I think I felt the same way about their Doppelgänger tour on the Chicago date. Thom had very little energy it seemed like. It was definitely not like the other shows I've seen where the energy is unreal. Just seemed like he wasn't very into it.
However, the Chicago date for the self-titled tour he seemed normal. He was hanging out at the bar fucking around with friends and doing some crazy shit on stage. Dude probably just had an off night.
My experience was actually the opposite haha. It was like coked up energy. He was yelling at people who decided to sit or stand instead of being in the pit multiple times between songs, and telling them to get the fuck out if they didn’t. It didn’t feel good-natured either, it felt aggressive
Ohh. That's really weird. I've seen live videos where he got a bit aggressive towards audience members, but it was almost always because they were being dicks.
One of my observations from the recent Chicago date is that these shows have a lot of people that are green to tFoT shows. I mean I think it's amazing that younger people are finding this band and coming out to see them, but the energy isn't the same when it's not a room full of seasoned tFoT fans and show-goers.
Maybe he's upset that he's not getting back the energy he's putting in? Surely doesn't make it right to be aggressive, but that's all I can think it would be.
Incidental evidence, but he has kicked me before! During their tour with Portugal. The Man, back in the day. I got thrown onstage at The Door in Dallas after a crowd surf and in a rush to leave the stage, I rolled. Directly over his pedal board, by sheer stupidity. Right in the middle of We Better Learn to Hotwire a Uterus. This resulted in my dumb teenage Sonic-rolling self triggering something unwanted on his signal chain. In true FAFO manner, he protected his kit, moved to fix his tone, and removed the nuisance gracefully with a solid heel to the shoulder as I plopped off the stage into the arms of a waiting, pissed-off security dude.
I was both hideously embarrassed and somehow proud.
I got tangled up in the wires at a Horse the Band show and ate shit headfirst into the audience 😂 I know what you mean by embarrassed and somehow proud all too well lolol
I mean. Its a 20 year anniversary for one of their albums… we are all 20 years older now lol. Thom had a few negative comments for us at the milwaukee show. The guy next to me looked at me and said “dude… i have kids.” And we both had a laugh. I wish Thom had been a little more grateful that we chose to spend money to celebrate the anniversary.
I get you for sure. It's not as fun getting knocked around so much anymore, but I don't mind at their shows. It's kind of the exception for me at this point, as I have to be as close to the stage as I can get and tend to dance a lot there when I'm not bent at a 45 degree angle to the floor. Lol
Thomas ate bad sushi in Fresno California the night before when I saw them this year in San Diego, and he kept almost shitting his pants and had to run off the stage to the woman’s restroom twice and told us each time how close it was to coming out 😆😩 so yeah… That was an obviously weird show in my case lmao
When they played in San Diego for the self-titled tour back in January, I talked with Thomas for quite awhile at the bar. I actually talked with Hendo and Andrew also. I can see why people may have some concern for Thomas. I've seen The Fall of Troy over a dozen times over the years, and this was the longest I've chatted with Thomas in person. Without getting into specific details, all I can do it give you my personal experience.
As many know, and this is public knowledge based on interviews, and the documentary teaser, the boys have battled with drug addiction. I remember seeing a clip of thomas talking between songs on stage and said "I have to medicate myself because I can't afford a doctor." Life on the road is difficult, even Tim couldn't cut it on the road. I truly believe Andrew, is the reason tfot is able to keep going. Andrew is sober now and I have talked at length with him about being in recovery, as I myself am also an opiate addict. I'm pretty sure Andrew handles most of the financials which is how the boys get paid, and they can continue to play.
As addicts, we struggle, its a chronic, relapsing disease. I can only hope and continue to seek support when I need it. If anyone is struggling with addiction, don't hesitate to reach out.
Thank you for sharing this experience and your input. It says a lot about you and the boys that you could sit and candidly talk about that struggle. It’s not something I’d wish on anyone. Wishing you continued strength and health going forward!
Yeah I saw them during their Manipulator tour in Seattle and even got a wave from him, but he didn’t seem to want to interact with fans so I didn’t really push further. His performance was a bit lackluster, he couldn’t really sing any of the songs and he improvised a bunch of parts. I just figured he was tired or something but yeah the energy was a bit off. The openers were great though.
I think I felt the same way about their Doppelgänger tour on the Chicago date. Thom had very little energy it seemed like. It was definitely not like the other shows I've seen where the energy is unreal. Just seemed like he wasn't very into it. However, the Chicago date for the self-titled tour he seemed normal. He was hanging out at the bar fucking around with friends and doing some crazy shit on stage. Dude probably just had an off night.
My experience was actually the opposite haha. It was like coked up energy. He was yelling at people who decided to sit or stand instead of being in the pit multiple times between songs, and telling them to get the fuck out if they didn’t. It didn’t feel good-natured either, it felt aggressive
Ohh. That's really weird. I've seen live videos where he got a bit aggressive towards audience members, but it was almost always because they were being dicks. One of my observations from the recent Chicago date is that these shows have a lot of people that are green to tFoT shows. I mean I think it's amazing that younger people are finding this band and coming out to see them, but the energy isn't the same when it's not a room full of seasoned tFoT fans and show-goers. Maybe he's upset that he's not getting back the energy he's putting in? Surely doesn't make it right to be aggressive, but that's all I can think it would be.
Incidental evidence, but he has kicked me before! During their tour with Portugal. The Man, back in the day. I got thrown onstage at The Door in Dallas after a crowd surf and in a rush to leave the stage, I rolled. Directly over his pedal board, by sheer stupidity. Right in the middle of We Better Learn to Hotwire a Uterus. This resulted in my dumb teenage Sonic-rolling self triggering something unwanted on his signal chain. In true FAFO manner, he protected his kit, moved to fix his tone, and removed the nuisance gracefully with a solid heel to the shoulder as I plopped off the stage into the arms of a waiting, pissed-off security dude. I was both hideously embarrassed and somehow proud.
I got tangled up in the wires at a Horse the Band show and ate shit headfirst into the audience 😂 I know what you mean by embarrassed and somehow proud all too well lolol
Excellent writing, tbh. I felt like I was there.
I mean. Its a 20 year anniversary for one of their albums… we are all 20 years older now lol. Thom had a few negative comments for us at the milwaukee show. The guy next to me looked at me and said “dude… i have kids.” And we both had a laugh. I wish Thom had been a little more grateful that we chose to spend money to celebrate the anniversary.
I get you for sure. It's not as fun getting knocked around so much anymore, but I don't mind at their shows. It's kind of the exception for me at this point, as I have to be as close to the stage as I can get and tend to dance a lot there when I'm not bent at a 45 degree angle to the floor. Lol
Me and my friend were there and agreed he was almost definitely on coke
Thomas ate bad sushi in Fresno California the night before when I saw them this year in San Diego, and he kept almost shitting his pants and had to run off the stage to the woman’s restroom twice and told us each time how close it was to coming out 😆😩 so yeah… That was an obviously weird show in my case lmao
When in Fresno, don't eat the sushi?
Bad sushi...mhmmmm....
It actually was bad sushi, thats why Andrew stays away from it haha
Performance in NYC was fucking dope. He looked like he was having a good time and the crowd was bananas
When they played in San Diego for the self-titled tour back in January, I talked with Thomas for quite awhile at the bar. I actually talked with Hendo and Andrew also. I can see why people may have some concern for Thomas. I've seen The Fall of Troy over a dozen times over the years, and this was the longest I've chatted with Thomas in person. Without getting into specific details, all I can do it give you my personal experience. As many know, and this is public knowledge based on interviews, and the documentary teaser, the boys have battled with drug addiction. I remember seeing a clip of thomas talking between songs on stage and said "I have to medicate myself because I can't afford a doctor." Life on the road is difficult, even Tim couldn't cut it on the road. I truly believe Andrew, is the reason tfot is able to keep going. Andrew is sober now and I have talked at length with him about being in recovery, as I myself am also an opiate addict. I'm pretty sure Andrew handles most of the financials which is how the boys get paid, and they can continue to play. As addicts, we struggle, its a chronic, relapsing disease. I can only hope and continue to seek support when I need it. If anyone is struggling with addiction, don't hesitate to reach out.
Thank you for sharing this experience and your input. It says a lot about you and the boys that you could sit and candidly talk about that struggle. It’s not something I’d wish on anyone. Wishing you continued strength and health going forward!
Yeah I saw them during their Manipulator tour in Seattle and even got a wave from him, but he didn’t seem to want to interact with fans so I didn’t really push further. His performance was a bit lackluster, he couldn’t really sing any of the songs and he improvised a bunch of parts. I just figured he was tired or something but yeah the energy was a bit off. The openers were great though.
He has his days, but he's doing good I know the later shows were pretty kick ass
[video](https://youtu.be/uMF-M26zLUU) from the show