band and the crowd was out of control. The amount of singing along was unbelievable and there were so many fists in the air. I've never seen a crowd so intense. There was one huge pit that kept bystanders on their toes.

Midway through the set they played "Pheonix Ignition" which is one of the 2 songs I wanted to hear. I needed no more because that is my ultimate Thrice favorite. I was stunned to hear the song because I just didn't think it was a song they would play. I guess I thought wrong. They played a mix of both albums and played for a reasonable amount of time. After the band played their last song and exited the stage, the crowd chanted "One More Song", "Thrice" and "T&C". So of course they came back for one last song to please the fans.

I'm amazed at how far Thrice has come in the past year and a half. Not too long ago they were at the bottom of the bill at average shows, but fast as word of mouth and touring can spread the word, these guys have moved themselves up to headlining their own sold out shows. I'll be damned if they don't make it big in the next 2 years or so.