Taking Back Sunday Live
By: Evelyn Miska |
Sunday March 11, 2007 |
| Proven true headliners |
| Photos By Evelyn Miska
Taking Back Sunday is a band that music aficionados seem to either love or loathe. Riding the line between emo, rock and pop, these five Long Island natives have garnered a huge legion of fans every bit as passionate about the music as the band members themselves are. TBS have embarked on an extensive tour of the United States and the UK in efforts to promote their most recent album, Louder Now. Along with Armor for Sleep and Underoath, TBS made a stop at the Eastern Michigan Convocation Center and played to an enthusiastic and rowdy crowd that consisted predominantly of high school and college students. Armor for Sleep began the evening with a variety of songs from their most recent album, What to Do When You are Dead. "Car Underwater" and "The Truth About Heaven" were definitely some of the band's stronger songs. Although "The End of a Fraud" is a good song and the band played it well, it was a bizarre choice with which to end their short set. The song was too slow and mellow to be a strong choice to go out on and it seemed to leave the audience a bit unsatisfied. Underoath were clearly the most hardcore band of the night with a set almost entirely screamed by lead vocalist Spencer Chamberlain. There was no question of the band's energy or passion for their songs but they may have been trying to reach the wrong audience as many of the Taking Back Sunday fans seemed to prefer their rock with a little less screaming and took the opportunity during Underoath's set to hit the concession stands and restrooms. Taking Back Sunday made it obvious why they were the headlining band with a rather extensive backdrop and attitude to spare. Lead singer Adam Lazzara was a force to be reckoned with as he raced across the stage, threw his microphone up in the air repeatedly and almost garroted himself by swinging the microphone and its cord around his neck. Luckily for Lazzara and the rest of the band, the audience was practically eating out of their hands as they sang along to almost every word of TBS's set. 
Most of TBS's performance was drawn from Louder Now, but the band did mix in some older fan favorites from Where You Want to Be and Tell All Your Friends. TBS decided to get the popular, "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)" out of the way almost immediately. And, though it seemed early in the night to play one of their most well-liked songs, it served the purpose of getting the crowd even more riled up than they already were. "Set Phasers to Stun" from Where You Want to Be, was the third song of their set and it was clear that, by this point, Lazzara and the rest of the band had passed the warm-up phase and were going full-force. TBS's confidence and ease as well as their ability to connect with the audience made it easy to see why relative fledglings Armor for Sleep and Underoath were not leading the tour.
Against a backdrop of black and white drawings of speakers and a tape deck, Lazzara moved into "My Blue Heaven." The live rendition definitely had a harder edge to it than the recorded version and included a nod to screamo bands, although TBS never took it so far to that extreme as Underoath did. The fast-pace continued with "Up Against (Blackout)," one of the strongest songs of the set as well as their latest release. Of the fifteen songs, only one came from Tell All Your Friends. "Cute Without the 'E' (Cut from the Team)" seems to be a staple at Taking Back Sunday shows, with good reason. Even though it is one of TBS's earlier pieces, it actually has a catchiness that many of their recent songs lack. Additionally, Fred Mascherino (guitar, vocals) was granted the opportunity to sing some of the lead-vocals instead of simply being backup for Lazzara. "A Decade Under the Influence" came late in the evening and although it is a decent enough song, Lazzara insisted on singing a portion of the song in a falsetto. While Lazzara certainly has charisma and a decent enough voice for his range, the falsetto was not only unnecessary, it was comical and probably not the impression Lazzara wanted the audience to go away with. Unlike some songs which don't live up to expectations when played live, "What's It Feel Like to be a Ghost," in this instance, was better than on the album where it actually sounds rather flat and lacks true energy. TBS played a short encore, which included the requisite acoustic ballad, "Divine Intervention." Although this was the first time all evening Lazzara stood still, and while the song is perfectly adequate for the kind of song it is, Lazzara started to lose the crowd and a decent segment began leaving the show before the encore was even over. Lazzara maintained his on-stage antics throughout the entire set and is mesmerizing enough as a performer to make audience members forget that there actually are four other members in Taking Back Sunday. Audience members may wonder if Mascherino, Eddie Reyes (guitar), Mark O'Connell (drums) and Matt Rubano (bass) ever get a bit tired of Lazzara's constant strutting and posing, because even as a fan it's a bit much at times. Taking Back Sunday February 23rd, 2007 Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center Ypsilanti, MI |
