Emo has now grown up enough that one of the genre’s most influential bands, Taking Back Sunday, is on a 20th-anniversary tour. First formed in 1999, Taking Back Sunday released the compilation album Twenty this past January, looking back at two decades of raw, emotionally honest hard rock, from the band’s 2002 debut album Tell All Your Friends through two new songs recorded just for the anniversary release. To go along with that milestone, the band (featuring Adam Lazzara, John Nolan, Shaun Cooper and Mark O’Connell) has embarked on a tour encompassing its entire history.
“One of the most striking things to me is looking out to the crowd and seeing people of all different ages,” singer Lazzara told Rolling Stone in January about the experience of playing Taking Back Sunday shows in 2019, and the band’s energy and openness continue to attract new fans who connect with the music’s intensity and self-expression. Taking Back Sunday hits like “You’re So Last Summer,” “A Decade Under the Influence,” “MakeDamnSure” and “Sink Into Me” still resonate with audiences, proving that emo has plenty of life beyond its initial burst of youth-culture appeal.
House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, 6:45 p.m. May 4-5, starting at $35 plus tax and fee. 702.632.7600
