I wish I could take back my Sunday night.
Nearly three years have passed since Louder Now peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart, and since then the New Yorkers of Taking Back Sunday have grown rusty. The rust showed during their performance at the Rialto Theatre over the weekend.
The quintet has six former members, – guitarist Eddie Reyes is the only original left – and the revolving door has prevented them from forming any type of identity.
Newest addition Matt Fazzi meshed well on guitars and background vocals, often sounding identical to former TBS guitarist-gone-solo Fred Mascherino. And Fazzi out-belted indifferent lead singer Adam Lazzara for most of the show.
The headliner took the stage for a less-than-capacity crowd of screaming high school girls and pierced moshers who’d already been thrown into a frenzy by two high-octane opening acts.
Tucson’s Broken End Stereo celebrated the release of their debut EP with a loud and loose set of wailing punk.
“”Can you be proud to call us a Tucson band?”” begged spastic lead singer Jonas Black.
Another quintet from New York, Envy on the Coast, followed with the best music of the night. The pit packed tight up against the stage for headbanging and crowd-surfing led by the flying dreads of singer Ryan Hunter.
A good live show should build up to the headline, not fizzle when the stars take the stage.
But Lazzara was the downfall for TBS.
He looked awkward prancing across the stage, attempting Mick Jagger-like moves but looking more like Johnny Depp’s drunken pirate performance in “”Pirates of the Caribbean.””
His vocals didn’t save his dancing either, often sounding raspy and overpowered by the blasting rock behind him.
A boisterous “”Cute without the E”” crowd singalong was the highlight of an otherwise bland and repetitive set.
It felt like TBS had other things they’d rather be doing than performing for Tucson as they bolted for the doors after closing with “”MakeDamnSure,”” leaving the audience without an encore.