Taking Back Sunday

I thought I had missed my chance to see the Fred and Adam lineup. Then, on September 9th, Fred Mascherino walked back on stage, and suddenly the version of Taking Back Sunday I thought I’d never see was right in front of me. 

Louder Now was such an integral part of my high school experience. That CD was one that I frequently pulled from my car visor CD holder (remember those?) to blast after school. I even downloaded “MakeDamnSure” as my first ringtone on my black Nokia, hearing it echo through soccer locker rooms (back when it was cool to have your phone go off in public). Fred’s return, encouraged by John Nolan, gave fans like me the chance to finally see a version of the band that had only lived in memory. 

The wait was worth it. Taking Back Sunday has never been about polish, and I wouldn’t want them to be. At Moody Amphitheater, Adam Lazzara reminded everyone why he’s still one of the most captivating frontmen of his era, swinging his mic with reckless confidence and nearly clipping a guitar tech in the process. But that’s part of the theatrics and it’s a big reason why TBS still draws out a crowd. 

Fred’s presence reshaped the sound immediately, his harmonies and guitar lines locking the songs into place. Shaun Cooper held down the rhythm, grounding a lineup that has shifted so often. The set leaned hard on that era: six songs from Louder Now and three from Where You Want to Be. Fred slipped back into the groove as if no time had passed, and the crowd shouted “Welcome back, Fred” between songs.

What struck me was Adam’s demeanor. Twenty-six years in, he carried himself with gratitude that felt unforced, noting how rare it is to still be doing this with conviction. The crowd, largely peers who discovered this music in the same years I did, met him with the same energy. It was evident that the fans were feeling just as lucky as I was to see this version of TBS. 

Coheed and Cambria

If Taking Back Sunday’s set was about release, Coheed and Cambria’s was about precision. This was my first time seeing them, and the devotion in the crowd was as striking as the band itself. Fans around me matched Claudio Sanchez line for line, locked into every lyric.

Part of Coheed’s pull is the larger world Claudio has built with The Amory Wars. It is more than music for their fans, and that depth showed. The set moved between sprawling prog passages and direct anthems without letting the energy dip. The biggest surprise was a cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” Instead of feeling out of place, it pulled the entire amphitheater into one voice.

They also leaned into their newer material from Vaxis – Act III: The Father Of Make Believe. Tracks like Goodbye, Sunshine and Searching for Tomorrow didn’t feel like placeholders but as central to the story as the classics. When older staples like A Favor House Atlantic and Welcome Home arrived, they hit even harder in that context.

Two decades after first hearing both bands, the songs still land with force. The night was not about revisiting the past. It was proof these performances still matter now.

Words and photos: Victor Gonzalez