By: Greg Grits
I had the distinct pleasure of spending part of my fourth of July weekend with Taking Back Sunday in Phoenix, AZ at The Marquee Theater. It’s been a few years since I last joined them and not only are they back with their strongest album in a long while, but this tour also marks the return of TBS’s original line up.
The show started with The New Regime who were decent, but ultimately forgettable. After a few more drinks The Colour Revolt took the stage and if you haven’t seen this band, you’re missing out. They were the best parts of mewithoutyou with their own style, but end of the day were just super awesome. I bought their record after the show.
Next up was Thursday, a band I loved in my younger days, but who lost me somewhere along the way. Their set was great, exactly how I remembered them. Tight, full of energy. Their set was mostly newer material, but they did bring out the deep classic “Jet Black New Year” off of the somewhat obscure Five Stories Falling EP and the place erupted with happy fans.
Taking Back Sunday took the stage in grand fashion, kicking off their set with “MakeDamnSure,” which made the whole room release all the energy they’d been storing up until that point. It’s always gutsy to open a show with one of your biggest hits, but this definitely set the stage for the rest of the night. Despite the fact that I had promised a review for this show, I needed to mosh to this set. Taking Back Sunday practically demands it (in fact, I think they may have literally demanded it). I did, like a pissed off 15-year-old and it was the most fun I’d had in a while. Their set was a great mix of old favorites and new songs that reminded me why I love this band. So much energy, and a sense of passion that can sometimes be forgotten in all of the “chillwave” and “reverb.” TBS played a great show and they’ve still got it.
