Crime in Stereo kicked off the evening set with a new song, but the mix was muddy and the vocals weren’t clear enough to make out most of the track. The band drew heavily from 2007′s Crime in Stereo is Dead on Bridge Nine Records, though the crowd seemed indifferent to the band’s performance. Drummer Scotty Giffin was powerful and clear during the band’s brief set, but vocals from Kristian Hallbert and guitarist Alex Dunne were unfortunately too bass-heavy and poorly mixed to appreciate or enjoy. The full set:

(new song)
Small Skeletal
XXXX (The First Thousand Years of Solitude)
Third Atlantic
…But You Are Vast
(new song)
Almost Ghostless/Above The Gathering Oceans
Orbiter

California quartet Thrice opened with Vheissu‘s “Of Dust and Nations” and played a burly set of ten songs, heavily leaning on their excellent 2009 effort, Beggars. “Silhouette”, the oldest cut of the evening, was punishing, with frontman Dustin Kensrue’s brutal scream as strong as ever. Newer songs “All the World is Mad” and “The Weight” received excellent live treatment, and “Helter Skelter” was a welcomed surprise.

Shifting from lead guitar to keys, Teppei Teranishi provided the foundation to an excellent performance of “Doublespeak” before the band leaped into a new interpretation of The Alchemy Index‘s “A Song for Milly Michaelson”. A spine-tingling performance of the 2009 title track, “Beggars”, closed the evening with frontman Kensrue pouring his heart into the song’s final moments: “Can you hear what’s been said? Can you see now that everything’s grace after all? If there’s one thing I know in this life: we are beggars all. “

With such an enormous collection across so many different genres, it’s hard to find the right ten-song setlist as a support act, but Thrice seems to have nailed it. Songs from Beggars were the night’s highlights, the region’s first chance to hear these songs live as Thrice rarely tours the Philadelphia or its surrounding cities. The band’s performance was spectacular, and with a longer set the band could have easily upstaged headliners Brand New. The full setlist:

Of Dust and Nations
Silhouette
All the World is Mad
The Weight
Helter Skelter (The Beatles cover)
In Exile
Doublespeak
A Song For Milly Michaelson
The Arsonist
Beggars

To a roar of three thousand eager fans, Brand New began with the familiar chords of “Welcome to Bangkok”. Daisy‘s “Sink” was strong, and the back to back performances of “Degausser” and “You Won’t Know” sounded great. “Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t” was a welcomed return to the band’s sophmore album, Deja Entendu, though the song suffered from frontman Jesse Lacey’s new found over-use of screaming instead of singing the song’s melodious parts.

“Sic Transit Gloria..Glory Fades” was surprisingly strong, as the band usually struggles through the song’s offbeat rhythm and Garrett Tierney’s bumpy bassline. “Jude Law and a Semester Abroad” and “Seventy Times 7″ went as songs seven and eight, respectively, with Lacey noting that it may have been the first time the band has played those songs without the crowd shouting to hear them.

A so-so performance of “Limousine” solo acoustic by Lacey preceded an excellent one-two punch of “Vices” and “Gasoline”. For the rest of the night,  strange black and white footage played on the wall behind the band. “Sowing Season” was surprisingly strong; the penultimate “At the Bottom” was explosive before the quieting “Play Crack the Sky” finished the evening. The full set:

Welcome to Bangkok
Sink
Degausser
You Won’t Know
Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t
Sic Transit Gloria..Glory Fades
Jude Law and a Semester Abroad
Seventy Times 7
Limousine
Vices
Gasoline
Daisy
Sowing Season
Archers
You Stole
Jesus
Bought a Bride
At the Bottom
Play Crack the Sky

Despite the venue’s generally poor sound, Brand New performed extremely well and certainly put on one of their best shows in quite some time, up there with the stunning performance at The College of New Jersey earlier in the year. Guitarists Vincent Accardi and Derrick Sherman were tighter than normal, and drummer Brian Lane (and the guest percussionists that Brand New brings out on various songs) were rock-steady. Though Daisy may not be the band’s finest moment, after hearing seven of the album’s eleven tracks in concert it is clear that the album begs a live interpretation.

Brand New and Thrice touring together isn’t new, and the combination is always welcome, but it would be nice to see Thrice playing a longer set in the near future on an East Coast headlining tour of their own. Catching two of rock’s best acts on the same bill is always a treat, though, and the night’s show was no exception.

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Playing in the school’s recreation building, Brand New opened with three The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me cuts before dipping into three from Deja Entendu and then finally two off of their debut, Your Favorite Weapon. The second college show I’ve seen the band perform in 2009, it’s nice to see old favorites such as “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows” and “Mixtape” back in the setlist.

A show with a small standing area (made bigger thanks to some bold students removing the folding chairs, passing them out of the “pit” into the back of the room), the crowd remained fairly docile until “The Shower Scene”–arguably one of the band’s best live songs–finally got things going midway through the set.

A new song followed “Degausser”, possibly hinting that the band will continue with a sound similar to The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me. The penultimate “Sic Transit Gloria…Glory Fades” sounded exceptionally strong, and even with a few ignorant crowd surfers interrupting frontman Jesse Lacey’s solo performance of “Play Crack the Sky”, the show ended on a strong note. Interestingly, “Millstone” and “Welcome to Bangkok”–Brand New staples that utilize dual drumming–were absent. The full setlist:

Brand New frontman Jesse Lacey

You Won’t Know
Sowing Season
Luca
Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t
The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
Jaws Theme Swimming
No Seatbelt Song
The Shower Scene
Archers
Jesus
Degausser
(new song)
Mixtape
Sic Transit Gloria…Glory Fades
Play Crack the Sky

Though brief, the band’s performance was strong, with highlights including Deja Entendu‘s “Jaws Theme Swimming” and “Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t”. The band’s new album is currently being mixed and should be released some time in 2009; catch Brand New on any tour you can before that comes out if you intend on hearing some old songs, because they’ll likely be out of rotation for quite some time once their new album hits stores.

Kevin Devine and his God Damned Band started the evening with 2003′s “You’re My Incentive”. Intent on showcasing material from his forthcoming full-length which is more “rock” or “band”-focused than previous efforts, Kevin did slip in some drug-influenced staples from Put Your Ghost to Rest like “Buried for the Buzz” and “Just Stay”. The full setlist:

You’re My Incentive
Carnival
Another Bag Of Bones
I Could Be With Anyone
You’re Trailing Yourself
Buried By the Buzz
Just Stay
My Brothers Blood

Brand New took the TCNJ stage after a half-hour of setup, encouraging fans to stand up and make the show seem a little more “rock-show” oriented. Starting with the simplistic (but charming) “Mix Tape”, the band showcased a side they seemed all to hesitant to show during recent tours: a heavy dose of old punk-pop favorites amidst a set that emitted positive energy (noticeably absent were melancholic cuts such as “Limousine”, “Me vs Marodonna vs Elvis”, “Handcuffs”, and “Coca-Cola” from recent shows). The full set:

Mix Tape
The Shower Scene
The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
Sowing Season
Archers
Millstone
Jaws Theme Swimming
Sic Transit Gloria…Glory Fades
Luca
Degausser
You Won’t Know
Jude Law and a Semester Abroad
Seventy Times 7
Jesus
Welcome to Bangkok
Play Crack the Sky

For the first time in years, frontman Jesse Lacey didn’t appear miserable; he joked with the crowd from time to time, enjoying a laugh about the crowd’s delight over “Jude Law” and “Seventy Times 7″, played back-to-back. His voice was on-point, perhaps sounding as good as I’ve ever heard him.

“Sowing Season” introduced the college audience to the new Brand New; the first three songs were singalongs straight from the crowd’s teenage years, but the first song from The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me found the crowd quiet, unsure of what to expect next.

Of course it wouldn’t be a Brand New show without the selected use of two drummers; songs such as “Millstone” are really enhanced by the technique. The band seemed more discerning regarding their newfound love for jamming/improv by letting it slip into just a few songs–culminating with the final “Welcome to Bangkok” session–and it worked in their favor, keeping their songs focused and potent.

“Sic Transit Gloria” is a difficult song for the band (locking the bass parts together seems to be the issue), but the song sounded as good as I’ve heard it live. “You Won’t Know” received fairly standard treatment, and “Jesus” sounded good as well. The band’s final song featured Kevin Devine on “Play Crack the Sky”.

The show was certainly one of the best performances by Brand New, a band that is very hit-or-miss live. With a quarter of their setlist coming from their debut album, it was a nice treat to hear some older songs that don’t get played too often. Kevin Devine and the Goddamned Band sounded great as well, making the evening a very enjoyable event.

Brand New‘s set list in Philadelphia:

Limousine
Welcome to Bangkok
Not The Sun
Archers
No Seatbelt Song
Shower Scene
Oh Comely (Neutral Milk Hotel Cover)
Luca
Sowing Season
Millstone
Tautou
Okay I Belive You But My Tommy Gun Don’t
You Won’t Know
Degausser
Jesus
Untitled

meWithoutYou opened the evening to a crowd that didn’t know much of their material. They played much from Brother, Sister, including songs such as “C-Minor”. It is my opinion that their spoken-type vocals are usually very strong lyrically, but the delivery gets boring on the albums after awhile. Luckily, the band is completely tight live, and singer Aaron Weiss performs with his entire heart, seemingly holding conversations on stage with people who aren’t there. Drummer Richard Mazzotta didn’t stop through the entire set, as the band seamlessly transitioned from each song to the next. The band played for about a half-hour before exiting from the stage, thanking the crowd numerous times for listening to them as they did.

Thrice took the stage next, surprisingly opening with The Artist In The Ambulance‘s “Stare at the Sun”. Although most of the crowd was certainly in attendance for Brand New, Thrice and Brand New fans tend to overlap, so the crowd was very into Thrice as well. “Firebreather”, one of Thrice’s heaviest songs to date, followed before the band kicked into 2002′s “Kill Me Quickly”, an extremely energetic tune that certainly kept the crowd moving. The band didn’t slow up, continuing with “Silhouette”.

Some technical difficulties would follow through the set, beginning with setup issues before the band played “Digital Sea” live. It was extremely peculiar to see singer Dustin Kensrue on stage without a guitar–he instead used some sort of digital effects box and microphone. The song is certainly much stronger live than on the album, and Dustin’s energy and passion for it seem to be the clear reason. The full setlist:

Stare at the Sun
Firebreather
Kill Me Quickly
Silhouette
Digital Sea
Burn the Fleet
The Artist in the Ambulance
Flags of Dawn
The Whaler
Don’t Tell and We Won’t Ask
The Messenger
Deadbolt
The Earth Will Shake

I had never heard Vheissu b-side “Flags of Dawn” live; the band played the song incredibly, however–certainly better than the song is recorded. In fact, aside from “Firebreather”, all of the evening’s Alchemy Index songs were new to me live, and I was very impressed. Guitarist Teppei Teranishi took over keyboard duties when needed–and did so perfectly.

Surprisingly, the band played four cuts from their 2003 major-label debut , including “Don’t Tell and We Won’t Ask”, a song Dustin introduced the song as a song “[the band] all love[s]“. Thrice played staple “Deadbolt” before ending with “The Earth Will Shake”, which may be my favorite Thrice song. The song has always received great treatment live, but something about the song this evening made it even heavier than normal. Perhaps the bass and drums were simply clicking perfectly, or Dustin’s vocal delivery was better than normal, but the song sounded the best it ever has.

Thrice did play thirteen songs as direct support to Brand New, but the band certainly needs to get out on a headlining tour to support their latest disc so that they can play for a longer time. An incredible setlist, and arguably the best performance of the evening, Thrice could not have performed any better at their first show ever in Atlantic City.

It took much longer than normal, but Long Island’s Brand New finally took the stage late into the evening. Opening with “Welcome To Bangkok” the band put out a great vibe and played extremely tight. “Sowing Season” and “Millstone” followed before “Sic Transit Gloria..Glory Fades”, each song sounding very tight. The band utilized two drummers and some extra percussion instruments for the end of “Millstone”–a trend the band hasn’t bucked since starting it about this time last year.

The band actually played eleven of the twelve tracks from The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me:

Welcome To Bangkok
Sowing Season
Millstone
Sic Transit Gloria..Glory Fades
The Shower Scene
Me Vs. Maradona Vs. elvis
Luca
Archers
Why Don’t You Find Out For Yourself (Morrissey Cover)
Not The Sun
Deguasser
Jaws Theme Swimmng
You Won’t Know
Limousine
Jesus
Untitled

It was great to hear “The Shower Scene”, the best song from 2001′s Your Favorite Weapon. “Me Vs. Mardona Vs. Elvis” was exceptionally powerful this evening for some reason, and “Limousine” was as strong as ever. Guitarist Vin Accardi and a guitar tech wrestled during “Archers”–I guess his guitar part isn’t quite that essential.

Jesse performed “Why Don’t You Find Out For Yourself” from Morrissey’s amazing Vauxhall and I album before the full-band played “Not The Sun”, the only song from their 2006 effort I had yet to hear live. Along with a few other songs from that album, I could do without hearing it again live.

Unfortunately, the band only managed to throw in a few Deja Entendu songs, leaving out some excellent songs in the process. The encore was essentially a waste–a weak version of “Untitled” was the last song of the evening, leaving a bitter taste in the mouth of fans who had hoped for a few more songs from something other than The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me.

Following Thrice’s performance this evening wasn’t easy by any means, but Brand New did their best. A few more older cuts would have helped a lot, and even effectively performing an encore would have made their performance seem a lot stronger. I’ll be attending the bands’ Philadelphia show December 7, it will be interesting to compare setlists and performances.