Last weekend I finally saw Taking Back Sunday live at the Electric Factory. I got tickets from a friend in exchange for a ride and met some other friends there.
Opener Envy on the Coast was one of the more unique bands I've heard recently. Their rapidly changing rhythms, propelled by a bass player who looked as if he was making love to his instrument despite its unusually high placement on his body, backed interwoven vocals from a charismatic frontman, keyboardist/guitarist, and second guitarist. The frontman's dreads, tan, and long arms evoked Tarzan at times as he leaped around the stage, crouching down to draw the crowd in until they erupted, singing along to the band's most major hit as members of Taking Back Sunday joined them onstage for the catchy chorus.
Anberlin was, as always, phenomenal. Playing a mixture of old and new material, along with a cover of New Order's "True Faith". Stephen Christian's between-song banter kept the crowd going as the band flew from one anthem to the next, much of the crowd singing and dancing along throughout. Here's a brief clip of the cover song:
Opener Envy on the Coast was one of the more unique bands I've heard recently. Their rapidly changing rhythms, propelled by a bass player who looked as if he was making love to his instrument despite its unusually high placement on his body, backed interwoven vocals from a charismatic frontman, keyboardist/guitarist, and second guitarist. The frontman's dreads, tan, and long arms evoked Tarzan at times as he leaped around the stage, crouching down to draw the crowd in until they erupted, singing along to the band's most major hit as members of Taking Back Sunday joined them onstage for the catchy chorus.
Anberlin was, as always, phenomenal. Playing a mixture of old and new material, along with a cover of New Order's "True Faith". Stephen Christian's between-song banter kept the crowd going as the band flew from one anthem to the next, much of the crowd singing and dancing along throughout. Here's a brief clip of the cover song:
When Taking Back Sunday finally took the stage, the crowd went nuts. Primarily composed of radio rock listeners and others who weren't accustomed to shows or up on the latest music, they were there for the headliner. The older members of the crowd, the diehard fans (including, according to an Anberlin shout-out, members of Bayside and Straylight Run; according to my sight, members of The Color Fred), only really got excited for the old material, while the majority of the audience loved the new material. Adam Lazzara's voice started going a few songs in, and was essentially gone by the epic encore, during which members of Envy on the Coast finished singing songs for him. "Cute Without the E", one of their classics, was made into a medley with a newer song, and they refused to play "There's No I In Team" despite many requests, since the feud with Brand New has long since ended. The mosh pit was dominated by drunken idiots ripping off their Abercrombie shirts, but a few old fans kept it going throughout. Despite all this, it was still quite the experience, with thousands of fans singing along with well-known songs as if their lives depended on it. And I can't lie, I've been waiting to see TBS live since I first started listening to music. They did make it interesting with jokes about the band and the Jonas Brothers, along with more enthusiastic performances from the younger members of the band, but the verdict is as follows: If you've seen them before, don't see them again. Let those memories remain pristine. If you haven't, get them while you can-Lazzara's voice won't make it for another tour.
(photography courtesty of my sister Amanda)
