Taking Back Sunday & The Used Rock Bethlehem

April 19, 2014

Bethlehem Event Center- Bethlehem, PA

Fans formed a line that seemed endless, wrapping around the building anxiously waiting for the show to begin. It was a mind-blowing night at The Sands in Bethlehem PA; jam packed with fans and some of the most incredible artists in the music industry. The night started out with [relatively] new and fresh talent Sleepwave, fronted by Spencer Chamberlain formally of legendary, Underoath. Sleepwave was a nice touch to the flawless lineup. The rock band put on quite a performance leaving the crowd pumped for the rest of the show. After arranging equipment and bringing out the infamous escalader scrims, Tonight Alive graced the stage. Jenna Mcdougall in her white fishermen-styled hat, took the stage by storm. There was hardly a moment you could catch any member of this band standing still. Band driven–between members jumping in the air and the flailing of instruments, from front to back the room was exploding with energy. Tonight Alive’s performance was far from mediocre. There is no doubt that both Sleepwave and Tonight Alive gained and continued to impress many fans that night.

Next was a moment anticipated by loyal fans from across the board from the moment the doors opened. The Used came out and stole the crowd! Between songs, lead vocalist, Bert McCracken, proudly sporting his bold “Gay or Straight” tee, addressed his concerns and a few of the many corrupt and unjustified controversial topics this world has brought to life. At one point he mentioned having done just about every drug possible but there is no feeling, or no greater feeling, than being at a rock show. Aside from the band’s off the radar talent, hearing this man speak openly and share his thoughts on said topics, was simply a reminder of why any respect for McCracken, and his band is well-deserved. The Used had an awesome customized backdrop and utilized tons of fun and colorful lights. The band also had stacked televisions on both sides of the drum riser that would light up throughout their set cycling through a routine of random light arrangements then to spelling out “Used”, “Fuck”, and “Yeah”. Long time fans went crazy for The Bird and The Worm. The guys played tons of other great songs including I Caught Fire and On My Own. From stage setup in its entirety, to the band’s energy and all around stage performance, The Used absolutely killed it. Definitely having one of the more sporadic light shows of the evening.

Beginning their set in pure darkness, Taking Back Sunday rocked the stage. Front-man, Adam Lazzara’s vocals were on point, and instrumentals sounded flawless, all the way from start to finish. The guys played a great selection of both old and new material including fan favorites such as You’re So Last Summer; Cute Without The E[Cut From The Team] and latest Flicker, Fade off the band’s newly released album, Happiness Is. Taking Back Sunday is known for their emotion packed heartfelt lyrics, easily turned into sing-a-longs, all over the world by fans of all ages. TBS is a band that no matter what you’re going through, you can find a song that relates or comforts you during times of desperation. They’re all around, just a remarkably talented band that only gets better as time progresses. Closing out the night with, MakeDamnSure, their performance was nothing short of incredible. Hands down this has been one of the best shows to roll through the area in a long time, and I highly recommend you catch one of the remaining dates of this tour. The duel-headlining show ended up being a mass success. Every band performed their very best set Saturday night. What an incredible way to spend Easter weekend.