Gig Review

Taking Back Sunday
Coventry, Kasbah
23rd February 2014


Taking Back Sunday              
      

Photo Of Taking Back Sunday  © Copyright Jimmie DalyIt’s been a few years since Taking Back Sunday where last in the UK which was missed in the Tell All Your Friends Anniversary tour, and it’s been almost 10 years since I last saw them myself. I’ve always been a huge fan so tonight I’m excited to get to the relatively random venue of the Coventry Kasbah (which is becoming more popular with bands who do a few shows in the UK and want to play a date outside of London). The venue is a nice if not poorly designed one, with no real sloping floor, making it hard to see the stage from the back of the room. Unfortunately I missed the support acts due Photo Of Taking Back Sunday  © Copyright Jimmie Dalyto confusion with getting in the venue, but I’m all ready by the time the main act get on stage.

Taking Back Sunday blast onto the stage after a short intro of The Circle Of Life music from the Lion King, and then jump straight into A Decade Under the Influence and take no prisoners in doing so. Singer Adam Lazzara pounces around the stage with his usual swagger and confidant demeanour, as he swoops from one side of the stage to another with the occasional jump and twirl and later in the set he does his trademarked mic swing. The band sound amazing with the guitars, bass and drums all coming over the speakers clear and without distortion, the backing vocals aren’t Photo Of Taking Back Sunday  © Copyright Jimmie Dalyreally loud enough and is clearly noticeable in the second song Liar (It Takes One To Know One), where there’s a lovely overlap of vocals on the record but here it’s muted, but its only really noticeable in this song as all the rest mainly depend on Adams amazing vocal range. The first 4 songs go by in an instant with no pause for a break then, Adam points to a guy in the crowd and says I saw your photo on twitter, you’ve got an awesome tattoo, as he fills the time whilst long time drummer Mark O’Connell fixes a broken snare, which broke away during Timberwolves at New Jersey. This leads them into new track Flicker, Fade which goes down huge, the crowd adore the slower tones and wooshyness of the song, before Adam announces that they’re a long way from Photo Of Taking Back Sunday  © Copyright Jimmie Dalyhome but this gig is awesome, so here’s a song that we haven’t played in England in a long time, before jumping into Bonus Mosh Part 2. By the end of the song Mark has broken yet another snare and so Adam talks to the crowd a bit more, in which people who weren’t paying attention might have though he was having an argument with a crowd member as Adam says “Call me a Mother Fucker again and I’ll pop you over the head with the mic” but it’s all in jest as a crowd member keeps calling for a song to be played over and over. Adam tells the crowd how they were in France the other day, to which the room erupts in boo’s, he says “don’t boo it’s a beautiful place, check it out, I mean where from Carolina so that’s allot of flights and swollen ankles for me where as it’s Photo Of Taking Back Sunday  © Copyright Jimmie Dalyonly a short trip for you guys. They continue uninterrupted then with What It Feels Like To Be A Ghost, Number Five With A Bullet, Error: Operator and My Blue Heaven before they invite a member of the crowd on stage. Now people in attendance may have thought what happened next was a rushed job, but in fact it took 3 years for the audience member to sort out what turns out to be a proposal for his long term girlfriend, he takes to the mic “This is for Sophie we've been together 8 years, this bands been around 15 years and means allot to the people here” before popping the question she says yes and they leave the stage, it’s something they won’t forget but something that the audience is probably thinking just took up time where another song could have been, Adam comes back to the mic Photo Of Taking Back Sunday  © Copyright Jimmie Dalyand says “You two will get up to some crazy shit tonight, this songs for you” before playing You’re So Last Summer. The set continues with Best Places To Be A Mom, One-Eighty By Summer and Beat Up Car, before stopping again to announce that it’s the 3rd snare drum of the night that Mark has broken before getting chants of Animal going. They wrap up the set with Cute Without The E (Cut From The Team) before leaving for the traditional encore, then coming back and playing 3 more; Call Me In The Morning, You Know How I Do and Make Damn Sure.

Overall tonight’s setlist was a greatest hits of sorts with songs covering all but 1 album, it’s a shame for myself that they didn’t do more off Tell All You’re Friends, but I suppose that’s the 18 year old me wanting more from a band that I love when allot of this crowd probably are more interested in the newer stuff than the old, but it’s still an awesome night, with less stage antics that I remembered but with great sounding songs and the same passion and energy that I remember Taking Back Sunday having. I look forward to them coming back soon with their newest album and bigger venues as I’m sure they can take their place at the top of modern rock once more.

Taking Back Sunday 4/5

Review By James Daly

 Taking Back Sunday


Adam Lazzara
Eddie Reyes
John Nolan
Mark O'Connell
Shaun Cooper

 Band Related Links
Taking Back Sunday Facebook
 Review Score Code
- Top Cheese
- Brilliant
- Pretty damn good
- Ok I guess
- What Was That?