Thrice, Coheed and Cambria, Touché Amoré @ Carlswerk Victoria (Cologne)

“Holy…”, that was my first reaction when this tour was announced. Every one of these bands has an important place in my musical evolution. To see them all at one evening was truly a gift.

Touché Amoré were the “youngsters” this evening and I guess for most of the audience it was their first exposure to them (although some of them surely did judging from the sing-alongs).

From a fan’s perspective it was good short set highlighting Lament, garnished with great songs from Stage Four and Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me. Stage Four being my favorite album by Touché Amoré I was very happy to hear three of my favorite song from that album.

Ending with a glorious 1-2-combo of “Limelight” and “Flowers and You” Touché Amoré couldn’t warm up the crowd in a better way and surely made some new friends this evening.

Setlist Touché Amoré
Come Heroine
New Halloween
Rapture
Lament
Reminders
~
Limelight
Flowers and You

Coheed and Cambria were up next and the drama began in the most literal sense. Besides playing very catchy Prog-Rock-songs they are here to sing a Sci-Fi-opera at least as big as Star Wars. “Prologue” and “The Dark Sentencer” (taken from The Afterman) raised the dramatical atmosphere to an almost Greek level.

Supported by an awesome light show, Coheed and Cambria delivered a set showcasing their oeuvre from In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 onwards with a heavy focus on their recent release Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind. Tracks like “A Disappearing Act“, Claudio handled the extra keyboards here, or “The Liar’s Club” sparked heavy movement, while the epic closer “Window of the Waking Mind” left the crowd knowing that Coheed and Cambria still can write vast, poppy Prog-Rock-songs.

The album In Keeping Secret of Silent Earth:3 was my introduction to Coheed and Cambria and hearing the title track again after so many years took me back the beginning of the 2000s. The same applies for THE Coheed and Cambria club hit “A Favor House Atlantic“.

“Welcome Home“, Coheed and Cambria‘s “Kashmir“, including the double neck guitar and a behind the back guitar solo, drained the last bit of singing-energy out of the audience before “Window of the Waking Mind” sent the off into deep space waiting for Thrice to enter the stage.

Setlist Coheed and Cambria
Prologue
The Dark Sentencer
The Embers of Fire
Beautiful Losers
Shoulders
A Disappearing Act
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
The Liars Club
A Favor House Atlantic
Welcome Home
Window of the Waking Mind

Thrice began their set with the opener of their last year’s album Horizons / East “The Color of the Sun” and the single “Scavengers“.

“The Artist in the Ambulance” started the nostalgia block of the set. Even going back to the the now 20 years old Illusion of Safety, Thrice showed that they never seem to age. Dustin’s screams are as throaty as ever and the rest of the band still can pull off the earlier material with ease. “Where Idols Once Stood” and “The Red Death” brought light to the eyes of a lot of fans.

“All the World is Mad” is such a fitting song for today’s times. I always feel as if Beggars doesn’t get the love it deserves. The Alchemy Index may be my personal darling among Thrice’s discography, represented by a blistering performance of “Firebreather“, but “All the World is Mad” was definitely among my highlights on that evening.

The great “Anthology” marked the end of the “looking back” and “Dandelion Wine” slowed things down a little. What was clear to see is that the live incarnations of the Horizon / East songs are significantly heavier, especially the finale of “Dandelion Wine” or “Summer Set Fire to Rain” as a whole.

The tranquility of “Beyond the Pines” ended the set. Ever since I saw the lyric video to this I can’t hear it without the beautiful pictures of forests and lakes in my mind. This would have been a perfect closure for this gig, but Thrice chose to conclude this night with the Vheissu classic “The Earth Will Shake“.

And it did.

Setlist Thrice:
The Color of the Sky
Scavengers
The Artist in the Ambulance
Black Honey
All the World is Mad
Where Idols Once Stood
The Red Death
Anthology
Dandelion Wine
Hurricane
Summer Set Fire to the Rain
Firebreather
Robot Soft Exorcism
Beyond the Pines

Encore:
The Earth Will Shake