Photos by Sarah Waxberg
Words by James Boss
Every time I watch a show that features 2000s emo acts, I kind of feel weird about it. As much as I love the genre now and as much as I like to pretend I was an emo/scene kid when I was a teenager, I have to admit that I didn’t grow up listening or even particularly liking the genre all that much. Sure, I listened to the Burnout 3: Takedown Soundtrack, which featured songs from scene stalwarts such as My Chemical Romance, Atreyu, From First To Last, and even a band on the show I am talking about today, Motion City Soundtrack, but that was more because I was a video game nerd, not because I was obsessed with emo culture. Sure, I remember listening to Lies For The Liars by The Used on repeat when I was 13, but that was because I thought the artwork was sick and edgy. I honestly grouped that band in with hard rock bands that I was fond of at the time such as Breaking Benjamin and Chevelle.
The point is I was never too fond of emo growing up. I made fun of the scene kids that I went to middle school with all the time. I used to hate Saosin because I thought that the singer’s voice was “gay.” I remember relating hardcore to an episode of South Park that was about burning down Hot Topic’s and replacing them with Banana Republic stores. I didn’t even start going to Warped Tour until 2013. Because of how I used to react towards emo, whenever I attend a show or a fest that is so heavily intertwined with emo nostalgia, such as the Taste Of Chaos Tour, I feel like I don’t deserve to be in the crowd. I feel like that there is someone who contributed more to emo culture back in the day that should be in my spot watching their favorite bands. I may feel shitty about my past emo sins in the moment, but after watching the show I usually end up feeling better about it, as every band on the lineup tends to kill it. That was especially the case with the fantastic Taste Of Chaos Tour 2016 lineup that appeared in Wantagh New York at The Nikon at Jones Beach Theater.
The Early November was up first and started everything on the right note off the bat, blasting through several of their hits including “Decoration,” “Tell Me Why,” and “Baby Blue.” Saosin was next, playing their first Long Island show with their original singer Anthony Green. Anthony Green is in my opinion one of the best frontmen in rock music. Despite being a father in his 30s, he still showcased his usual charisma by flying around on stage and even going into the crowd towards the end of the set. Although I would’ve loved to have seen the band perform takes from their self titled debut, this in no way meant that Saosin’s performance was poor. On any other night it would’ve been the best part of the show, which is a testament for just how stacked The Taste Of Chaos Tour is.
Motion City Soundtrack was up next, playing their final Long Island show on an off date of their farewell tour. They had previously played a 2-night residency in NYC earlier in the week. Seeing all of the tears in the eyes of people around me made me realize just how much Motion City Soundtrack’s music touched a generation. Hometown heroes Taking Back Sunday took the stage afterwards, playing one of the most solid sets I have ever seen from them. Lead singer Adam Lazzara tends to get a lot of flack for his live performance sometimes, but he was on point throughout their whole set. The absolute highlight of Taking Back Sunday’s set was during their first song however, in which 10,000+ kids screamed back the end refrain of their first song “Cute Without The “E” (Cut From The Team)” completely acapella, almost causing the venue to shake. Finishing up the night was the recently reunited Dashboard Confessional. The band played throughout most of their discography before performing “Hands Down” a rousing finale to a truly special night.
It’s nights like The Taste Of Chaos Tour that make me wish I could go back in time and stop younger self from being so jaded towards the so called emo culture. It’s nights like these that make me wish I was more immersed in this music scene growing up. I truly wonder about how many memories I may have missed out on by jumping on the bandwagon years too late. Even though I wasn’t there for the genre’s peak, I am glad that I am at least still able to experience the genre in a live and social setting and feel like I was always a part.
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