Taste of Chaos - Cincinnati, OH 6/11/2016

Taste of Chaos @ Riverbend in Cincinnati

The Early November, Saosin w/ Anthony Green, Taking Back Sunday, and Dashboard Confessional

When Taste of Chaos first announced its lineup, both for the tour and the festival, teenagers and adults rejoiced at the opportunity to re-live their youths through reminiscing easier times when it was cool to like emo music. (Let's face it, most of us still listen to most of these bands on a regular basis anyway.) The opportunity to see Anthony Green back with Saosin was encouragement enough. 

***

The Early November

The Early November has been around as long as many of the others, but is lesser known in this area. They took the stage around the time doors opened, so the arena was sadly close to empty. While I arrived to see them in their full glory and sing along with some of my favorite songs, I didn't mind that I was singing alone to the more popular hits and even the whining lyrics of some of their earlier lesser known songs like 'I Want to Hear You Sad' from many years ago. 

***

Saosin

It had been years since I had seen Saosin, so my expectations were high. I am personally biased towards vocalist Anthony Green, who I have seen many times before on his solo shows as well as with Circa Survive. However, I forgot just how much I used to enjoy listening to Saosin and was overtaken by my teenaged emotions. As always, Anthony has his own way of playing. Stopping between songs or even in the middle of songs, he would address fans in the crowd. One time he made a point to tell fans to love each other and not start fights or hurt one another. 

One particular fan was disappointed that he had gotten kicked out of the pit. Anthony stopped in the middle of a song to inquire as to what had happened. When he realized the kid didn't have access to the pit, he invited him onto the stage to watch from backstage. The kid's face lit up, his life had certainly been made. He climbed up and jammed out to songs which likely came out when he was just a young boy. Later, Anthony requested the kid come on stage and jumped up onto his back. It goes to show that he is no less compassionate towards his fans and still puts on quite the show. He is an exceptional vocalist and a stand up human. Ending with Seven Years, we were all back in 2000 and everyone was singing along.

***

Taking Back Sunday

Taking Back Sunday took the stage next and although I have personally seen them nearly a dozen times, they always put on a unique show. The guys may have gotten older and grown up emotionally, but their sound truly hasn't changed much, which is something long-time fans appreciate endlessly. We never get tired of screaming along with Adam Lazarra as he belts out 'Cute Without the E', "Liar," "MakeDamnSure," and "What's it Feel Like to Be a Ghost." Adam jumps all over the stage, swinging his microphone in circles, and proving that just because he has kids doesn't mean he can't rock out. All we wanted was to dance with all of our friends and tell them how much we love Taking Back Sunday, but those were words which just didn't need to be said. We all lost our voices and healed our hearts a little bit during their killer set full of songs we were all waiting to hear. 

***

Dashboard Confessional

Dashboard Confessional was next and the lights dimmed in preparation. The anticipation was apparent as the venue was now completely full of slightly older fans who had clearly been waiting for this moment for a long time. Chris Carrabba looked like he hadn't aged a day in the flattering stage lights as he took off right into the set. It was my first time seeing them live personally, but it was clear others around me had sang along to these songs many a times before. Carrabba knows how to impress and please his fans, playing all of the songs they've been waiting for.

All photos by Hannah Christine: Instagram & Website.

Taking Back Sunday, Bayside, and Man Overboard (#TAYF10 Tour) at Club Nokia October 25, 2012)

The scene was a beautiful one: a crazy long line of people all lined up for the Taking Back Sunday #TAYF10 tour! A lot of these people were wearing merch and some of them even had TBS shirts from "back in the day," showing that they had likely been around from when the album was first released. Many Bayside fans also showed up, some excited to see the bands for the first time, while some had been to many shows and had more of a relaxed vibe as they waited in line. I didn't see any Man Overboard shirts, but I know there were many loyal fans out there in the crowd once the band went on later.

Personally, I've seen Taking Back Sunday twice: The Next Big Thing 6 (Tampa Bay 2006) and Warped Tour 2012 (My first Warped Tour this year in Pomona) and Bayside once at the same Warped Tour this past summer. I was beyond excited to get to see them, even though I felt a little nervous about the venue size, crowd, and the VERY small pit that they had given "limited" access to. (Which really meant as many people as they could fit in there without killing someone.)

After waiting in line and getting our pit access, my friend and I squeezed as close to the front as possible and waited for the show to start. There were so many people who were excited for Man Overboard to open. Although I hadn't been as long-term of a fan of them as others in the crowd, it was great to see how much excitement there was for them. Many people knew the lyrics to their music as they started playing, but the crowd didn't go nearly as crazy as I would soon witness. Now, I've been to a LOT of shows. I've been to shows in all sorts of venues with all kinds of music and different crowds and I've been hit in places I had to think about later (how?! why?!) but never have I seen a crowd like the one that night.

Bayside played a solid set to a sea of singing fans who knew the lyrics very well and it almost sounded like a live recording of their album. I was very pleased and glad to be part of a crowd who knew and apparently loved Bayside as much as I do! (A few people, not surprisingly, screamed out their love for, and desire to have the babies of Anthony.) They put on an even better set than the smaller one at Warped Tour, which I had thought was amazing, so that's saying something.

The crowd started pushing some towards the end of Bayside's set and a couple people attempted to crowd surf, which is apparently their way of showing appreciation for the music. Nobody seemed amused. When Taking Back Sunday took the stage, the change was enormous. Not only did everyone start shoving and "moshing" (I put it in quotations because these individuals have clearly never been to a hardcore show and were trying to mosh/circle pit but don't know what they are doing.) but the voices got louder and the excitement was even more clear.

On the upside, a great show was had and they played a great set, comparable with the one I saw at Warped Tour (with a much smaller crowd at Club Nokia) but the downsides were the tight space and people kicking and throwing elbows everywhere (even in the parts of the crowd you usually would be safe in) and one guy who tried to crowd surf to the stage 12 or 13 times in a row and didn't get kicked out. I would put the downsides mostly on the venue/security, because that's not really on the band. But I did get punched in the face so hard I thought my nose was broken, and my glasses were ripped off my face a few times. (Not the first time it's happened... La Dispute...)

All in all, great show.

Please support me by liking my page on Facebook for regular updates!