Taking Back Sunday’s curated experience for the House of Vans Chicago was our second venture to the House Party summer series.
The best thing about this show was that it showed Emo is still alive. It is still quite the effective antidote, for whatever feelings we harbor these days or that good ol teen angst from way back when can inspire us to take the energy from TBS’ music, ball them up into our fists, and punch the skies so we can get a sense of relief. It’s a pretty cathartic experience, and there’s something so great about being able to look around and see that everyone in this venue feels you on that too.
The banter was also great for this intimate venue. Leader Adam Lazzara would tell us about how much he had to be reminded to keep the chatter to a minimum, to which he responded with: “They told me not to talk too much up here but I’m here with all these beautiful people so I don’t give a fuck.”
There was also the story behind their Tell All Your Friends track “Timberwolves at New Jersey,” saying he was watching the news while in the Garden State and being a bit freaked out that timberwolves had been hitting NJ hard: “I was embarrassed to learn the timberwolves were a team from Minnesota… but I was relieved everyone in NJ were safe”
They also know how to give the fans what they want, finishing their set by performing “Cute Without The ‘E'” followed by “MakeDamnSure.” You just can’t beat that.
Check out my photos below.
