Manchester Orchestra & Thrice, Cope & Beggars tour featuring Lunar Vacation

November 16, 2024 – Another buzzing Saturday night in Las Vegas, this time we were called to The Theater at Virgin for Manchester Orchestra and Thrice, along with a very sweet opening set by Lunar Vacation. On this tour, Manchester Orchestra performed their 2014 album, COPE in its entirety, and Thrice performed their 2009 album, BEGGARS. 

Lunar Vacation

Opening up the night for us was indie rock outfit Lunar Vacation, coming all the way from Atlanta, Georgia. I’m hesitant to call people “kids” but this band seemed very young. That doesn’t take away from their set though, and according to some bio info they’ve been at it since 2016. I thought it was sweet that they seemed so excited to be in Las Vegas for the first time. Lead vocalist Grace Repasky also expressed a sweet little sentiment about how cool it was to see herself on the big drop screens that are placed on each side of the stage to give viewers a heightened experience. 

Lunar Vacation reminded me of the indie music played on the soundtrack of the movie, Juno. I could see fans of The Spill Canvas, The Academy Is…, or The Early November take to the sounds of Lunar Vacation. This was a great breakthrough tour for them and I hope to see them launch to new heights in the future!

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Thrice

My familiarity with Thrice goes way back to the early 2000’s. I fell head over heels with 2002’s The Illusion of Safety, and I largely can credit Thrice for playing a significant part in my interest and likes of post hardcore as a whole. 

Thrice opened their set with a quick rendition of “Mad World” (originally performed by Tears for Fears) before getting right into the opening track of the Beggars album, “All the World is Mad” which I felt was a pretty tasteful and appropriate way to kick this off. I have no complaints about Thrice’s performance, I’ve been so fortunate to see this band many times through the years, and they are always so solid. They keep the energy high and intense, and if I’m completely honest, Dustin Kensrue’s vocals always put me in a total trance where I feel an incredible amount of bliss. 

Thrice closed out their set with “Black Honey” (2016) “Robot Soft Exorcism”  (2021) and “Beyond the Pines” (2018)

Manchester Orchestra

I am admittedly less familiar with Manchester Orchestra. I had been listening to the COPE record quite a bit before this show and I enjoyed what I was hearing. It felt like another call back to the early 2000’s, something that an evolved fan of Motion City Soundtrack would take a liking to. I actually saw this band perform at one of the smaller stages at the first When We Were Young festival in 2022. They happened to be playing the same stage as Thursday and I really wanted to get in a good place for them, and I remember thinking to myself how awesome and dramatic their lighting and performance was. 

This night in Vegas wasn’t any different. I was mesmerized by the dramatic lights and hazy fog that filled the stage. I found myself constantly swaying and generally feeling elated. 

Manchester Orchestra rounded out their performance of COPE with “The Maze” (2017) “The Gold” (2017) and “Bed Head” (2021).

There’s only a few days left of this tour, so make sure you go check it out if the remaining dates are near you! Both Thrice and Manchester Orchestra will continue on to other tours and shows after this cycle ends, so go check those dates and events out too.

THRICE OFFICIAL SITE

MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA OFFICIAL SITE

PHOTO CREDIT: Live photos by Courtney Ware for ZrockR Magazine – (c) 2024 – All Rights Reserved.