It can be a real revelation, catching a beloved band live. Some bands are made to be heard in person, and some artists made to be seen in performance. Taking Back Sunday, as lead singer Adam Lazzara pronounced at least twice during the show, are a "professional rock band". A rock band they most certainly are - they played hard and loud and fast - but 'professional', well. That was my revelation last night: while Taking Back Sunday may have build their live reputation in some part due to the showmanship of Lazzara and his antics, last night Lazzara was more sloppy than professional, the show and sound shambolic as a result. But Lazzara was so charmingly sloppy, and the whole band so sweetly enthusiastic, that they almost got away with it; I had fun, and sang my little heart out, despite the faults.
While Taking Back Sunday hurled themselves musically and physically into the start, banging out crowd favourites from all four of their albums, Lazzara started to really flag in the middle third. His vocal was like his (infamous) mike swinging - all over the place! Guitarist Matt Fazzi's vocal kept things on track, and together the harmony of their voices works really well. The rest of the band, with an extra touring guitarist for oomph, are solid performers and supported well. But the personality of the performance, the driving force of the energy, centred on Lazzara; so when Lazzara chose to sing while kneeling on the floor for large chunks of the show, he may have given the front row a great view, but the rest of the room had little to focus on, and the momentum of the show ebbed whenever he was obscured from sight.
But there was still a great deal of passion on show, if not precision, from Lazzara: his long hair whipping around, screaming catharsis in song, giving rambly but sweet speeches to the audience. He waxed lyrical on our screen obsessed culture (he wanted us to put our cameras away), on the existence of drummer Mark O'Connell, whose parents were in the audience ("they did it and so we have Mark - win win for everyone!"), and also on "manlove", as he sadly noted that any suggestion of his great affection for other males, usually members of his band, elicited much greater response than any serious sentiments he uttered.
And then they pulled it out for the last third of the night and started "killing it", as Lazzaraa urged guitarist Eddie Reyes to do on the intense, magnificent 'Everything Must Go' from 2009 album New Again. From them on, it seemed Lazzara was back to his former self in terms of energy and vocal ability, and the crowd responded in turn.
Everything Must Go
It helped too, that the set was composed of an even mix of songs. There were plenty of old favourites from the earlier albums for the diehard fans who know every word, balanced by the newer, poppier songs to keep the night rolling on. But they finished to great excitement with a trio of songs from their best selling album to date, Louder Now, featuring some great instrumental solos and a chance for the tiny Matts (Fazzi and Rubano, on guitar and bass respectively) to shine.
MakeDamnSure
Cute Without the E (Cut from the Team)
Sink Into Me
What It's Feel Like to be a Ghost
Set Phasers to Stun
You're So Last Summer
Carpathia
You Know How I Do
One-Eighty by Summer
Lonely, Lonely
My Blue Heaven
Timberwolves from New Jersey
Everything Must Go
A Decade Under the Influence
Liar
Error:Operator
MakeDamnSure
