Taking Back Sunday w/ Thursday, Colour Revolt

The Fillmore Charlotte

July 14, 2011

The Deal: Taking Back Sunday brings back the band's original lineup for tour with Thursday and Colour Revolt.

The Good: I walked into the venue just before the start of the second band, Colour Revolt. The band created soundscapes that had a hard time winning over the motionless crowd. It was a brand of atmospheric indie rock that seemed a bit out of place with the hard rock that was set to follow.

Thursday was up next bringing its brand of Warped Tour rock to the stage. The band's energetic bassist rarely stood still, as did the singer, while the band flew through its 45-minute set.

The night clearly belonged to Taking Back Sunday, however. Singer Adam Lazzara drew off of the energy of the crowd and fed everything right back to them. The audience sang along throughout the night and cheered on every word in between. Lazzara, who recently moved to Charlotte, truly looked at home on stage as well. He also noted that John Nolan will be moving to Charlotte on Aug. 1, right after the tour ends.

The band plays a brand of emo-driven rock that isn't all depressing — it's melody driven and energetic to its core.

Thursday singer Geoff Rickly joined TBS for "Set Phasers to Stun," late in the set. However it was the end of the band's set that clearly stole the show and made the night complete. For "This Is All Now," Lazzara jumped into the crowd and surfed his way around while singing. If that wasn't enough, he then jumped to the floor at the start of "Cute Without the E," made his way to one of the side bars, had a shot, and proceeded to make his way all the way to the back of the Fillmore, microphone cord being held up by the crowd and security. He tried to make his way toward his parents in the VIP section, but quickly ran out when the song ended. For me, that was it... it couldn't get better and I left. The band did return though for a two-song encore.

The Bad: Colour Revolt wasn't bad, but after a while, I felt like I kept hearing the same wall of sound in song after song. Do we blame the mix or...?

Taking Back Sunday had them... the show was over and it ended in amazement. Then they came back for an encore. Yeah, they're expected, but nothing could have topped the way they went out at the end of the set. Leave it there and leave the crowd wanting more.

What was with all the dark lighting? Every band was soaked in red or blue for their entire sets. (That's why the photos are black and white.)

The Verdict: TBS offered a powerful set with a combination of new and old songs that left fans exhausted. Lazzara made use of every inch of, not only the stage, the entire Fillmore floor. The strong performance made the opening acts a distant memory. One can only hope that with Lazzara now a Charlotte resident that a random show or solo performance might happen... maybe?

Taking Back Sunday setlist

El Paso

Make Damn Sure

You Know How I Do

Liar

Faith

Bikescene

180 by Summer

Spin

Timberwolves at New Jersey

Existentialism on Prom Night (Straylight Run Cover)

What's It Feel Like to be a Ghost

Decade Under the Influence

You Got Me

Set Phasers To Stun

So Last Summer

Ghostman on Third

This Is All Now

Cute Without the E

Encore

Your Own Disaster

There's No I In Team