Many dedicated Taking Back Sunday fans have been waiting patiently for the band to return to Scotland since the announcement of their rescheduled UK tour earlier this year.
The New York five-piece who released their self-titled fifth studio album in June, have gone through a number of changes since they last appeared in Glasgow over two years ago. The group officially stated in April last year that previous members John Nolan and Shaun Cooper were to be re-joining the band to form their original line-up of their 2002 record “Tell All Your Friends”. The news sparked a huge reaction from their fans, and has since constructed a positive move in the bands career.
The Glasgow show was the first of Taking Back Sunday’s much anticipated UK tour. At the sound of an airsiren, the group launched onstage with an intense opening song titled “El Paso”. Frontman Adam Lazzara presented the raw energetic passion within the bands new material as he expressed his emotion around the stage.
In one song, the Long Island rockers had already captivated their loyal teen fanbase, and although it’s apparent that their latest release regards a more mature progression in style, their overall sound still holds that catchy pop punk essence which Taking Back Sunday are renowned for. When 2006’s massive hits “MakeDamnSure” and “Liar” kicked in, Lazzara attained his usual onstage antics as he swaggered around the set swinging the microphone at extreme lengths and wrapping the chord around his neck, while he entertained the audience.
The quintet earned a much needed interval mid-set to perform a more delicate track by John Nolan and Shaun Cooper’s previous band Straylight Run, named “Existentialism on Prom Night”, which received a warm reaction from the crowd, while Lazzara took over on guitar duties, as Nolan moved to piano.
The setlist for the gig was definitely created in mind for devoted fans who expected a performance full of the tracks they adored from the original line-up, as the majority of the songs performed were from “Tell All Your Friends”, which included classics such as “Timberwolves at New Jersey” and “Ghostman On Third”.
At the end of the gig Lazzara took the opportunity to bring the show to his fans first-hand as he threw himself into the audience, where he preceded through the crowd until he reached the very back of the venue when the Vocalist ultimately declared ‘I told you I was coming for you’. The bar area was treated to their own personal set as Lazzara sang “You’re So Last Summer” and “Cute Without The E” standing on top of the bars work surface, in which security held his microphone chord all the way from the stage. The group finished with an incredible encore, where Lazzara dived into the crowd one last time for the finale of “There’s No I In Team”.
Despite the rescheduling of the UK tour, Taking Back Sunday regardlessly delivered an outstanding performance in Glasgow. The five-piece are noticably in a much happier position with their music and wellbeing in their original line-up. Vocalist Adam Lazzara truly brought the entertainment element to the gig, and even included time out inbetween each song to thoroughly chat with members of the crowd and his bandmates.
I have to admit the last time I watched Taking Back Sunday perform was in my distant punk days, and I was unsure if they would manage to win me over but I was completely defeated and the band proved me and everyone once again that they can afterall, achieve a truly phenomenal live show.