It might be 2024 but it felt a lot like 2004 on Thursday night at The Fillmore Charlotte as emo-music legends Taking Back Sunday played a sold out show. It’s always fun to see bands from my teenage years as an adult, the nostalgia and memories of simpler times are a reprieve from adulthood. Judging by the size of the crowd at the show, I am not alone – proving to all of our parents – it was not ‘just a phase.’ The fans and the band might be older now, but the love for the music is as strong as ever. 

Taking Back Sunday is on the final leg of a headlining tour following the release of their latest album 152 with only a handful of shows left – so if you want to catch them live – you only have a few more chances (if you miss them this round, you can see them play in Las Vegas at the ‘When We Were Young’ festival in October). 

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again – bands are only one half of the equation when it comes to a great show – the fans are the other. When it comes to dedicated fans you’ll have a hard time finding anyone more connected to their bands than emo fans (okay, maybe Widespread Panic and Phish have them beat). I saw as many 15-year-old tour shirts, proudly worn by lifelong fans, as I did younger fans with ‘X’s on their hands. That is obviously a great sign for the band – and brings me comfort knowing there is hope for Gen Z and their musical tastes. 

The band played a 20-song set mixing the new with the old starting off with their newest single “S’old,” and ending with fan-favorites “Cute Without the ‘E’” and “Make Damn Sure.” 

Lead vocalist Adam Lazzara, John Nolan (lead guitar, piano, vocals), Shaun Cooper (bass), and Mark O’Connell (drums) sound as good as I remember them way back in my freshman year of high school, and their new music, while different –  remains true to the band’s signature sound. 

“Produced by Apte and mixed by Neal Avron (Twenty One Pilots, Bleachers), 152 features 10 intensely vulnerable and absorbing new tracks delivered with fresh ambition and newfound purpose. Inspired by the long layoff and the cloud of uncertainty that blanketed the world these past few years, it stands among the most genuinely reflective and emotionally pure efforts of Taking Back Sunday…” the band said.

“Normally it’s like, this is working right now, let’s just go with it and see what happens,” Lazzara said. “But the process of making this record has helped get me to a point where I’m looking ahead. I’m so excited about the possibilities. You’ve got to keep moving forward. We need to continue building onto this wonderful world.”

I’m Music Magazine’s Photographer/Writer Michael Praats was front row at the show and snagged some photos capturing the night. A full setlist follows the photo gallery.