The Used & Taking Back Sunday
March 27, 2014
Hollywood Palladium- Los Angeles, CA
After having SOLD-OUT over half of their current tour, and their Los Angeles date, The Used and Taking Back Sunday came back to Los Angeles, CA for their second stop of their tour on March 27, 2014 at the Hollywood Palladium.
Opening up the show were Sleepwave and Tonight Alive. Sleepwave came on stage to a huge crowd, rare since doors opened just an hour before their set. It was nice to see that so many fans came out to support a very new, up and coming band that formed in just 2013. Singer, Spencer Chamberlin, former singer of Underoath led the band to what turned out to be a fun and energetic set. Because he was the singer of Underoath, he had a lot of experience and knew how to interact and get the crowd involved. “I know you guys don’t know our songs yet but I’m going to need everyone to jump!” Their active, lively set really set the mood for the rest of the performers and really woke the audience up.
Soon after Sleepwave finished, Sydney, Australia natives, Tonight Alive emerged from the curtains to applause and cheers. It was clear from the second their set started that they would put on a fun and enjoyable set. Headed by a female vocalist,
Jenna McDougall, Tonight Alive brought a unique vibe to their pop-punk set. The Los Angeles fans sang and jumped along to McDougall and guitarists Jake Hardy, Whakaio and Cam Adler on bass throughout the set.
A very quick set change later, Taking Back Sunday graced the Hollywood Palladium stage. With the reaction from the crowd it was clear that these New Yorkers, were a Los Angeles favorite. While they didn’t interact much with the crowd, they did perform favorites including Stood a Chance; Beat Up Car; A Decade Under the Influence; Timberwolves At New Jersey and many more.
Following the set by Taking Back Sunday, flocks of fans were leaving the venue, done for the night which was strange since one of the more entertaining and fun bands to see live was up next, The Used. Taking Back Sunday’s set was child’s play to what The Used’s set would be and those who left before they performed truly missed something great. Decorating the stage were what looked to be old, broken TV screens with light bulbs inside. On the screen were many people, mostly politicians (if not only politicians) including Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton. As the lights and music faded out, the screams echoed in the room. A short intro began and went right into Cry. The still very packed venue sang word for word with singer, Bret McCraken who hopped around stage throughout the set. The band performed a total of 13 songs and 1 encore, leaving fans begging for more. The band’s energy, the amazing stage set up/ props, and McCraken’s ‘dance moves’ on stage made their performance something you couldn’t keep your eyes off of. Songs of the night included The Bird and the Worm; The Taste of Ink; Pretty Handsome Awkward; I Caught Fire; Box Full Of Sharp Objects and more. The Used’s 6th studio album, Imaginary Enemy is going to be released April 1, 2014 so be sure to pick up your copy.
Review by: Nicole Lemberg
The Used
Taking Back Sunday
Tonight Alive
Sleepwave
