Taking Back Sunday flew directly to Honolulu, Hawaii from Anchorage, Alaska. The band, which was formed on Long Island, New York in 1999, was elated to be in Hawaii. The band is currently on tour to celebrate their twentieth anniversary and their most recent release Twenty, a compilation that was released in January. Although there may have been a revolving door of band members, the current lineup of Adam Lazzara (vocals), Mark O’Connell (drums), Shaun Cooper (bass), John Nolan (lead guitar), and touring member Nathan Cogan (guitar/keyboards) performed two energized shows at The Republik.
During these dates the band would play Tell All Your Friends in its entirety both nights and a coin flip would decide which night Where You Want To Be or Louder Now would also be played in it’s entirety. On this night at close to 9 P.M. the band launched into “You Know How I Do,” the first track off of Tell All Your Friends. Dressed all in black, Lazzara was front and center strutting across the stage. The dim, backlit lighting had the band hidden in the shadows. Between songs the band got acquainted with the crowd, sharing stories about the bands early days. Early on in the set the band had the audience singing along to the tracks “Ghost Man On Third,” “You’re So Last Summer,” and “There’s No I In Team.”
At the conclusion of “Head Club,” the final track on Tell All Your Friends, Lazzara invited their tour manager to flip the “specially made” coin to decide which album would be performed next. The coin flip was heads which meant Where You Want To Be would be the next featured album of the night. After “Set Phasers To Stun” the band joked about needing a setlist to remember the song order of each album. Between songs the band described the origins of each song and their mindset at the time. Highlights included “A Decade Under The Influence,” “One- Eighty By Summer,” and an acoustic “New American Classic.”
The band joked about leaving the stage for an encore; deciding to forgo the break and continue into a four song encore. By this time the band had the crowd in a frenzy. As the last notes of “MakeDamnSure” faded it was obvious the band and the crowd had given it their all. The mass of sweaty bodies left the club looking forward to the next day’s show.
You Know How I Do / Bike Scene / Cute Without The E / There’s No “I” In Team / Great Romances of the 20th Century / Ghost Man On Third / Timberwolves At New Jersey / The Blue Channel / You’re So Last Summer / Head Club / Set Phasors To Stun / Bonus Mosh Pt. II / A Decade Under The Influence / This Photograph Is Proof / The Union / New American Classic / I Am Fred Astaire / One-Eight By Summer / Number Five With A Bullet / Little Devotional / …Slowdance On The Inside / Flicker, Fade / What It Feels Like To Be A Ghost / All Ready To Go / MakeDamnSure