Coheed and Cambria, Taking Back Sunday Exhibit Creative Longevity on Tour
The Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre was filled with enthusiastic, lifelong fans on Friday, August 22, for a feat in long-standing legacies for Coheed and Cambria and their special guests, Taking Back Sunday. Along with a band we haven’t crossed paths with called Foxing, it was proving to be a mixed bag of a sonic experience.
FOXING
Time and time again, you can go to a show and end up finding your new favorite band, and I think Foxing exhibits those characteristics. The intro to their first song “Secret History” started off extremely slow, and we were wondering what we were getting ourselves into, and how this band was going to fit within the sonic sphere of what other bands are on the lineup.
Within about 45 seconds, we learned, and my first gut reaction was “This is like Brand New’s ‘Daisy,’ without the listener’s guilt.” For someone who had never heard this band until this moment, I was fully invested in doing more research on if that is indeed accurate.
Foxing played a 6-song set, including “Rory,” “Nearer My God,” and “Medic,” and blew the socks off of us, and it seemed like the crowd was into it, a perfect primer for the next band.
TAKING BACK SUNDAY
As a veteran of photographing Taking Back Sunday, we’ve seen almost ever ideation of the band. At the time, Adam Lazzara shared that John Nolan was not on this tour due to family things, but as of Sunday, August 24, Nolan to to Instagram to share the real story.
“Four years ago I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in my cervical spine. It’s usually caused by injury or old age but in my case it was 20 years of head banging while playing guitar. I was surprised by that but I probably shouldn’t have been.” He noted that he will be having surgery as a result.
Lazzara introduced former guitarist and co-vocalist Fred Mascherino, who filled in for Nolan on this tour, and didn’t miss a step. The energetic set had mics swinging all over the place, along with some dance moves from Adam, while touring members and band members alike established the groove over their 16-song set of hits, along with songs from their newest release including “S’Old” and “Amphetamine Smiles.” Closing their set with “Cute Without The ‘E'” and “MakeDamnSure,” you could hear the fans screaming every lyric from the Stage Left Lounge, ensuring the Elder Emos were certainly in the building.
COHEED AND CAMBRIA
And then, it was time for the main event. Coheed and Cambria came out with the ferocity, starting with some of their new material like “Goodbye, Sunshine” — the original, not the remixed version, which features 311’s Nick Hexum, that was just released.
“Blood Red Summer” served for the old heads of Coheed music, as well as songs later in the set like the iconic hit, “A Favor House Atlantic.” At one point during the first 6 songs, the band also had an inflatable punk skeleton type guy behind them, an update to their visuals of their show as a whole, along with the video screens.
The encore threw everyone for a loop. At a Coheed and Cambria show, you can absolutely expect them to close out with “Welcome Home,” the 6 minute + rock opera, but what fans didn’t expect? A cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” Let’s be honest, if you’re talking about Elder Emo anthems, that hits the pantheon.
We highly recommend that you check out this tour at a venue near you, or start up your engines for adventure, and travel to see this awesome event. Head to coheedandcambria.com for dates and locations.