Once, Twice, Thrice the Music at The Truman

June 20, 2022

*Dustin Kensrue of Thrice at the Truman in Kansas City. Photo by Josh Chaikin*

Summer time, and the heat is upon us. In any other year, we’d probably be coming to you from Starlight Theater, or Grinders. But, with unrelenting heat, as the great Emo Phillips said, “It’s nice to be indoors.” With the AC on full, throngs of music fans packed into The Truman for a night of pop punk, and alt rock.

Many showed up early, and those who did got to experience ANXIOUS, an emo band, with a punk flair, from Fairfield Connecticut. Though no one present seemed too familiar with the band, the dancing, bouncing, and fist pumping showed that everyone was having a good time.

The band did a great job of warming the crowd up, with vocalist Grady Allen goading the crowd into moshing, playfully taunting them with “Everyone up here is about to go batshit crazy, you’re going to look silly if you don’t, too!” In all, it was a great showing for these newcomers, and they certainly won new fans that evening.

Up next, were punk favorites, BAYSIDE. Clearly many in attendance were fans, many having seen the band before. Though frontman Anthony Raneri jokingly said, “We haven’t played Kansas City since 2009, so you must know us from the Internet.” Whether that’s true or not, BAYSIDE plowed through a catalog of fan favorites, but also included their latest single STRANGEST FACES. To the delight of the band, many in attendance had already heard it (and knew all the words). An impressive feat, thought the band, since the album had not come out yet. The wonders of streaming.

The crowd clearly loved BAYSIDE, and the venue was even more packed than it had been before. With much more dancing, and singing, the party atmosphere only grew as the band played. It was a great kickoff to the weekend for those in attendance. I would love to see BAYSIDE sharing the bill with REEL BIG FISH, and AQUABATS. It really would make for a great pairing.

Next up were the headliners of the evening, THRICE. With a heavier sound than the bands that came before them, THRICE hit hard, and we were all in for it. With plenty of moshing, and dancing, it was clear there was more energy to burn after the madness of the first two sets, and THRICE was happy to lead the way.

With a new album under their belt, Horizons/East, THRICE peppered the set with new tracks (Summer Set Fire to the Rain, and Still Life), much to the pleasure of the crowd. A tight set, and flawless execution showed the band was excited to be touring, and wanting to give the best performance to the crowd that they could, and it’s hard to be disappointed with what was delivered.

For the music fan wanting to have a great night out, any one of the bands on the tour would be sure to give a great performance, all three together deliver a great night of sonic meanderings that you’d be hard pressed to be disappointed by.