Show Review

This amazing tour gladly came through Denver, and I couldn't have been any more impressed with the overall extreme quality and dedication of all the bands and especially TAKING BACK SUNDAY. Perhaps I should start from the beginning.

I got a chance to sit down with Ace (singer of the Early November) and he was an amazingly nice guy who seemed to be very in touch with his fans and dedicated to the band. They played a very solid set, featuring all the songs on the EP except "Come Back," as well as an older demo song "Open Eyes" which he mentioned will be on the LP next year. Opening with Sunday Drive, the soothing and interesting acoustic song on the EP, he pulled out an acoustic and just began strumming away. His vocals, contradictory to what I've heard, were almost flawless and although the volume was a bit loud and overpowering to the guitars at moments (e.g. "Sunday Drive" and "We Write the Wrong") the very fact that he called "as many kids as possible" to come sing along onstage for "We Write the Wrong" was just plain killer. Their set was very well orchastrated and I was impressed with the bass player's non-stop jumpy energy movement onstage as well as the lead guitarist's solo work during "Sunday Drive." It was great to see such a new (well, newly signed and released) band coming along on such a great tour.

Next was the band I primarily came for, The Exit. These guys simply rock. There's a whole lot to it: repetitive solid choruses and a lot of 70/80's rock influence combined with an incredibly talented guitar player and silly, but dedicated vocalist/bassist and slick, smooth drummer make for a great sound. Some of the songs seemed to drain on and I had a feeling a few kids didn't appreciate the talent of these guys. Nonetheless I was impressed with their great musicianship and great attitudes onstage and thought they put on a solid set. They played their new single "Lonely Man's Wallet," and a new tune (I forgot the name) that was the highlight of their set. Great work, and for those who are too ignorant to notice the incredible talent of these guys, would it help to add that New Found Glory is featuring them on some side disc to their DVD or something? I heard about that just the other day and wasn't a bit suprised to see them getting such major attention.

The Starting Line, once again, rocked the house. My third time witnessing their act, I realized it was almost getting repetitive. Their set was similar to the Warped Set, featuring songs mostly from their newest LP, "Say It Like You Mean It," and a couple from their debut EP "With Hopes Of Starting Over." I can't lie. I was almost bored with their set list; most likely due to the fact that their music just doesn't last as long as some of the other stuff I have been listening to lately. They played all their songs beautifully, with Ken's vocals all hitting just right and they were filled with that same charismatic energy that I have come to love. It's just that their songs have hit me, and maybe have begun to fade from me. Nonetheless, if you haven't seen them you're definitely missing out and I couldn't praise them more. Their charming humor and happy attitudes are sure to impress even the most cynical of fans.

At last, Taking Back Sunday took over the stage and I couldn't believe him when he said he saw some kids leaving out the back. It was their own dumb mistake to leave; they played a non-acoustic set that was simply top-notch. Despite Adam's injured hip that the doctor said would take 4 months to heal, he was rocking it out with a cane and held up amazingly well. I was amazed at his dedication to the rock, and he did his very best to reach the crowd with all the songs and the mic. As he said, "too all you guys moshing out there, you don't know how bad I want to be with you. I'm trying my best, I'm sorry if I am not getting to you.." or something like that. No reason to apologize, Adam. Those guys played an amazing set, and even without Adam's trademark energy and mic-tossing, it was awesome. Solid musicianship, with one new song called "I'm not gay but I wish I was," mysteriously. It sounded great, with some slick, fast arpeggio work from the backup singer/guitarist behind the vocal line and a few other solid ass chords to back it up. Can't wait to hear it, and yet again TBS proved to be indisputably among the top of all the live shows I have witnessed. The crowd that remained, which was a LOT of kids, wouldn't disagree; everyone was singing along and getting into their rock.

This was a great show, and even with his injury Adam's ability to skillfully and perfectly convey his talent was the highlight of the evening; don't let anything discourage you from attending this show if it comes to you.

review by Andrew Martin