Girl at the Rock Shows

Saturday was not a good day for me. I had some personal things happening, and had family in town, so I felt like I couldn’t address those things the way I needed to. I stuffed it all down, like I typically do, and just counted down the hours until I was going to be in a safe space to let it all out. My safe space on Saturday night was at the Mystic Lake Casino & Hotel showroom. I know that sounds like a weird safe space, but when you have music that has helped you through some of the hardest times in your life, wherever that music is turns into your ultimate safe space, and that music was at the Mystic Lake Casino & Hotel showroom.

There were two bands on the bill on Saturday night. Both bands mean the world to me, but the first to play is “my” band. Bayside has been my side since way back in the early 2000s. I don’t remember how I got my hands on their debut album ‘Sirens and Condolences’ back in 2004, but I know that it changed my life to the point where I now wear this band’s logo proudly on my leg. Bayside has come a long way since that 2004 album. They have continued to put out eight more amazing albums, each one a bit more refined than the last. They have been through drama, tragedy, and amazing successes. Honestly, their journey as a band has been one heck of a rollercoaster, and I feel like it has kind of mirrored my life in a way. I know this could be said about a million bands, as every band, like every life, has its highs and lows, but there’s something different about Bayside.

Their words have just always spoken to me, and on Saturday night, they were speaking louder than they ever had, given the things I was dealing with in my personal life. I got to hear a little bit of everything from the acoustic-based “Don’t Call Me Peanut,” which left me with tears streaming down my face, to the more angsty anthem that was quick to follow, “Go to Hell.” Had the lights not been so dark, I’m sure someone would have called for help as I seemed to be moving through a whole rainbow of emotions, each one a bit more dramatic than the rest. Typically, I wouldn’t let myself do this. Typically, I take concerts for what they are- a concert- and although I’ll constantly be finding the words to describe what I’m feeling, I don’t actually let those feelings show. Not on Saturday. I needed this. I needed the catharsis that this band has been bringing me for decades, and needed to just let it all out. So I did.

I could tell you what Bayside played track by track. I could tell you how I hated that I was seeing them at a seated show because this is a band that should be enjoyed from a sweaty and emotional mosh pit, but how the seated setting was just what my soul needed because I was able to melt into my seat, much like the music was melting into my soul. I could and should tell you a lot more about their set on Saturday night, but this was one of those sets that was for me in a way, and I don’t have the right words to describe it fully. Or maybe I do. Maybe I do have the words, and I’m just selfishly holding them back from you. Either way, Bayside knocked it out of the park on Saturday night in every single way for me.

Following Bayside and closing out the night was another trip down nostalgia lane while giving me an insane amount of catharsis – Taking Back Sunday. This is another band that means everything to me and has helped me through a lot of eras in my life. Although their power on me may not be as tattoo-worthy as Bayside’s, there’s still no denying that I needed to hear, see, and feel this band on Saturday night. This was my thirteenth time seeing this band live, but it never gets old. They constantly give you a perfect mix of old and new in their set list, with Saturday night being no exception. From classic hits like “Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut From the Team)” to new bangers like “Amphetamine Smiles,” I love how this band always knows just how to curate the perfect setlist. Slow and somber songs mixed with teen-angst-fueled emo anthems, like Bayside, Taking Back Sunday’s set was a rollercoaster ride of emotions that lasted a marathon-level twenty-two songs.

Although Taking Back Sunday means a lot to me and they are a band that I never skip out on a chance to see live, my experience with them live as of late has been a bit rocky. I’m not the only one. I hate to say it, but over the past couple of years, I’ve seen more complaints than compliments when it comes to their performances. I’ve seen it and heard it with my own eyes and ears. There was one show in particular where the band just felt off. Nothing about the show was good when I saw them in June of 2024. I wrote about how that was going to be my last time seeing them live because they had left me so disappointed. That was a lie, and I’ve gone on to see them a few more times since then. I couldn’t tell you why. With so much live music out there, why was I giving this one particular band chance after chance? I wish I could tell you, but I follow my heart with everything I do, and my heart kept on leading me back to this band. Since that terrible night in 2024, I’ve seen Taking Back Sunday a few more times, and I feel like it’s kind of like a teeter-totter. When I saw them at Riot Fest, they nailed it. Saturday night is still up for debate.

The band overall felt great, but something about vocalist Adam Lazarra’s performance felt a bit tired. Truthfully, if he was just straight-up tired, I don’t blame him. This band grinds. Whether it’s releasing music or the way they seem to be constantly touring and playing some of the biggest festivals across the world, this band never stops, and you would have to be a machine, not a human, to be able to do that and not have an off night once in a while. On the other hand, it almost felt like something more than that. This was one of those Taking Back Sunday shows where it felt like he wasn’t just tired, but like he was just going through the motions and had lost the spark that makes this band such an iconic act for a whole generation. Don’t get me wrong, there were certain moments where you got a flicker of that spark, like when he was talking about his love for Minnesota and when playing songs like “Flicker, Fade” that clearly mean a lot to him, much like how they mean a lot to the majority of the audience, but overall, I was just a bit disappointed by the overall performance. I’m not going to pretend like I’m giving up on Taking Back Sunday. I’ve tried that before and failed, but I am going to continue to proceed with caution.

My personal life was in shambles when Saturday night rolled around, and I was lost, looking for direction. I had turned to a friend earlier in the day, and I appreciated her words, thoughts, and support so much, but I needed more. I needed to hear words of guidance, support, and love from bands that have seen me through thick and thin before. They always got me on the right path in the past, so I put my heart and soul in their hands on Saturday night for the umpteenth time. They gave me the direction I was looking for. Time will tell if it was the right direction or not.

Line Up:

Bayside

Taking Back Sunday

Venue: Mystic Lake Casino & Hotel Showroom

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 39

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 0 out of 10 (this is by default as it was a seated show)

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0

Broken Bones- None

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Bayside – 9

Taking Back Sunday – 12

Show on Deck – Flycatcher / Spanish Love Songs / Armor for Sleep

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