Thrice Newport Music Hall Columbus, OH October 23, 2011

Thrice might just be one of the best-kept secrets in rock. Thirteen years ago in California, four friends got together to form a band without a name, only to be stuck with one out of desperation that was an inside joke amongst them. They are one of the few bands in this country that has no former members, and their cohesion as an onstage presence is palpable.

The only disappointment was a personal one. The first single from their 2005 breakout album Vheissu “Image of the Invisible” was absent from the set list. However, one has to recognize that just because it’s your favorite song doesn’t mean that you are going to get to hear it live. Although I am uncertain why they would exclude their song that has ranked higher on the US charts than any other, who am I to question the artist?

That aside, the show maintained a perfect flow. No song played felt out of place, even their cover of the Cold War Kids felt as though it had a perfect place in their set. With this tour focusing on their new album Major/Minor, released September 2, there were a focus on that album as is to be expected. However, it was refreshing to hear as much of the stuff from their older albums, particularly Artist in the Ambulance and Vheissu.

Dustin Kensrue, lead vocalist and guitarist, has an amazing ability to sing with a haunting, eerily dulcet tone one minute, then scream through with an unbridled outburst the next, and yet never lose the passion of his singing. It’s as though every word is completely deliberate and nothing was wasted, and seeing it live was an experience I gladly took part in.

One of the most annoying parts of any concerts is when the lead vocalist or otherwise front man or front woman takes time to make a soliloquy about the underlying problems with the government or how we, as a people, need to change who we are and what we’re doing so that the world can be a better place. At no point in the show did Kensrue or anyone else take time out to address the crowd; other than perhaps a token “how are you all doing tonight?” Some would see that as a downside to a concert but it fit the mentality of the band.

There was one moment when the band took a brief time out to make sure the instruments were in tune. They then took the time to raise awareness for the Invisible Children movement, which some inappropriate heckler found necessary to test his improvisational comic skills, much to the chagrin of his fellow concertgoers. He was immediately dispatched by Kensrue, using language I cannot repeat here, which earned the joyous adulation of the crowd. That single moment, regardless of everything that led up to it or anything that followed, spoke more to the depths of his character than anything ever could, and it earned a deep level of respect from the masses.

Thrice might be one of the best-kept secrets in rock, and with it they have retained all of the benefits that go with it. They haven’t succumbed to the watering-down that comes with the mass-production or popular music nowadays. Despite the necessary evolution that comes with releasing multiple albums, they have stayed true to who they are. The concert in Ohio has shown that they are still going strong with no clear signs of stopping.

* Photos taken at the Kroq Almost Acoustic Christmas at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, CA on 12/10/05

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