ATP! Gallery/Review: Finch - "What It Is To Burn" 10th Anniversary Tour (Philadelphia, PA)
Breaking up is hard to do, and for some people it doesn’t always mean forever. All good things must come to an end but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a little bit nostalgic and dig up the time capsule you buried in the ground, say, ten years ago. In 2002, Temecula CA five-piece Finch released their debut record What It Is To Burn on then seemingly booming independent record label, Drive-Thru Records. The record went on to be a hit, even making it on to the Billboard charts.
For those who grew up on music off labels like Drive-Thru Records, the sudden stint of 10-year anniversary shows from bands like The Early November and The Starting Line have proven to be a pleasant surprise for all of the twenty and thirty something’s who thought these bands had buried the hatchet once and for all.
This past October, Finch announced they were playing WIITB in its entirety in Pomona, California on the first three days of February. Shortly after, they added a couple US dates as well as several in the UK to continue the records 10-year anniversary celebration with support from The Almost and The World Is A Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid To Die. The line up currently consists of Nate Barcalow (vocals), Rand Strohmeyer (guitar, vocals), Alex Linares (guitar), Alex Pappas (drums), and Daniel Wonacott (guitar).
The tour finally came to The Electric Factory in Philadelphia to a moderately packed house full of die-hard fans decked out in old Finch gear, anticipating a performance that hadn’t come to the area in nearly a decade. Two banners on both sides of the stage were revealed, dawning the bands infamous “F” logo, causing the crowd to go crazy without a single note of music being played. Some fans started singing 'New Beginnings' before the band even had a chance to start.
Without hesitation, Finch immediately began playing 'New Beginnings' into 'Letters To You.' The performance was flawless, everybody in the crowd including the photographers in the press pit were singing their hearts out. The first half of the set featured almost every song off WIITB, played from front to back. It was almost as if the record had been playing the whole time. The encore portion of the set featured 'Worms of The Earth,' 'Waiting,' 'New Kid,' 'Bury Me,' and ended with 'What It Is To Burn.' Needless to say, this was one of the best ten year anniversary tours that has come around in recent months, and in a perfect world, Finch would do it again.
- Words/Photos by Danielle Parsons
