Taking Back Sunday - Terminal 5 - 11/24/12
An encore wasn't needed, albeit a bit missed by the attendees, at the end of the night. TBS had one purpose, and it was to relive those glory days of rowdy, emotion-driven suburban alt-rock that made Tell All Your Friends such an early-millennium success. Before charging into that bit of nostalgia, they began with what could have become an encore--a set of hits and fan favorites spanning their discography, including renditions of "MakeDamnSure" and "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)" that turned into a messy chorus of fans screaming along. "El Paso" elicited a particularly aggressive pit, made even more intense by the flashing red light furiously flickering above the crowd.
With the original members who put together the Album of Honor a decade ago all brought together along with a guest appearance by Michelle DaRosa, formerly of Straylight Run and original background vocalist on some of the songs from Tell All Your Friends, doubts of their music's relevance today were shed, but maybe that's "only wishful thinkin'."
Critical Bias: I had a mad case of suburban-kid-with-angst-for-no-reason syndrome back in the day.
Overheard: "LET'S GET WEIRD! LET'S GET WEIRD!" - an unprovoked but not totally unwelcome chant begun by the audience early on in the set.
Random Notebook Dump: I'm not sure why the majority of people I saw in the audience were wearing red flannel, but I'm a bit upset I hadn't been a part of their super comfy group fashion statement.
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