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Taking Back Sunday / The Starting Line / The Reunion Show / Northstar

live in Washington, DC (2002)
Victory Records

Reviewer Rating:

Contributed by: viceroymonarch
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on December 17th 2002

I was surprised when I found out that Taking Back Sunday was headlining a show at the cavernous 9:30 Club. Is TBS really that big already? Wasn't just a few months ago that they were the opening act on a tour that didn't even fill a third of the club? Well imagine my surprise when I called the club the day of the show about ticket availability, and was told that the show is going to sell out at the door. Amazing how quick bands can get huge these days.

The first band up was Northstar. These guys are from Alabama, as they kept reminding us of. These guys had a Movielife-style of pop-punk with hints of hardcore mixed in. Some good energy, but the songs weren't very catchy, and the crowd didn't get into it. They were satisfactory as an opening act, but absolutely unmemorable.

Next up was The Reunion Show. These guys seem to be following fellow Long Islanders Taking Back Sunday a lot (signing to Victory Records, replacing TBS on the Midtown tour, and now opening for them). These guys tore it up, rocking the 9:30 Club with their super-catchy power-pop. My only complaint would be that the guitarist/singer also plays the keyboard on the songs that require it, and since he can't do all three things at once, it takes some punch out of the songs. Aside from that, though, great, highly energetic performance.

Then came the Starting Line. First things first: The kids LOVE this band. When the TSL banner was unveiled, about 10 minutes before the start of their set, the cheering lasted practically until the band came onstage. And once they did, it was pandemonium. Highpoints of this set included "Saddest Girl Story" and their cover of "I'm Real," featuring guest vocals by the singers of Taking Back Sunday and the Sons Of Abraham. Musically, the band was tight and exciting. The singer, though, kind of brought the show down a bit. First of all, he can't hit those high notes live. Second, he has that goofy, "I'm just in a band to get chicks" stage presense. Third (this is relatively minor though), every time I've seen TSL live he's gone on and on about how this is the best show they've ever played. Newsflash, buddy: People who see you live more than once will begin to catch on to that. These few points aside, the Starting Line put on an energetic, fun, dare I say NFG-esque show.

We were then treated to a wonderful surprise. Expecting to see TBS walking onto the stage, we instead saw about 20 college-age males. It was Emo-Capella, a group from GWU, that sings a-capella covers of emo songs. They did their version of "Aside" by the Weakerthans and part of "Cute Without the E," before introducing the headliners.

And now it was time for Taking Back Sunday. They burst on stage with ferocity, and for the next 45 minutes it was emocore bliss for the crowd. By far, the biggest crowd reaction of the night was when we heard the opening chords of "Cute Without the E." Other highlights included "Great Romances of the 21st Century," "Timberwolves at NJ," and the encore performance of "There's No I In Team." These guys were pure energy from start to finish, and it was reflected in the manic crowd. This was my first time seeing TBS live, and from live videos I've seen, I was worried that the band goes so crazy live that it doesn't play the songs well. I'm glad to say I was proven wrong, as they managed to hit every chord, every note, every drumbeat, all while bouncing off the walls. Great show.

If you have any interest at all in Taking Back Sunday, do yourself a favor and get to one of their shows. You will not regret it. Just make sure you buy a ticket in advance though, or you'll be shit outa luck when it sells out.

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kirbypuckett (January 1, 2004)

test 2"

One of the
users at Punknews.org coined the perfect term for 2003;
"It's a great year for music, but a terrible one for
musicians."
There have been so many lives have left us, equipment
stolen, bad luck streaks for some of our favorite groups.
Despite all of the depressing moments throughout the year it
was a rather exciting one musically. Several big players in
the independent music scene dropped records, most of which
were fairly good. It was a tough and rigorous task to come
up with my "Top" lists for the year, so buckle up and enjoy
the ride.
TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2003:

SUICIDE MACHINES - A MATCH & SOME GASOLINEIt wasn't
until now that I realized that this record is my favorite
of the year. The Suicide Machines came back from a huge
slump and released this disc packed with Punk Rock hits
that we'll be singing for years I'm sure.

kirbypuckett (January 1, 2004)

test:

asdfadsp>
asdfdasf.
adsfff:

dsfIt wasn't
until .

Anonymous (January 24, 2003)

Everyone loves you. Can't you feel the love tonight?

burstandbloom (December 23, 2002)

I would have liked to see that Weakerthans cover.

Anonymous (December 22, 2002)

shameless plug for anyone reading this who lives in the metro. DC area (the forgotten city)... go to fairfax and check out eastcoast boardco. for all your skate and snow needs...and for god's sake, go buy the new john edward's film pack a lunch

Anonymous (December 22, 2002)

I think taking back sunday / northstar / brand new and that genre of music is terrible. that's all

Anonymous (December 22, 2002)

i have seen tbs twice now, and the first time was when they were on tour with brand new, and it was a REALLY small show, but it was cool cuz it was intimate. and then i saw them with tsl about 5 months later and the crowd was about 5 times the size. it was insane. but both times tbs tore it up. such a good live band.

Anonymous (December 21, 2002)

fucking hell i want to see TBS...

Anonymous (December 21, 2002)

Northstar is one of the most underrated bands out there today. Any reference to any other band (Movielife being the furthest from their sound) does not do them justice. Yes, they are for fans of Taking Back Sunday and Brand New, but they definitely have one of the most unique sounds and bar none the most unique lyrics I've ever heard. Give "Is This Thing Loaded?" a chance...my pick for album of the year.

Er, I like Northstar, too, but album of the year? That's a bit much. What else have you been exposed to?

Anonymous (December 21, 2002)

yeah! that woulda been a good show to see
**
the[]muffin[]girl

Anonymous (December 20, 2002)

Anonymous (December 19, 2002)

Beats me. I drive everywhere. Try marylandmta.com. I think that's the website. You can find train times and other info there. If that's not it, just do a search.

-Scotty

viceroymonarch (December 19, 2002)

I was gonna go to a show at Ottobar but I couldn't figure out how to get there...I'm new to DC, a student at American. What's the best way to Ottobar (or Fletcher's for that matter) as far as public transportation?

Anonymous (December 19, 2002)

Hahaha. I haven't been to Nations. I'm glad I haven't. I really don't like 930 club actually, but I'm more of a fan of smaller venues anyway.

Agreement with waste_elite is at 100%. The Ottobar is by far my favorite venue.

-Scotty

Anonymous (December 19, 2002)

I love the 9:30, in fact it may be my favorite venue. The booze is moderately priced, they get great bands, and the ticket prices are reasonable. Anything but that god forsaken Nations. When it was the Capital Ballroom it was tolerable, now it looks like something from Mad Max with that fucking cage lurking all over.

-sickboi

Anonymous (December 18, 2002)

The guy below me needs to stop complaining about them not coming to Toronto. You get to see one of the BEST bands out right now Alexisonfire anytime you want! They are so fucking kick ass it isn't even funny, and they play there all the time.

Anonymous (December 18, 2002)

I would see them if they would fucking come to TORONTO

waste_elite (December 18, 2002)

correction: it's NO ottobar

waste_elite (December 18, 2002)

fletcher's is awesome. it's not ottobar though.

Anonymous (December 18, 2002)

"TBS rocked. The rest of the showed sucked. It was flat-out a rotten line-up, unless you're a 14-year-old girl. Bleh.

But TBS? Owned."

You sir are very right. Personally I think they'd have a hard time topping the show at Fletcher's in Bmore with Brand New. Fucking small club shows are the best. I don't think I'll ever forget singer guy (yeah I forget his name) hanging upside down from the rafters.

-Scotty

Anonymous (December 18, 2002)

I've downloaded one song , from those emo-cappela guy from kazaa.I couldn't stop laughing...Download it for laughs.

waste_elite (December 17, 2002)

emo-capella?

sounds like my idea of hell