I went to see Taking Back Sunday at the House of Blues (HOB) in Boston last night -- one of my absolute favorites bands at one of my absolute favorite venues. My very first concert -- ever -- took place two years ago at HOB in Boston and featured none other than...Taking Back Sunday (just after they released their fourth album, 'New Again').
Miraculously, though, getting there was as simple as I should have figured it would be. 95 to 93 to Mass Ave to Boylston, find a parking garage, walk a half mile, and you're there. Besides some traffic on 93, it was an uneventful trip -- the best kind.
Shortly after, though, a new problem kicked in. My friends (all 21 years old) and I arrived an hour before the doors were set to open, and we stumbled upon a very short line comprised mainly of what we figured to be 15-17 year olds. It took all of five minutes of standing in line for us to feel both old and out of place. The slight anxiety didn't dissipate after another two hours or so, as, now inside HOB waiting for the first band, The New Regime, to take the stage, we were staring at a room that was maybe 25% full. Two years ago when TBS played there with Envy on the Coast and Anberlin (such an incredible show), the line was a mile long, an hour before the doors even opened.
So now we weren't only dealing with the fact that we felt like the oldest people in the place, but that, with a crowd so small, you couldn't help but wonder if TBS would even feel like playing when it saw such a weak turnout. But then -- once again miraculously -- somewhere between the beginning of Colour Revolt's set and the end of Thursday's, the entire joint filled to capacity. I remarked to my buddy while we were waiting for TBS to take the stage that it was one of those seamless transitions that you don't notice until it's fully completed.
Our fears were alleviated. We were no longer the oldest people there (in fact, the majority of the late-showing crowd was definitely 21+ so all of the 17 and under kids were part of a new minority. Go us.), and when Adam Lazzara, John Nolan, Eddie Reyes, Mark O'Connell, and Shaun Cooper would took the stage, they would do so in front of a massive crowd, thirsting for their music.
And that's what they got. The quintet burst into "El Paso" to kick things off, setting an aggressive and energetic tone that was kept up by "Makedamnsure" just a few minutes later. I saw these guys in Providence a few months ago, and my one complaint about that show was that I couldn't hear John Nolan well enough (which sucked for me because I'm a big John Nolan fan). Not the case last night, as Nolan's piercing vocals worked off of Lazzara's like chocolate on strawberries.
The set was very "Tell All Your Friends" heavy, which was cool, seeing as the lineup that produced that excellent record was the one on stage last night. If you don't know, Nolan and Cooper parted ways with TBS approximately nine years ago, and formed the band Straylight Run. And after things didn't work out so well for TBS with replacements like Fred Mascherino Matt Rubano (Where You Want to Be, Louder Now, and New Again (Rubano)), and Matt Fazzi (New Again), a reunion was attempted with John and Shaun and went off brilliantly, as the band produced their fifth album, this one self-titled.
But treating fans to the old hits was the primary objective last night, as eight of the 10 songs off that album were delivered in fine fashion, highlighted, as always, by the "final" song of the night (before the three songs that made up the encore), the never-will-get-old "Cute Without the 'E' (Cut from the Team)." The other seven (in chronological album order): "You Know How I Do," "Bike Scene," "There's No 'I' in Team," "Great Romances of the 20th Century," "Ghost Man on Third," "Timberwolves at New Jersey," and, of course, "You're So Last Summer."
One of the cooler aspects from last night: Lazzara halting things midway through songs, the way he cut off "Bike Scene" just before the pace picks pack up and he's scheduled to belt, "You've got me riiiiiiiiiiiiight wheeeere you waaaant me." He took his time addressing the crowd while introducing some of his band mates before shouting out, "And I've got some unfinished business with you guys. It goes something like this," and going right into the final action-packed 50 seconds of the song.
These days (and I'm sure it's been like this for ages now), it's standard operating procedure for the crowd to play the biggest role in "Cute Without the 'E'," as they're relied upon to belt out the classic line: "Why can't I feel anything from anyone other than you?" as the music cuts out just after Lazzara has had his say with the very same line. The HOB crowd obliged, leaving the band in a fit of smiles before they rocked their faces off as they finished the song.
Having seen TBS in Providence a few months back, when I saw the engineers bring out an acoustic guitar during the setup and place it in front of O'Connell's drum set, I knew we were in store for another take on Straylight Run's (arguably) best song, "Existentialism on Prom Night." With Lazzara manning the acoustic and Nolan switching over solely to the keyboard, the fellas serenaded what appeared to be a very pleasantly surprised crowd.
A bad ankle didn't keep Lazzara from getting up close and personal with the fans on hand, as he headed off the left side of the stage, surfed over to the bar on the far side of the room, and sang "This is All Now" from his new perch. The crowd on the floor shifted, as if magnetized, pulled by the unstoppable force that Lazzara proved to be last night.
I'll admit I was surprised by the lack of new material the band went with, as the quintet played only four songs off their newest record ("El Paso," "Faith," "This is All Now," and "You Got Me."), but reminding the fans of the good old days with a "TAYF" focused set proved to be a very enjoyable affair for all parties involved.
This just means I'll have to catch them the next time they're in town, as I'm still anxious to hear "Who Are you Anyway?," "It Doesn't Feel a Thing Like Falling," "Since You're Gone," and "Call Me in the Morning."
The day before the show my parents said to me, "How many times can you see them? Don't you get sick of them?"
As I was happily reminded last night: No. No, I don't.
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