I arrived a little late and only caught a few minutes of the Dutch opening act Left while getting some beers before hanging in the hall. It sounded a bit like Di-Rect with people clapping along on some soft-rock/pop-punk like music. Not my thing but thanks for the tiny box of matches. They’re cute, without the e of course.

 

Shortly after, the American five-piece Taking Back Sunday entered the stage, opened up with ‘What’s It Feel Like To Be A Ghost’ and turned the crowd into one big sing-a-long in no-time. In the beginning the sound was a little flat but it turned out alright in the end anyway, especially due to the fact that the band is an absolute smooth machine and instrumental wise very tight (something young bands in this genre can learn from!). Singer Adam Lazarra gave away a good show without being too much of a poser (which he is known for), even though his singing wasn’t too clear at all parts. Overall I was satisfied with the performance and a varied setlist including tracks such as ‘Cute Without the E (Cut From The Team)’, Error: Operator’, ‘You’re So Last Summer’, ‘Set Phrasers To Stun’, ‘Liar’ and of course the opening track from the new album ‘New Again’. The crowd seemed to enjoy themselves as well, singing along with every track (even the new ones!) and a small mosh with some stagedivers emerging in front of the stage. I thought this gig was going to turn into shit, but I must say that I actually enjoyed watching this band even though it’s not something I would really listen to at home. I was expecting a huge afterparty which turned into crap (why did everyone leave so early?) but a decent Taking Back Sunday gig made up for that. Good musicians, good performance and no encore (!!!).