Taking Back Sunday sell out Detroit with an evening of pop punk classics

By Byron Morris

Tonight’s show had just two bands. Citizen is a personal favorite of mine, and TBS is a staple in the emo and alt-rock community that needs no introduction. Royal Oak Music Theatre in Detroit, MI, was vibrant with a line stretching around the building filled with elder emo fans ready to see the show.

Citizen hit the stage with the energy I would expect from their angst-ridden moody aesthetic, truly impressing the audience who, on first glance, was mostly there for the latter band. Citizen played well-known songs like “I Want To Kill You” and brought things home at the end of their set with “The Night I Drove Alone”. They sounded great and played a good blend of older and new material. I love to see them still killing it in 2024 as they continue to be one of my personal favorite fourth wave emo associated bands.

Taking Back Sunday came on to the stage with singer Adam Lazzara hanging towards the back in true mysterious fashion. The band played their lead single “S’OLD” from their newest offering “152” released October of 2023. The crowd became increasingly energized as the lights got brighter, revealing more of the band members and Adam.

For a moment, he went to the front of the stage, wrapped the microphone cord around his neck and swung it around in a true display of the band’s juvenile alternative and punk rock roots. You could really feel the emotion, and that makes for a great show in this genre. The band sounded tight and seemed ready for war, with Adam Lazzara seemingly in his own world at points, but bringing it back in enough to pull together a great show.

Seeing Taking Back Sunday in 2024 for the first time makes me really wonder what it was like to see them in 2004. Citizen’s moodiness blended well with TBS’ alternative punk style was a great pick for them to bring along for this run.