Review: Taking Back Sunday at 170 Russell, Melbourne, January 11th, 2019
In November of this year, New York alt-rockers Taking Back Sunday will mark 20 years since they first came together to form a band. However, the group have decided to start the celebrations a little bit early, kicking off the Australian leg of their 20th anniversary tour this week.
When Taking Back Sunday were first announced for the 2019 UNIFY Gathering back in August, fans had hoped this retrospective tour would result in a few sideshows. Thankfully, we were treated to not only the headline tour we’d dreamed of, but the promise of two classic albums played in full each night.
On Friday, 11th of January, Taking Back Sunday celebrated the release of their Twenty compilation album with a visit to the hallowed halls of Melbourne’s 170 Russell, to deliver an evening that dedicated fans wouldn’t soon forget.
Check out Taking Back Sunday’s ‘All Ready To Go’:
Following a hot day in the Victorian capital, local music fans were undoubtedly keen to cool off in the underground confines of 170 Russell, a frequent hangout for lovers of rock, punk, and metal bands. Soon enough, the heated concertgoers were treated to a blistering set by none other than Melbourne’s own Outright.
Taking to the dark, smoky stage, this local five-piece quickly made their presence known, delivering crushing riffs, pounding rhythms, and ferocious vocals from Jelena Goluza.
Playing tracks from their latest release, Holler, Outright kept the crowd completely transfixed, with their immersive sound, intensity, and confidence making them seem almost like a headliner rather than a local support.
After powering through tracks such as ‘Defeat/Repeat’, ‘Lessons Earned’, and ‘Iron String’, Outright’s full-on barrage of sound was over as quickly as it began, leaving fans undoubtedly wanting to hear so much more of their phenomenal performance style.
Check out Outright’s ‘Defeat/Repeat’:
Before long, fans eagerly found themselves chatting between each other about the upcoming headline set, sharing memories and discussing their favourite songs of the band. They didn’t have too much time to do so however, because before they knew it, Taking Back Sunday had arrived onstage.
Kicking off their set by playing through 2004’s Where You Want to Be, fans of the band were in throwback heaven, singing their hearts out to the opening tracks like ‘Set Phasers To Stun’, ‘Bonus Mosh Pt. II’, and ‘A Decade Under The Influence’.
Of course, while singalongs were in full effect, almost every pair of eyes in the venue were fixed on the charismatic actions of frontman Adam Lazzara. Decked out in an all black outfit, Lazzara’s long hair covered his face as he screamed out every word with furious intensity, expertly swinging his mic around with the confidence of someone who has indeed been at this job for a very long time.
As the band kept powering through the album, Lazzara took time to speak to the audience with his booming, soulful voice, before bringing it down a notch to discuss the stories behind different songs (including borrowing a sound from Hilary Duff for the intro to ‘Number Five With A Bullet’).
Following a performance of ‘…Slowdance On The Inside’, the first album was all over, with fans jokingly chanting for an encore by yelling “One more album”. After considering fielding a request for Yo Gabba Gabba!’s ‘We All Love Our Pets’, the group indicated there was plenty left, jumping right into their next set of tracks.
Check out Taking Back Sunday’s ‘A Decade Under The Influence’:
Next up was 2006’s Louder Now, currently the band’s highest-charting record, and (judging by the sound of the crowd’s excitement) one of their most popular.
Kicking things off with ‘What’s It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?’, the moshing and singalongs hardly let up for one second, with fans starting to crowd-surf for the cathartic ‘Liar (It Takes One To Know One)’. As it went on, the hits kept coming, with ‘MakeDamnSure’ arguably one of the biggest moments of the main set.
Of course, it wasn’t just the crowd that were loving the show, with guitarist John Nolan and drummer Mark O’Connell clearly having the times of their lives, while frontman Adam Lazzara could hardly contain his smile.
Bringing things down again for tracks like ‘Divine Intervention’, it was clear that the crowd couldn’t get enough of Taking Back Sunday, even throwing down a circle pit for fan favourites like ‘Error: Operator’. Of course, after a performance of ‘I’ll Let You Live’, it was sadly evident that the end of the evening was in sight.
Check out Taking Back Sunday’s ‘MakeDamnSure’:
Eschewing the decision to leave the stage and return for an encore, Adam Lazzara instead decided to take the time to thank every member of the audience for supporting the band over the years, speaking with a heartfelt sincerity that appeared to come right from the heart, rather than from a pre-written speech.
Soon, the band jumped into their four-song encore, delivering riotous performances of ‘You Can’t Look Back’, ‘You’re So Last Summer’, and new single ‘All Ready To Go’. However, the evening’s biggest moment undoubtedly came with their last song, fan-favourite ‘Cute Without The ‘E’ (Cut From The Team)’, which saw Lazzara barely able to sing for smiling.
While 20 years is a huge milestone for any band, Taking Back Sunday aren’t ones to sit back and let nostalgia take its course, rather, they’re here to have just as much fun as the audience. Just a single second in the crowd and its obvious that the band are one of the most humble acts going around, truly amazed that they’re able to play music for a living.
With a catalogue of hits that would make many bands blush, it’s clear that Taking Back Sunday are champions of the genre, and undeniable titans of the live stage. Here’s to another 20 years!
Taking Back Sunday’s Australian tour continues today with a performance at UNIFY Gathering, before they wrap up their tour with two performances in both Sydney and Brisbane. Check out remaining dates below.
Check out Taking Back Sunday’s ‘Cute Without The ‘E’ (Cut From The Team)’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnaFpQaGFCA
Taking Back Sunday 20th Anniversary Australian Tour
Saturday, January 12th, 2019
Unify Gathering
Tarwin Meadows, Gippsland, VIC
Monday, January 14th
(Performing Tell All Your Friends & Louder Now)
Metro Theatre, Sydney, NSW
Tickets: Live Nation
Tuesday, January 15th
(Performing Tell All Your Friends & Where You Want To Be)
Metro Theatre, Sydney, NSW
Tickets: Live Nation
Wednesday, January 16th
(Performing Tell All Your Friends & Louder Now)
The Triffid, Brisbane, QLD
Tickets: Live Nation
Thursday, January 17th
(Performing Tell All Your Friends & Where You Want To Be)
The Triffid, Brisbane, QLD
Tickets available through Live Nation
Taking Back Sunday @ 170 Russell, Melbourne 11/1/18 Setlist
Where You Want To Be
‘Set Phasers To Stun’
‘Bonus Mosh Pt. II’
‘A Decade Under The Influence’
‘This Photograph Is Proof (I Know You Know)’
‘The Union’
‘New American Classic’
‘I Am Fred Astaire’
‘One-Eighty By Summer’
‘Number Five With A Bullet’
‘Little Devotional’
‘…Slowdance On The Inside’
Louder Now
‘What’s It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?’
‘Liar (It Takes One To Know One)’
‘MakeDamnSure’
‘Up Against (Blackout)’
‘My Blue Heaven’
‘Twenty-Twenty Surgery’
‘Spin’
‘Divine Intervention’
‘Miami’
‘Error: Operator’
‘I’ll Let You Live’
Encore:
‘You Can’t Look Back’
‘You’re So Last Summer’
‘All Ready To Go’
‘Cute Without The ‘E’ (Cut From The Team)’
