Taking Back Sunday gets ‘Louder Now’ in San Diego

The name Taking Back Sunday has become so much more than just a household band name… TBS is a movement of innumerable emo nights, day-festivals, and inspiration for many artists to follow. More than two decades into their career, the Long Island natives continue to bring generations of fans together. As an Elder Emo, seeing Taking Back Sunday on tour is like a call to action and, with San Diego offering (arguably) the city’s most spectacular venue, emo kids spanning many generations jumped at the opportunity to reunite at Gallagher Square in Petco Park on October 11th, when TBS was joined by Thrice and Saves the Day.

Up first was Saves The Day, kicking off the evening with a high-energy set that opened a portal to 2005. The New Jersey band has always hit different, balancing hooks and riffs with angsty anthems that can only be described as more relatable now in adulthood than ever. The band worked through favorites like “Anywhere With You”, “Through Being Cool”, and “Firefly”, giving longtime fans plenty to sing along to. Saves The Day also dug into their catalog with “A Drag in D Flat” from the Ups and Downs B-sides collection and “Freakish” from Stay What You Are.

Wrapping up with “At Your Funeral” brought the set to a fitting conclusion.

Thrice was next, opening with “Of Dust and Nations” from their beloved 2005 album, Vheissu. Once the band members took the stage, the atmosphere got intense; it’s incredible to see Thrice still slaying all this time later. Frontman/guitarist Dustin Kensrue and guitarist Teppei Teranishi eased through aggressive riffs, atmospheric passages, and massive choruses, while bassist Eddie Breckenridge and drummer Riley Breckenridge kept the backbeat steady. Tracks from their more recent album Horizons/West, including “Holding On” and “Gnash,” sat comfortably alongside established favorites, like “Silhouette”, “Albatross”, and  “Black Honey” — and my personal favorite “The Artist in the Ambulance”.

It wasn’t long before it was time for Taking Back Sunday. The band made their entrance to The Lion King‘s “Circle of Life” blasting through the speakers, before launching into “What’s It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?” and “Liar (It Takes One to Know One).” Both tracks come from Louder Now, the 2006 album that turned out to be a major focus of the evening as the band celebrated its 20th anniversary. “You may not know it, and we really didn’t put out there that we are celebrating Louder Now on this tour, but we are celebrating Louder Now on this tour, so you are getting the entire thing, San Diego!” Adam Lazzara declared after the conclusion of “Error Operator”.

“Divine Intervention” was a particular highlight, giving us an unforgettable Lazzara on-acoustic-guitar moment. The band, with a permanently reunited Fred Mascherino on guitar, reached back to their 2002 debut Tell All Your Friends for “Timberwolves at New Jersey” and “You’re So Last Summer”. Hits from Where You Want to Be — like “Set Phasers to Stun” and “A Decade Under the Influence” — hit harder as an adult than ever before; the band also brought in newer material from 152, performing “The One”, “S’Old”, and “Lightbringer”. Lazzara remained the unpredictable frontman fans have come to expect, bringing plenty of movement and personality to the stage that I personally can’t get enough of.

Nobody in the venue could stand still through the set.

As the show approached its finish, TBS delivered smash hits “Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut From the Team)” before closing with “MakeDamnSure”, bringing every emo night we’ve ever attended to life. Growing up in the early 2000s, you couldn’t ask for a much better lineup!

Photography by Franny Zehler

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