The post-hardcore champs in Thursday swept through the Observatory in Santa Ana, CA last week, celebrating the 20th anniversary of their landmark third album, 2003’s War All The Time. This record, their major label debut, catapulted Thursday into the stratosphere and cemented their status as leaders of the early millennium rock world. Naturally, this tour date featuring the band playing War All The Time in its entirety; alongside two other rad hardcore adjacent acts, sold out in no time.

Many Eyes, the new band featuring ex-Every Time I frontman Keith Buckley, mesmerized the packed audience as we arrived. The sold out gig filled up early, with people vying to catch Mr. Buckley’s mighty roar onstage once again, and witness legendary hardcore songsmith Walter Schreifels rock out with Rival Schools immediately after.

Many Eyes

Rivals Schools has a habit of releasing stellar records every 10 years or so, then vanishing into the ether. On this night, the band played a ton of jams from their 2001 debut, United By Fate; and a handful of cuts from 2011’s Pedals. Accompanied by Thursday’s Steve Pedulla filling in on lead guitar, Rival Schools brought a playful energy to a bill packed with heavy emotions. Is there anyone who smiles as much as Walter Schreifels in punk and hardcore? We think not.

RIVAL SCHOOLS

Finally, the main event. Thursday ripped through their magnum opus, War All The Time, like a band possessed. A slew of younger fans who, judging books by their covers, might have been in daycare when said album first dropped, screamed their hearts alongside frontman Geoff Rickly all night. We here at Get Some Magazine, wholeheartedly endorse this Thursday resurgence among today’s youth. Could it be that the thematic content of War All The Time, written during the nightmare of America’s post 9/11 cultural delirium; strikes a chord with disheartened zoomers? Could it be that Thursday is just a sick ass rock band who dazzled some impressionable eyes opening for My Chemical Romance in SoCal not too long ago? Whatever the cause, there’s no denying that despite being 20 years old, Thursday’s War All The Time is still an insanely relevant and important album.

The exploited laborers in the crowd gleefully raged to the band’s opening number, “For The Workforce, Drowning.” Drummer Tucker Rule took the reins on this song and proved once again why he is one of the best to ever do it. Thursday played some deeper cuts toward the end of their set, to the delight of the still packed venue. “Cross Out The Eyes” from Full Collapse was an unexpected, but much appreciated surprise. Overall, this was yet another amazing Southern California Thursday gig.

THURSDAY