By: Laura LeslieAugust 24, 2009
Prepared to see a high school favourite of mine, Anberlin, I was a little shocked to see Everlea on stage when the concert finally began. Anberlin had been scheduled for the original show, which had to be postponed when Taking Back Sunday vocalist Adam Lazzara was hospitalized the day of due to a virus.
Kingston Ontario’s Everlea pleasantly surprised me. After seeing lead singer Justin Dube handing out stickers in the line before the show, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But the vocals were clear and flawlessly reached heights other bands dream about. They sounded similar to the Rocket Summer, but a bit more masculine and mellowed. Aesthetically, they resembled the All American rejects with a similar demeanor, but less pop. The tunes were catchy and memorable, but likely what you would expect from looking at them. Although enjoyable to watch, Everlea is quite a few shows away from being a worthy headliner, but it’s definitely within reach.
Brampton’s Moneen took the stage next. The moment they played the first note, you could tell they were seasoned performers. The melodic rock with heavy bass and incendiary vocals was a deeply emotive combination. They seemed to exude every ounce of physical energy that was humanly safe while they performed with unique showmanship. Vocalist Kenny Bridges teased the crowd by saying they wanted to play some older stuff, but when the crowd went crazy he replied with, “Not that old.” Moneen’s new album The World I Want to Leave Behind is set for release Sept 15. That night they are also playing a free show at The Horseshoe. If their performance as openers is any indication of what they are capable of as headliners, the free show is not something I want to miss out on.
Finally Taking Back Sunday exploded on to stage with an epic entrance. Sporting a more mature appearance, TBS started their set with “What’s it Feel Like To Be a Ghost?” off 2006’s Louder Now. Each song was booming with energy from the performers and the rowdy crowd. Everyone knew the words and didn’t hesitate to scream at the top of their lungs. This really got Lazzara jazzed up. At one point he voiced his dismay for canceling this show out of all the shows on the New Again Tour, because it was obvious what avid fans we were.
Newest member guitarist/back-up vocalist Matthew Fazzi played the entire set with a broken foot that hardly hindered his performance, which is impressive considering the work-out he was getting on stage. Lazzara almost compulsively swung his mic around his arm and into the crowd, very entertaining. No TBS concert would be complete without the infamous mic-neck wrap Lazzara’s fans know all too well. Their four-song encore ended with the crowd-pleaser “MakeDamnSure.” TBS made damn sure all their fans were satisfied with their larger than life performance. Thank-you Taking Back Sunday for being as incredible as we remembered and exactly what we had hoped for. All in all, great show from all three bands.