Taking Back Sunday at The House of Blues in Los Angeles, CA

July 6, 2011 0 Comments

Last Tuesday Taking Back Sunday released their first album with a lineup that hasn’t recorded together since the 2002 iconic album Tell All Your Friends. While the new album isn’t Tell All Your Friends Pt. II, it showed a renewed energy in the band that hasn’t been felt in almost a decade. This same enthusiasm came through when they took the stage last Friday at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip. It was their 4^th and final show that week in the LA/Orange County area and to say they went out with a bang is an understatement.

Taking the stage to tornado sirens, the band blasted into “El Paso”, the intense, scream heavy opener to their recent eponymous release. Lead singer Adam Lazzara started out playing to each side of the crowd on stage with mic stand in toe. It only took a couple songs, but by the time they hit “You Know How I Do”, Lazzara had settled in, dropped the mic stand, and was performing his trademark circus-like mic swinging acrobatics. Swinging it around and catching it just in time to start singing, Lazzara owned the stage singing right up to the faces at the foot of the stage. He would go on to practically own the entire House of Blues by the end of the night, but more on that later.

The joy and youthful excitement exuded by Taking Back Sunday reflected that of a band stoked to sell out their first venue , showing no wear and tear from the last decade. This is opposed to the last few years (before the original lineup reunion) where it almost seemed like drummer Mark O’Connell, guitarist Eddie Reyes, and Lazzara went through the motions like they were running out of steam. This was clearly a band reborn. O’Connell banged the drums so hard he might not even needed his drum set to be mic’d. Reyes paced back and forth on stage smiling and mouthing the words to songs along with the fans. Returning guitarist and vocalist John Nolan screamed and sang his heart out on songs like “Faith (When I Let You Down)”, and “A Decade Under the Influence”, strumming away at the chunky riffs. Most surprisingly was seeing Nolan own the intricate lead riffs written by guitarist Fred Mascherino who replaced Nolan between 2003-2007. Bassist Shaun Cooper, the other recent returning member to Taking Back Sunday, was in the pocket all night. Cooper swayed while playing the grooving bass lines that almost overshadow the lead guitar riffs in songs such as “Liar (It Takes One to Know One)” or “Cute Without the E (Cut From the Team)”.

With five albums under their belt, the 21-song set covered a good amount of singles and fan favorites from their discography. The only thing missing were songs from their debatably forgettable 2009 release New Again. While some fans may have enjoyed that album, for the most part, no one seemed to mind the omission of tracks from it. One non-Taking Back Sunday song the band has worked in since their reunion is the track “Existentialism on Prom Night”, the hit song penned by Nolan for his post-Taking Back Sunday band Straylight Run with Shaun Cooper. Lazzara’s take on the song adds a haunting feel and the vocalization between him and Nolan make the song swell even more than the original arrangement. It was a goosebump inducing performance.

By the last quarter of the set, Adam Lazzara found his way into the crowd, singing at the bar on the right side of the venue. Lazzara then made his way to the sound booth in the back. By the time set closer “Cute Without The E (Cut From the Team)” came about, Lazzara had climbed up to the second floor balcony and was literally hanging upside down during part of the song. Confetti blasted in the air at the song’s climax and it felt like the perfect end to the night. The best part? There was more.

The band took the stage once again for a two song encore beginning with the acoustic “Your Own Disaster”. During the song, Lazzara asked to bum a cigarette and had about 2 packs worth thrown at him on stage. The night concluded with a song many thought Taking Back Sunday would never play again after Nolan and Cooper left the band: “There’s No I in Team”. Lazzara found himself in the crowd again this time at the bar on the left side of the venue. By the outro of the song, Lazzara was swamped by the crowd, passing out the mic as fans sang into it “Best friends means I pulled the trigger/Best friends means you get what you deserve”. The show ended with Lazzara laying on the ground, crowded by fans, looking like he just gave everything he had to the House of Blues that night.

Throughout the set, Lazzara would take the time to acknowledge and thank each member of the band. The love fest showed just how excited this lineup is to be back together. It’s that kind of appreciation that reflected in the band’s performance that night, giving the House of Blues every ounce of energy they could to the fans. What resulted was an hour plus, non-stop sing along that left every fan with a show buzz that would last for days after that night.

Set List:
El Paso
Makedamnsure
You Know How I Do
Liar (It Takes One to Know One)
Faith (When I Let You Down)
Bike Scene
One Eighty By Summer
Error: Operator
Timberwolves at New Jersey
Existentialism on Prom Night
What’s It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?
A Decade Under the Influence
Since You’re Gone
Set Phasers to Stun
You’re So Last Summer
Ghost Man on Third
This is All Now
Great Romances of the 20^th Century
Cute Without The “E” (Cut From the Team)