Taking Back Sunday 20 Tour
How do you celebrate 20 years of mic swinging rock? You put together an insane tour where a coin decides the fate of each one of your shows. Taking Back Sunday made Buffalo Riverworks in Buffalo, NY their home for two nights as they paid homage to some of their most popular anthems. Attending the sold out second show, I was anxious to see if the Taking Back Sunday I grew up with still radiated that raw and sensitive poetic performance I once knew and loved. Spoiler alert; they do. From what I had read the band would grace fans everywhere with their holy grail of albums Tell All Your Friends and let a special coin choose whether they would play Where You Want to Be or Louder Now alongside it. Forming in Long Island, NY, Taking Back Sunday’s current lineup includes front man Adam Lazzara, Mark O’Connell, Shaun Cooper and John Nolan. The bands alternative rock flair along with its pop punk and post-hardcore sound drew the most passionate of fans and made for quite an anniversary extravaganza.
Red City Radio, a band originating from Oklahoma City, started the night off with throat clenching songs that grabbed and held the attention of eager fans, thirsty for something they could nod their heads to. The aggressive growl of front man Garrett Dale vibrated off the massive complex of Riverworks and permanently into your eardrum. Known for their intense live shows, the band paired well with the crowd and by the end of their set everyone was starting to sweat and the crowd grew visibly larger over at their merchandise stand.
Chants of “TBS” could be heard as fans desperately awaited the bands presence on stage. As fate would have it, the coin chose Louder Now for the bands first night in Buffalo, NY. That gave Where You Want to Be, my personal 10th grade anthem, the spotlight for this sold out show. Adam Lazzara was all smiles as the crowd echoed lyrics to their favorites including the Regina George of songs “Cute without the ‘E’ “followed by the crowd pleasing “A Decade Under the Influence” and many other crowd pleasers. The night was a perfect blend between the bands debut and sophomore album, with fans letting the band know with interrupting applause, that even after 20 years they still had the most loyal following. Lazzara kept fans entertained with his signature mic swing all while effortlessly feeding the hungry crowd their most loved and requested anthems. From start to finish the show felt like one big high school reunion, taking most of the adults there back to their former scene kid days and reliving the roots of a band that helped shape “the scene.” Being a part of this epic 20 Tour is definitely where you want to be. Be sure to catch Taking Back Sundays 20 Tour now through December 14th 2019!