Thursday playing at Chain Reaction felt like one of those rare moments where everything aligned perfectly. This was them performing Full Collapse in its entirety—an album that was huge for me to discover as a 16-year-old in 2002. It introduced me to a whole new type of music that I guess people call emo today, but at the time, I was just pumped to have something fresh to evolve my taste. Seeing a band with such anthemic, emotional weight in a small, sweat-drenched venue like this was an experience that couldn’t be replicated anywhere else. For a band that had spent years playing bigger stages, this was a return to the raw intimacy that made their early shows so legendary.

I shot this during one of those moments where everything slowed down—the crowd singing every word at the top of their lungs, the band feeding off the energy, and the walls of Chain Reaction practically vibrating with emotion. Geoff Rickly’s voice carried that same urgency as it always has, backed by the relentless force of Tom Keeley, Steve Pedulla, Tim Payne, and Tucker Rule, who locked in with every note.

Thursday has always been more than just a post-hardcore band—they were a voice for a generation, a band that turned personal struggle into something universally cathartic. Getting to capture them in a venue that has meant so much to me over the years made this show even more special.

Setlist from November 18, 2018 at Chain Reaction:

The Other Side of the Crash/Over and Out (of Control), A0001, Understanding in a Car Crash, Concealer, Autobiography of a Nation, A Hole in the World, Cross Out the Eyes, Paris in Flames, I Am the Killer, Standing on the Edge of Summer, Wind-Up, How Long Is the Night?, 11100 Encore: Turnpike Divides

Show Lineup:

Thursday, Taken