Taking Back Sunday @ Starland Ballroom – 6/22/2010

A classic Taking Back Sunday promo picture from the beginning of their career in 2002

The last time I saw Taking Back Sunday, with original members John Nolan and Shaun Cooper, was a show that sticks out clear as day in my memory. It was April 26th, 2003, the Saturday date of the Skate and Surf festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Taking Back Sunday was playing the main stage in Convention Hall and a ton of people packed in to see them play. But as the band took the stage, I turned to my friend and we immediately knew something was awry. Something did not feel right. Everything was off. Even though they sounded fine, something was just really wrong. After they played we turned to each other and said, “What was that?”  Little did we know at the time that was to be one of the last shows John and Shaun would play with the band–and one of the last times we would see Taking Back Sunday play.

Three TBS shows later, a “secret” show that August under the name Booze and Adventure at Birch Hill where they introduced the new members, a show with Saves the Day in September, and a benefit show almost a year later at Starland Ballroom, and it was also the end of me seeing– or listening– to Taking Back Sunday. It just wasn’t the same anymore. It didn’t mean anything to me in the way it once had, and I just couldn’t relate to the music anymore.

The thought and idea of if they would ever play together again, maybe as a one time thing, crossed my mind from time to time. There was even a show I was at that TBS played with Straylight Run in Rhode Island. I had wonder if maybe they would play a song together during the show, but I then later learned that they didn’t even talk to each other at the show–let alone were thinking playing a song or two together. Eventually the idea of them playing together again left my mind, to the point that I didn’t want it because I knew it wouldn’t be the same, I forged ahead with Straylight Run, who were making music that I could relate to, and left Taking Back Sunday as a band who meant everything to me in high school, but was nothing more than a nostalgic memory now.

Fast forward to 2010.

A photo in the same style as the previous one put on the band's website in March 2010 which led to the speculation that Nolan and Cooper had rejoined the band

When I first heard John and Shaun were going back to Taking Back Sunday, I wasn’t excited. I was upset that Straylight Run weren’t going to be playing shows anymore, and was just confused and shocked that they were going back to TBS after everything that happened and was said. Even as I got tickets for their New Jersey show at Starland Ballroom (a venue that didn’t even exist when they use to play New Jersey with the original line-up) I was still unsure of the whole thing. But as the show got closer and closer, and I started to listen to Tell All Your Friends songs, I started to get really excited to see those songs played live–songs I hadn’t listened to or seen live in 5-6 years! I started to remember all the great times I had seeing them and began to think that this could be something really, really fun.

On Tuesday afternoon, I spoke briefly with once old and now new Taking Back Sunday bassist, Shaun Cooper, who told me via text message that he was “soooo stoked” for the night’s show and how while waiting to sound check there was “tons of nervous energy” backstage.  As Taking Back Sunday took the stage Tuesday night, I didn’t see any nervousness–all I could see was a palpable energy of excitement and sense of renewal.

Opening the show was Philadelphia based band, Person L. Not only is Person L a great band who puts on a fun live show, but they are also one of the most fitting bands to open the show. Person L features frontman Kenny Vasoli, who is also known for his previous band, The Starting Line, who played countless shows with Taking Back Sunday in both bands’ early careers. One of my favorite shows was a Taking Back Sunday/Starting Line show in 2002 at Birch Hill during which Kenny jumped in on drums during Bike Scene and Adam broke into an Eminem Rap. So to have Kenny’s current band, Person L, open the show just seemed really fitting.

Taking Back Sunday’s set opened with the monologue from the movie Beautiful Girls,  ( “a beautiful girl can make you dizzy like you’ve been drinking jack and coke all morning…”) which is known for being the intro to “Great Romances of the 20th Century,” but kicked off the start of “Cute Without the ‘E’.”  The crowd erupted and started yelling the words along to the track while the band took stage. All the members of the band had huge smiles on their faces the whole night, and you could just feel how much fun they were having playing together again. At one point, towards the beginning of their set, drummer, Mark O’Connell, even called all the members together for a big group hug. The banter between Adam and John made me smile and laugh, bringing back all the memories I had of seeing this same love of playing together from the band so many years ago.

The band played new and old songs with help from back-up guitarist, Nathan. All songs were not only played with a ton of energy from the band members, but were also received with tons of energy from the crowd. Songs from every Taking Back Sunday album were played, but the excitement and crowd reaction of hearing songs from Tell All Your Friends definitely reigned supreme. Surprisingly, a “cover” song received a huge crowd response too– “Existentialism on Prom Night.” I was struck by how many people were genuinely super excited to be hearing a Straylight Run song; it had me wondering where all these super enthusiastic fans disappeared to at the end of Straylight’s career. Now, it was not a surprise to me, or probably to many people who have followed any of the band member’s Formspring or Twitter accounts, that they were to play at least one Straylight Run song, but I did find it surprising that John Nolan did not sing one of his previous band’s most popular songs. Instead John played the keys and sang back-up while Adam sang lead and played guitar.  Another nice throwback for any Straylight Run fans in attendance was the explosion of confetti during “Existentialism,” which looked just as awesome as it always had at past shows.

The band closed out their set with “MakeDamnSure,” but returned to keep surprising us before the night’s end.  They came back to play “Your Own Disaster” and “There’s No ‘I’ in Team”–and what a way to close out the set! The thought that they would play “Your Own Disaster” never once crossed my mind and was a huge surprise! Not only had the idea not even crossed my mind–but I can’t even remember the last time I heard that song! That one was definitely one for us who had been there when and had come back to celebrate. It probably received the least amount of crowd reaction, but for those of us singing along, it was definitely one of the best highlights of the night. And it wasn’t the only little kickback to the days when they played New Jersey with the original line-up. There were thanks and shoutouts given to the “Peacekeepers” (the name that security had at Birch Hill, Krome, and most New Jersey shows at the time [some of the old bouncers were even in attendance singing along!]). I even saw a few people who I use to see at every TBS show back in the day and talked and shared memories with others who were there when. It was nice to see so many older fans turn out and to share the excitement with those who, like me, hadn’t seen them in years, and to also share with the newer fans who never knew what they missed out on, and yet were still excited to witness something really special.

At the end of the night I walked away with two of my friends who had been there from the start with me. Even though none of us had seen them in years, and didn’t know any songs off Louder Now or New Again, and barley knew any songs from Where You Want to Be, we all had an amazing time and felt like we had been transported back in time to 2002-2003 to when we were young and Taking Back Sunday shows were something we looked forward to with great excitement. It brought back all the memories and good times of feeling like part of something special at a show, being able to jump around, sing your heart out with everyone around you, and walk away covered in the sweat of all those around you and dripping in joy.

It left me curious to see where the band will go with John and Shaun back in the mix. I can’t say for sure or know if I will like the music they will make together or if I will become a fan of the band once again, but they sure left me curious to see what they will do.  I do know one thing for sure–it has definitely put a spark back in the band and the band members. They seem not only thrilled to be together again as band mates, but, more importantly, as friends.

Current photo of the band with old members officially reunited

Set List
Cute Without the ‘E’
Set Phasers to Stun
Liar (It Takes One to Know One)
180 By Summer
Bike Scene
Error Operator
Existentialism on Prom Night
What’s it Feel Like to be a Ghost?
A Decade Under the Influence
Everything Must Go
First New Song (“Best Places to Be a Mom”)
You’re So Last Summer
You Know How I Do
Second New Song (The reworked “I’m Not Gay, I Just Wish I Were”)
Great Romances of the 20th Century
Timberwolves at New Jersey
MakeDamnSure

Encore:
Your Own Disaster
There’s No ‘I’ in Team

Opening Act: Person L