• Home
• Subscribe
• Store
• Service/FAQ

---

Underoath/Thrice Show @ Stubbs, Austin- 11/16

The crowd was warmed up and ready for Underoath, thanks to opening acts Veda and The Bled. There was so much anticipation for the band that during the set change between The Bled and Underoath, at least two hundred more people worked their way from the back of the outdoor venue to the already packed front. What resulted was a sweltering sea of body’s, pushing each other which made the entire crowd move to and fro, side to side. This got annoying, as Underoath wasn’t even on stage. The security crew became intolerant of this, leaving them only to shine their flashlights on the suspected disruptors.

Finally, Underoath took the stage and the chaos level rose even more significantly. They opened up with “It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door,” much to the crowd’s appeasement. Almost instantly as they hit the chorus, the pit started up in full swing. Remember, there wasn’t any room for any pit dancing so it just was a bunch of flailing body’s convulsing, which stirred up the dust, leaving a lingering cloud during much of the show. Singing was prevalent through songs “Young and Inspiring,” “Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White” as well as lots of fist pumping. With my eyes fixed on the stage, I felt a hand slide down into my back pocket, where my wallet would have been if I carried it back there. Someone was trying to pickpocket me. I didn’t see who it was but I couldn’t believe it. I felt like Jesus in the crowd when the women with the constant bleeding touched his cloak and he asked who touched me. I couldn’t tell who it was because it was wall-to-wall people. Good thing I carry my wallet in my front pocket.

The energy on stage was anything that we should expect from Underoath. Lead screamer Spencer Chamberlain undoubtedly stole the show, getting the crowd going with his cat-like scream and convulsive body language. Drummer Aaron Gillespie was giving him a run for his money, though. He was outrageously wild and put every ounce of energy into his drumming and singing. The rest of the band was just as energetic as they were singing during much of the set. Everyone was happy to hear a brand new song from the band, who stated that they start recording in January in hopes to release next summer.

The forty-five minute set ended with Spencer Chamberlain saying, “Everything we do, we do for Jesus.” Shouts of agreement rose from the crowd as the band launched into material off their re-release.

As Underoath finished, those same two hundred kids that flocked to the front, left in the same fashion they came. The crowd was breathable again but by no means sparse. I was skeptical of what to expect from Thrice. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing them and only heard of them a couple years ago when watching their “Artist in the Ambulance” video late one night on MTV2. I wanted to be open-minded about their music and not pigeonhole it -- especially since Doug has been raving about their new album. And within the first song, “Image of the Invisible,” I was lost in the intimacy each song seemed to encapsulate. That was the first time in a way long time where the world around me became blurry and my mind was locked into that special place of solitary enjoyment. Though surrounded by many, I felt as if I was the only soul there. This level of intimacy seemed to permeate the rest of the crowd.

The band continued through “Silhouette” and “Hold Fast Hope,” keeping the energy level high. Lead singer Dustin Kensrue prefaced “The Artist In The Ambulance” by saying that this song was about “second chances” and “awakening.” The band’s technical work on “Music Box” was electrifying. The only mishap of the night came when Dustin broke a string, which broke the mood a little.

Dustin took some time to encourage everyone to help those in need, by donating to the charity or helping out those less fortunate in their local community. This led into the song “Cold Cash and Colder Hearts.” During this song, I noticed that there was an evident calming peace encapsulating the entire venue. They soon ended their hour and fifteen minute set with “Like Moths to Flame” and as usual, an encore ensued which found Dustin performing acoustically. On the second encore, the guitarist from The Bled took over on guitar, which freed up Dustin to sing in the front row, ending the show in good form.

Review by Sam Farries.

©2005 HM Magazine – All Rights Reserved

Return to Internet Exclusives

---