It’s hard for a band almost 30 years into their career to surprise their fans, but post-hardcore legends Thursday have managed to do that. A few months back when they announced their current tour, they let everyone know it would be something different — they would celebrate 3 of their classic records in the same night. And with Chris Conley of Saves The Day Opening, this tour is made for the long-term Thursday fan.
The tour opened Wednesday at Philadelphia’s legendary Union Transfer. Doors were at 6:30 and the line stretched down the block. By the time that Chris Conley took the stage at 7:30, the sold out crowd was ready to go. Conley took the stage alone — walking out with a backpack he set down on stage, picking up his guitar. I think that Thursday and Saves the Day have always kind of gone hand in hand, and it was obvious that the room was full of fans of both.
Conley played for 45 minutes and he managed to pack 14 Saves The Day bangers into his set. Opening with “This Is Not an Exit” he had everyone singing along from the first line. “Say You’ll Never Leave,” “Firefly,” “1984” — every song was met with a chorus of voices singing along. He even managed to play a request: “Hold” was shouted out from the crowd and he laughed and played it for the fans. By the time his set ended with “At Your Funeral”, he had everyone warmed up and ready to go.
Thursday hit the stage about 30 minutes after Conley finished. Well, maybe not hit the stage. An instrumental version of “This Song Brought to You by a Falling Bomb” played for a few minutes before Geoff Rickly started singing “Empty Glass” from somewhere in the venue — It took a few seconds before everyone realized he was alone at the back of the crowd. Lit by only a single light in his hand, he sang this song beautifully for a crowd that seemed to hold their breath until he finished. Thursday had never played this song live before, and being able to hear it in this way was absolutely incredible.
Thursday billed this tour as a celebration of Full Collapse which turns 25 this year. A City By The Light Divided which turns 20. And No Devolucion, which turns 15. This first set was “A City by the Light Divided vs. No Devolucion” and they played songs from each album in order before the set shifted to the next record.
Since re-forming in 2020, Thursday has been playing pretty consistently. At some point in the last year or so, Tim Paine and Tom Keeley decided to take a break from touring with the band. I am not sure if this is temporary or not, but Stu Richardson from Rickly’s other band No Devolucion and Wade MacNeil from the incredible Alexisonfire have been filling in. They bring an fantastic energy to the band. For their first set MacNeil rocked a leather jacket with “War All The Time” in metal rivets on the back — referencing one of Thursday’s other records. Members Tucker Rule on Drums and Steve Pedulla on guitar have been part of the band since the beginning.
For me personally, Thursday is a band that helped shape my photography work. I photographed them so many times over the years in the early days of me shooting concerts. Geoff and I became friends and I worked for them directly countless times. There are people who still associate my work with the band directly. It has been a few years since I photographed them so this was a show I was excited for.
The No Devolucion part of the set was 6 songs and “No Answers,” “Magnets Caught in a Metal Heart,” and “A Gun in the First Act” were all songs that have never been played or hadn’t been played in years. High energy “Turnpike Divides” ended the set from this record, and that is definitely a Thursday crowd favorite. The second part of the first set kicked off with Counting “5-4-3-2-1” from A City By The Light Divided and the energy definitely kicked up 3 levels with this one. They ended their first set with “Sugar In The Sacrament,” which they haven’t played live since 2019.
Thursday kind of opened for themselves on this tour, so after a 10-minute break they returned to the stage. New outfits, new record. This set was celebrating Full Collapse – the album that exploded the band onto the scene. Every song in this set had the crowd moving and surfing. “Cross Out The Eyes,” “Paris in Flames,” and “Standing on the Edge of Summer” were definitely crowd favorites. Like I said, I have seen them play many times over the years but it seems like they’ve got renewed energy on this tour. It seems like everyone is having an incredible time, hugs and smiles were plentiful on stage. They ended the show with “Understanding in a Car Crash,” their biggest song. Everyone on the stage and everyone in the room used their energy reserves for this last ripper.
For an opening night of the tour, I think this went pretty flawlessly. It was probably one of the best shows I have seen them do, maybe ever. (Or at least it’s really up at the top of the list.) Playing the songs from the records all one after another for each record really controlled the energy in the room. It was building over the first record, kept going up for the second, but by the time they played their last set it was a sustained peak. It was a really fun night and the good news is, if you’re reading this, they still have the full month of touring left. Even if you have seen them many times, like I have, there is something new for you here. And if this is your first time, you are in for a treat.
GALLERY: Thursday with Chris Conley at Union Transfer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (April 1, 2026)
