By “Tampa” Earl Burton, Journalist, and Brent Michael, Photographer
Live Review: Thrice with Modern Color and Downward – Jannus Live, St. Petersburg, FL – October 24, 2025
It has been a great summer of shows at St. Petersburg’s premier outdoor entertainment venue, Jannus Live. In just the last month, bands and artists such as Buckcherry, The Fray, Shaboozey, and Noah Cyrus have entertained the throngs at Jannus, and last Friday night only added to the excellent shows. Nationally known hard rock/alternative rock act Thrice brought their show to a very appreciative audience, playing an extensive, adventurous set for their fans after Downward and Modern Color ably warmed up the crowd with their opening sets.
Thrice Covers Nearly the Entirety of Their Career
After the openers had done their duty (more on them in a bit), Thrice took the stage to the roars of what appeared to be a full house on the patio and balcony surrounding the Jannus Live stage. Led by vocalist Dustin Kensrue and guitarist/keyboardist Teppei Teranishi, Thrice immediately hit the audience with the latest piece from their 2025 album Horizons/West in “Blackout.” Roaring with their approval, the Jannus crowd was further excited by many of the choices that ran the gamut through the extensive Thrice catalog.
Immediately after the last notes of “Blackout” faded out over the St. Pete evening, Thrice delivered a whiplash blow by taking the audience back to the beginnings of the band. The title track of 2003’s The Artist in the Ambulance demonstrated that, even back in that era of the band, Thrice could deliver excellently written music and provide a visually stunning live show to go along with it.
This was a theme throughout the night. Just as the latecomers to the music of Thrice would recognize a favorite in “Gnash,” the band would then roll out one of its classic tracks, such as “Black Honey” or “Hurricane,” from its dozen-album deep catalog. It kept the audience off balance – what are they going to come up with next? – but it also kept the audience extremely interested in the proceedings.
For a band that has been around since the late 1990s, Thrice has adeptly changed its musical stylings while still maintaining the integrity of its work. Kensrue is a consummate performer, with his aching vocals meshing well with the work of Teranishi and the Breckenridge brothers, bassist Eddie and drummer Riley. Throughout their twenty-one-song set, Thrice reminded you why they are one of the most popular rock bands in the business today…and they are not done yet.
Modern Color and Downward Superb Openers
For those who didn’t get to Jannus Live early enough to catch the two opening acts for Thrice, they did themselves a disservice. Both Modern Color and Downward presented excellent (albeit limited) sets to warm the crowd up for the headliners, and they displayed that they, too, could soon be taking to the stage as headliners themselves. Aside from one nitpicky point, both bands performed well and were quite appropriate as openers for Thrice.
Downward, calling Tulsa, OK, home, were the first performers up just as the sun started setting on the downtown St. Pete area. Over their seven-song opening set, Downward displayed a moody intensity with their ‘shoegaze’ approach, and the songs that they performed were quite well done for a band that has only been together since 2018. Of particular interest to me was the song “Line,” which goes back in the band’s catalog a bit, but it demonstrated very well what Downward is capable of when everything is working right.
If there was one bone to pick with the band (and it was also true of the second act, Modern Color), it was the lack of interaction with the Jannus Live crowd. Vocalist Drew Richardson (who had some excellent guitar skills along with carrying the vocals) did an outstanding job of performing with his bandmates, including guitarist Hunter Senft, bassist Severin Olsen, and drummer Tollie Pugh. But Richardson didn’t tell the Jannus crowd what songs they were hearing, hardly interacting with those who were there for the show. This is critical if someone wants to look up your material online (Downward has most of their output on Bandcamp).
This is also a bone of contention with the middle band in the trio, California rockers Modern Color, as they fell victim to the same “lack of information.” Modern Color presented a wide-ranging show that went from an alt-rock sound to a harder-edged melodic rock to sometimes almost a punk edge, and the band – singer/guitarist Fleming Valenzuela, guitarist Chad Leaf, bassist Chris Martinez, and drummer Vince Nguyen – ably moved between their songs, no matter what the mood was.
The close of the show was the highlight for me, as they wrapped with a trio of songs (“Lavender,” “Sage,” and “Pale”) from their 2020 release From the Leaves of Your Garden. As the band is between albums right now (their last release was 2024’s There Goes the Dream), I am looking forward to what they will produce next.
If you missed the show at Jannus Live Friday night, you missed a triumvirate of rock bands that were a brilliant example of the rock scene in the 21st century. Thrice was at its usual excellent level, and it shouldn’t be much longer before Modern Color and Downward join them in having headlining tours of their own. With bands like these carrying the banner for rock and roll, the future is safely assured.
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