Back in March, progressive metal legends Coheed and Cambria released their album The Father of Make Believe, the newest addition to their expansive discography. To celebrate, Coheed and Cambria and 2000s alternative rock icons Taking Back Sunday joined forces to embark on an extensive co-headlining tour, hitting amphitheaters and other massive outdoor stages across North America. On August 27, Coheed and Cambria and Taking Back Sunday visited Philadelphia’s Skyline Stage, an open-air venue at the historic Mann Center. As both headliners performed 16-song sets full of new fan-favorites and classic hits, the fans knew that they were in for a night they would never forget.
At 6:30, emo rock band Foxing kicked off the night. They opened with ”Secret History”, the first track of their latest self-titled album Foxing. The song made for a perfect intro, sounding very quiet and slow at first until the beat drops and becomes a post-hardcore headbanger. Right from the start, the crowd already was immersed in the set, cheering and jumping along to the music. Lead vocalist Conor Murphy’s versatile vocals complimented guitarist Eric Hudson’s powerful screams as the band delivered a genre-bending performance infused with emo, math rock, and hardcore elements. After the first few songs, Eric Hudson mentioned that Philly is one of the band’s favorite places to play, calling it “their home away from home”. The fans immediately started an Eagles chant, to which he replied “Yes, go birds!”. During the whole performance, the band’s energy was palpable, inspiring even new fans to sing and jump along to the music as if they were longtime fans of Foxing.
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At about 7:20, the stage lights dimmed, signaling the first headliner of the night, Taking Back Sunday. A video played on the stage’s screen, showing various clips of Taking Back Sunday throughout the years as Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” blared through the speakers. As soon as the compilation ended, the band walked on stage as cheers roared throughout the venue. They opened with their 2004 hit “A Decade Under The Influence”, and the crowd was already bursting with enthusiasm. Lead vocalist Adam Lazzara’s powerful vocals captivated the audience, as well as his unwavering energy as he constantly danced across the stage. Guitarist and vocalist Fred Mascherino performed intricate solos and spirited riffs, while bassist Shaun Cooper provided upbeat basslines. To tie the performance together, touring guitarist Nathan Cogan and touring drummer Mitchell Register delivered fiery rhythms that kept the audience bouncing off their feet.
The band played several hits, such as “What’s It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?” from their 2006 album Louder Now, along with a few newer tracks such as “S’Old” from their 2023 album 152. As the crowd sang and danced along, this night solidified Taking Back Sunday’s stance as one of the biggest legends of emo rock as they performed the electric, genre-bending tracks that shaped the emo and alternative rock genres. As the set continued, the crowd only got more chaotic, as several crowdsurfers made their way up to the front while the rest of the audience was still tossing around the balloons that mysteriously appeared when the set began. Halfway through the set, Adam Lazzara mentioned that Philly is one of their favorite places to play, and that Foxing told them that the Philly crowd was the best crowd of the whole tour. With the obvious amount of energy within the audience that night, that statement is easily believable. Lazzara also thanked the fans for their support throughout the years, mentioning that he’s one of the luckiest people anyone could meet because of them. The band then slowed things down a bit and went into the acoustic song “Amphetamine Smiles”, then picked things back up again with “You’re So Last Summer” from their debut, breakthrough album Tell All Your Friends.
Taking Back Sunday saved their biggest hits for last, much to the excitement of the fans. Once the band started playing their 2002 hit “Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut From The Team)”, the voices of the crowd boomed throughout the venue as they sang along to every note. To conclude the set, they performed their 2006 track “MakeDamnSure”, which is widely considered one of the quintessential songs of the emo rock genre. Multiple crowdsurfers started making their way through the field, ending Taking Back Sunday’s explosive set on a high note. With the spectacular performance from the band and the highly energetic crowd, Taking Back Sunday not only proved that they are one of the most important pioneers of alternative rock, but also that they remain influential on rock fans everywhere.
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At 9pm, the lights dimmed for the final time that night as the venue filled with cheers, awaiting Coheed and Cambria. The opening track of The Father of Make Believe, “Yesterday’s Lost”, began playing on tape, steadily building anticipation. Once the tape ended, the band made their way onto the stage and began playing the subsequent track on the latest album “Goodbye, Sunshine” as the fans burst with excitement. Vocalist and guitarist Claudio Sanchez delivered versatile vocals, while guitarist Travis Stever performed thunderous riffs that kept the crowd headbanging, and bassist Zach Cooper and drummer Josh Eppard provided dynamic rhythms. Additionally, as a band that makes almost exclusively concept albums based on the original sci-fi story The Armory Wars written by Claudio Sanchez, they had to include a little bit of sci-fi spectacle to their stage design. Right before they played the track “Blind Side Sonny” from the new album, a giant inflatable armored creature appeared on the back of the stage, representing a character from The Armory Wars who shares the same name as the song. Towering over the stage, the audience was captivated by the giant “Blind Side Sonny”, whose goggles even lit up with various different symbols, like hearts or dollar signs, depending on the songs being performed.
Early on in the set, multiple crowdsurfers started soaring through the venue, and this would only increase throughout the night. Along with tracks from the new album, the band played many old fan-favorites as well, some even dating back to the beginning of their discography, such as “Everything Evil” from their 2001 debut album The Second Stage Turbine Blade. Even as the band went back into newer tracks, such as “Searching for Tomorrow” and “The Continuum II: The Flood”, the crowd never slowed down for a second, constantly jumping, headbanging, and crowdsurfing. Soon after, Sanchez mentioned that they were about to play a song that everyone there most likely knows; they then went into their 2003 hit “A Favor House Atlantic”, and the intensity within the crowd immediately skyrocketed. Multiple crowdsurfers at once were heading up to the front as moshing ensued in the middle, while the rest of the fans loudly sang along. The crowd’s enthusiasm remained high as the band played “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3” as well, continuing to sing along and crowdsurf, until the band left the stage for a brief intermission.
As fans continued cheering for more songs, Coheed and Cambria returned to the stage for the encore, and began playing two songs from the new album: the acoustic “Corner My Confidence”, and “The Continuum III: Tethered Together”. After those two songs, Sanchez mentioned that they were about to perform something a bit different. They then went into a cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside”, one of the most iconic 2000s rock songs, as the audience boomed with cheers. One of the best covers to end a set with due to its widespread popularity, the fans sang along to every lyric until the last note. To conclude the set, the band performed their biggest hit “Welcome Home”, and the fans’ energy never wavered for a second as constant crowdsurfing and moshing continued until the very end. After a night full of captivating performances from both Coheed and Cambria and Taking Back Sunday, the fans walked away with an unforgettable memory of this evening at the Skyline Stage.
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