I've got a Bad Feeling About This: Darin and Jeff go see Taking Back Sunday in Long Island

Last Friday, me and my buddy, famous hipster food blogger Darin (pictured) went out to Long Island to see Taking Back Sunday, Angels and Airwaves, Head Automatica and The Subways. Nassau Colosseum...The site of my first rock show ever which was Green Day, 1994. Went with my parents and then friend Patrick, who I believe is currently in Iraq in some high ranking military position. I don't think I've spoken to him twice since we graduated 8th grade. Anyway, I remember a few things. The opener was the Pansy Division, with their hit "Butt-fuckers of Rock and Roll." Always a fun sing-along with mom and dad. Billy Joe Armstrong kept on prompting the crowd to throw our middle fingers in the air. My dad told me it was ok if I wanted to, but I didn't. Also, right before Green Day went on, a whole bunch of kids all rushed the floor from their assigned seats. Needless to say, I stayed put. It was fun no doubt, but I can't say I remember much else from the experience.

Anyway, 12 years later I make my triumphant return to the coliseum. Not a lot's changed, tho the perspective is a bit skewed. Left from work and took the LIRR from Penn station out to Hempstead. Took the bus from Hempstead to the McDonalds across from the coliseum. With us on the bus were a couple superfans with AVA and TBS sweatshirts on, and this girl in a camo miniskirt, white hoodie and giant studded belt who immediately exclaimed upon sitting down next to us "SORRY my ass is huge" It wasn't, really. Girls are weird. Anyway, I had no idea how big a dump the place is. In the middle of nowhere...not like the middle of nowhere where the meadowlands is, but just this big cement dome off some service highway. It's just so Long Island. I don't know what I expected really. It was just there.

We get off the bus with a bunch of kids, cross the highway and head over in the rain. The biggest thing that stands out about this show is how amped all the kids are to be here. After spending the last few years since college going to show after show with essentially the same people who all see a couple shows a week, then going to stuff like this, you realize why New York City crowds are so dull. It's not some make believe too cool to care attitude. That's a cop out, that new yorkers are trying extra hard to act cool or something. It's just that when you go to...or at least have the access to go to shows. There's never that sense of excitement or anticipation to see a band. Sure, maybe you've been waiting WEEKS to finally see Band of Horses live, but that's nothing compared to how some of these kids feel to finally have Taking Back Sunday come to town. Many of these kids,have been looking forward to this show for months. For some, it might be their first rock show ever. Maybe they'll go to warped tour in a few months. Maybe they will come into the city for one more show this summer, but that's it. They have been, and will be talking about this night for a long time. Being around that excitement is really unparalleled. Maybe you gotta take an hour train ride to really get it. I dunno.

We got there too late for The Subways. Bummer, as I was looking forward to seeing them again. Head Automatica were next. They are kind of fun, but don't really sound that great live. They have some catchy songs, but it comes across a lot better on record I think. Angels and Airwaves were billed as a co-headliner, but Long Islands is total TBS country, and they were clearly another opener here. The crowd was probably pretty into them tho, and they were ok, but Tom Delonge really seems to have lost his mind. His hair is all greasy, was wearing a dirty white t-shirt and had was carrying a bit of extra baggage in the torso. He rambles on and on about this utter nonsense about grasping your moments in life and all that. He seems like your friends older brother who smokes a lot of weed and talks to you like you're 6 years younger than you are. Granted, he WAS talking to kids 6 years younger than me, for the most part, but, I mean, the whole "have you ever been in love?" talk was just so trite and over the top. The music isn't bad, for the most part, but Tom just thinks it's SO much better than it really is. You can almost hear him think to himself before he plays a song "This shit is gonna blow these kids minds. Its the best song they'll ever hear. I'm gonna stand up on the drum riser with my arms extended like Jesus and just soak in all their admiration and awe. God, I'm so good" Creepy, almost.

After AVA, there was a bit of down time. Someone puked in the pit, and it was fun watching people stand around and laugh at the kids who walked through it. Then it happened. The kids started rushing the floor. Just like in 94. But more followed. And more and more and more. Whereas 12 years ago it seemed like a bunch or daring kids, here it was almost everybody. And there was absolutely no effort to stop them. What could you do, really? What is one security guard gonna do with literally thousands of kids charging at him? What's the point of stopping one and letting the rest go through? No point.

So the pit went from a little more than half packed to nearly bursting at the seams. Not sure how safe it was, but it certainly looked cool. So many people all crammed in one space, trying to get as close as they could to the band. It looked like some big festival. Girls on shoulders, bottles getting tossed in the air. All that was missing was a 20 square foot Welsh flag waving around and you could have mistaken it for a snapshot of the Redding Festival or something.

Naturally, the crowd completely loses their shit when the band comes on. Constant screaming, singing, cheering, jumping around. We had these great seats on the lower level, right off to the side and got a great view of the stage and the crowd. The kids behind us were loving every minute. I love that guy on the right. He can't believe it! That was the greatest thing ever! I don't even remember what had happened. Probably one of the singer's ridiculous mic twirling tricks where he tosses it in the air 20 feet before catching the chord on his shoulder, and in one motion swings it around his neck again and again till it's all wrapped up. I know I was pretty impressed. I don't think I ever grabbed my head in disbelief, but it pretty cool.

They play through the set like pros. My favorite move is the slow run from the back of the stage to the front by the guitar or bass player. You just can't have that at a club show. There's simply not enough room. There is no No 'Error: Operator', despite it being the hottest jam off the new album. They didn't play Darin's favorite track off the first record, 'No I in Team' either, but they hit all the rest of the favorites. It was just super fun. Being in a giant arena again to see a rock show is such an unparalleled experience. I saw TBS at Irving not too long ago, and Angels and Airwaves at Bowery. Both shows were fun, but the enormity of this show made it a completely different beast. You don't complain about the sound quality or the drink prices. It's just all laid out there, take it or leave it. Every aspect of the show somehow feels secondary.

After the show we headed outside to...um, try and catch the bus back to the LIRR. The creepiness factor, which had lingered throughout the evening, really turned it up a couple notches at this point. Lots of kids standing out near the bus stop. Many had a parent waiting to pick them up. I asked a couple kids jokingly if they were heading back to Brooklyn. They looked back at me with an appropriate level of disgust. Whatever.

Sooner or later it started to rain. An airport van pulled up before the bus, offered a ride to the train station for three dollars a head. Sure, getting into a strange van outside a emo rock show is just about the sketchiest thing ever, but it was raining and the van seemed somewhat official. Darin inexplicably asks the driver if he could, if we wanted him to, take us to Laguardia airport, to which he answers a little too quickly "sure!". We just go to the train station tho. Darin covered the expense.

We weren't alone, either. Mostly people who all admitted to be 22 years or older, including our old friend in the camo skirt from the bus coming out. Clearly a few extra years life experience is enough to realize that waiting in the rain for who knows how long to save a dollar on the city bus is not a smart idea. Getting in vans off the side of the highway is totally the mature decision.

We get to the LIRR and realize we can take the train straight to Flatbush, which is perfect cause we were heading to Darin's DJ night in Brooklyn anyway. If was nice to be there early and all, but there's a bit of time to kill before the 12:05 train takes off. Everyone makes themselves comfortable. The platform was protected from the rain. We get on the train and fall asleep. I think I get why people are so grouchy from Long Island when they're in the city. You don't feel good after falling asleep on that train. I was in the worst mood. We get a cab who slowly managed his way to Finger on the Pulse. Darin claims he's a sparks and 2 whiskey shots from being back in action. I don't believe him, but he pulls it off. I take it a bit easier for the rest of the night and head home after a few drinks. The party goes all night, I hear.

Comments

I love your little paragraph about the kids being excited to be there. I'm from DEEP into Long Island and I go to a city show like three to four times a month. It's like a two hour train ride. Still even though I'm going sort of frequently, it's always exciting to go into the city. There's no real venues here on Long Island, except small ones where screamo bands play or big arena-like ones where really well known bands play. Long Island is pretty much forgotten about. Nice writeup, I really enjoyed it!

[Christine]

I was at this show and I have to say it was exactly as you described it, especially the part about Tom Delonge.

Man, um, I'm sorry but... enough with the fucking emo. This blog was better without trash bands like TBS.

[Jeff]

Yea, I know. It just gets boring talking about the same bands in the same clubs every day. I think this stuff is interesting. And fun.

[warrior circle]

Warrior Circle
Wednesday June 28th, 9pm at Night and Day
230 5th Ave @ President St
Park Slope
Free!

[alicia]

This stuff is interesting. It's great to hear a blog perspective about un-blog bands. It's great to see that not everyone is above being a little bit silly and just real.

[Stephen]

That was a refreshing post, it reminded me of the good 'ol high school days.Thanks!

[R]

Not familiar with the bands you mentioned, but enjoyed reading your review. It reminded me how excited I was to see my first big concert - U2.