Circa Survive, Thursday, Rise Against, Nov 4 at the Bren

On the way to the Bren, the other headlight on my already one-eyed truck burnt out, so I drove there with my high beams on, which made me look like an asshole.

I knew the first opener "Billy Talent", and I have the latest Rise Against CD, but, I didn't know much about Circa Survive or Thursday.

Last time I saw Billy Talent was at the Juno awards a couple of years ago. I missed Billy Talent this time since I was holding tickets and waiting for a lost buddy to show up. Irvine and UCI can be confusing places to drive around for the uninitiated.

Circa Survive: I don't know what to say. I had some difficulty with the singer, and couldn't get into it. They remind me a little of old Radiohead or perhaps Ours, but, the singer wasn't always on pitch. It was distracting, with their cover of the Duran Duran song "Ordinary World" being particulary bad.

They had their fans, and they did fine, but, if a band is going to be about the singing, the singing should be better.

Thursday: Solid, energetic. The lead singer was skinny and a little glam, with echoes of AFI. I liked them enough, but, they were always blasting away full force. There were only a couple of songs that layed down a groove and then built up to something, and I wished there was more of that. They played their single "5, 4, 3, 2, 1" which I'd heard of someplace.

Rise Against: I was a little burnt out by the time the took the stage. I started off the show sitting in the stands, since my blown-out hip throbbed from all the standing.

But eventually I couldn't help but be drawn in. The greatest song of the main set was, for me, probably "Drones". Before the song began, the singer said something like "I still believe that people can change things and that music can change things." There, in the pit, among those strangers, I had one of those rare experiences when I was present in the moment, not listening to the never-ending negative monologue in my head that tells me that I'm different and unworthy and evil and alone. For that moment I was unified and united with my comrades. Those moments are what make punk great.

In the encore, they did "Swing Life Away". I love that song so much. I long to be part of the image it evokes.

But, as always, I'm walking back to my car and the spell passes, and I yet again feel different and unworthy and alone.

---

Some other bloggers that saw the show: Roger, Wolfer