Taking Back Sunday’s TAYF10: ‘If We Go Down We Go Down Together’

I can’t believe it’s been ten years since I first heard the line, “so sick, so sick of being tired, and oh so tired of being sick”. Seems like yesterday I was 15-years-old and I went to my local Best Buy to pick up Taking Back Sundays debut album, Tell All Your Friends onVictory Records.I am sure this is the same sensation a lot of you will feel about All Time Low‘s The Party Scene or Paramore‘s All We Know Is Falling in a few years. I hope, for your sake, that those bands put on an anniversary tour to celebrate those albums so you can have the same experience that I had last night. #TAYF10

When I heard Taking Back Sunday would be holding an anniversary tour I was overjoyed. I even backed out of a family trip to Disney World to ensure I would be in LA for the show. Taking Back Sunday has had a tulmultuous past with members leaving, changing and finally recovering the original lineup in 2010. It was perfect timing for John Nolan and Shaun Cooper to come back so we could all honor the album that influenced a generation of music loving “emo” kids.

Last night at Club Nokia EVERYONE who played a role in recording vocal and instrumental tracking on the iconic record came together on stage to celebrate it’s decade of influence. Adam Lazzara, John Nolan, Eddie Reyes, Mark O’Connell, Shaun Cooper, Michelle Nolan and Neil Rubenstein all played their respective roles in bringing the album to life. I know this experience will be unlike other dates of the tour (Michelle and Neil will not be on the entire tour) and that sentiment was not lost on me — it was incredible.

Clip of “Cut Without The ‘E’ (Cut From The Team)”. Could only spare 29 seconds of not going insane.

Another component of the night that was special was being around fans that had a similar connection to TAYF as I did. All around me strangers were sharing stories of how they heard about the album. They shared memories of listening to songs like “There’s No “I” In Team” and how it made them feel. How lines like, “everything I learned about breaking hearts I learned from you, it’s true”, soothed their angsty teenage hearts, and admitted that to this day those songs still come in handy.

TheTAYFset came after TBS warmed us up with their most popular songs (MakeDamnSure, Liar, Faith, etc.) and then brought us all back to 2002. When the chords of “You Know How I Do” rang out, I was instantly 15 again, a sophmore in high school and upset that Chris Cardin had a new girlfriend.

I saw the same sensation happen to my peers. Collectively we sang back the words that expressed how we felt better than we could. It was exhilarating to hear the entire album in order with all of the members that originally brought it to life. One moment that I will never forget was right before they went into, “Ghost Man On Third”. Front man Adam Lazzara admitted this is a song that, “still rings true”. Nice to see 10 years later he can also still relate to elements of this album.

The moral of the story is TAYF is record I have never stopped enjoying and to experience it all live with the original line up made for a night I will never forget. I hope you get to have the same opportunity with an album you love.

#musicrules.

What album do you hope to see on an anniversary tour?

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