Celebrating 10 years of Cope and 15 years of Beggars, Thrice and Manchester Orchestra play their albums in its entirety with support from Lunar Vacation.
Lunar Vacation
Debuting their newest album, Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire, the group of kindred spirits exchange giggles on stage. An atmospheric blare vibrates through the speakers as they begin playing their admirable single, “Set The Stage”. Lunar Vacation is a humble sincere group from Atlanta that’s been together since summer of 2016. They have a way of making you feel wistful and nostalgic about a past time in your life.
Lunar Vacation graced the venue with their blissful soft sound. It was beautiful, as even the tough-looking security guard was swaying back and forth and catching quick glimpses. During the last song, he asked what song was playing. I showed him the songs name was “Erase All The B’s,” where he saved the song to his phone. Lead singer Grace (Gep) Repasky and guitarist Maggie Geeslin have a gentle energy as they play with a spacious sound. The crowd of mostly middle aged men and their wives were locked in on their sound, even if it was different from what was yet to come.
Thrice
In honor of the carefully curated album, Beggars, American emo/rock band Thrice, played the ten track album in full from start to finish. The haze flooding the stage gets cut through by the upward pointing spot lights, revealing half their faces while shadows take over the other side. The beginning of “All the World Is Mad” starts with the threatening beat of the bass until abruptly the venue turns dark red. The gain heavy guitar fights to drown out the bass and drums but in time for the chorus, the chemistry of their emo ballad fits perfectly into one another.
Lead vocals, Dustin Kensrue, encompasses such a euphonious sound yet so strident with his strong piercing vocals. His existential lyricism and the band’s heavy instrumentals make Thrice feel like something made in a lab, so controlled yet perfected. Through their set, bassist Eddie Breckinridge bounced all of the stage bending, falling to his knees, jumping off the drum platform; it was entertaining just watching him do what he obviously feels passionate about.
Manchester Orchestra
New faces line the barricade, all wearing Manchester Orchestra t-shirts with their beer filled hands hanging over the railing. You would think when they walked on stage there would be an orchestra, but that was certainly not the case. Although it’s only five guys, their musicianship and instrumentation unquestionably resemble the power of a typical orchestra. For their 10th Anniversary of the dynamic and widely appreciated album Cope, Machester Orchestra played the album in full starting with “Top Notch.”
Their borderline emo, math rock, grungy, christian rock style bring an interesting fan base together for this show. “The Mansion” has a slower beat compared to the rest that is easy to sing along to that falls into the grunge genre with hints of indie/alternative. “Cope”, the night’s main event, brings the emo grunge fans out in the crowd. The strong resonant vocals of Andy Hull reverberate through the giant speakers while the crowd lifts their beer in the air. The crowd echoes back the lyrics filling the main stage of South Side Ballroom with bouncing voices.
Manchester Orchestra has absolutely made a name for themselves that night and I’m sure that the wives that came to make their husbands happy walked out of there with a t-shirt and a new favorite band.
I am a Dallas-based photographer. I am social media manager and photographer for indie-rock band Laredo Two as well as writer and photographer for Prosper's online newspaper, Eagle Nation Online. I have always had a passion for anything music from playing shows myself (I play bass and guitar) to music photography. When I am not taking pictures or at a concert, I run a small jewelry business and work at a local guitar shop!
