[REMINDER] Catch Taking Back Sunday w/ Red City Radio | Oct. 16 & 17 @ Marathon Music Works

While they’ve been no strangers to Music City in recent years, it’s always exciting when beloved, trailblazing alt/emo rockers Taking Back Sunday come to town, particularly since they’ve been so deliberate in recent years to alternate between nostalgic, anniversary, and fan-service geared tours, and more traditional runs in celebration of new work. For their latest stop in Nashville, a pair of dates at Marathon Music Works this Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 16 & 17, the band are definitely doing more of the former, honoring their 20th anniversary by playing their classic debut Tell All Your Friends in full each night, as well as either sophomore effort Where You Want to Be or breakout third album Louder Now (the exact night for each to be determined at random), plus some other favorites. Obviously, this is an exciting prospect for any longtime TBS fan (and a perfect way for newcomers to see the band play some of the most essential work), and tickets for each night, which include support from Oklahoma punks Red City Radio, are still available right here (10/16) and here (10/17). Read on for more about the shows!

TAKING BACK SUNDAY

It’s hard to believe that bands made famous by the ’00s emo scene are hitting the two-decade mark, but that’s exactly the case this year for seminal Long Island outfit Taking Back Sunday, who formed in 1999 and quickly became an underground fixture, before breaking out with cult favorite debut LP Tell All Your Friends in 2002, then finding major label, mainstream success throughout the decade. Notoriously plagued by drama in their earlier days, TBS notably had a series of personnel changes for the first half of their career, but since the return of original guitarist John Nolan and bassist Shaun Cooper in 2010, the band’s “classic” lineup have remained remarkably stable (save for the exit of founding guitarist Eddie Reyes last year), and have now been together much longer than they were ever apart, producing a series of cool, genre-pushing new efforts, most recently 2016’s Tidal Wave. The group have also become increasingly sentimental in recent years, finding a balance of pushing forward with new music while still making time for album anniversary tours and fan service, and this fall’s 20th anniversary run, first announced last year and extended with another huge leg of North American dates, seems to continue that trend. Every single night, the band will perform Tell All Your Friends in full, plus an extra long set of favorites. And for the many cities with two shows scheduled, which includes their return to Nashville, TBS will play TAYF AND either 2004’s Where You Want to Be or 2006’s Louder Now (the corresponding nights decided by coin toss, which seemingly won’t be determined until the show itself), plus additional favorites, making for one extra large set. Undoubtedly one of the most iconic bands of the modern pop punk and emo scene, a chance to see the group play any of their fan-favorite early work is a must-see, and certainly feels like a perfect way to celebrate their two-decade legacy!

RED CITY RADIO

Formed in the mid-’00s in Oklahoma City, scrappy punk outfit Red City Radio might not have the household name cache of the evening’s headliners, but have long been a dependable staple of the underground scene. Since breaking out with their 2011 full-length debut, The Dangers of Standing Still, and perfecting their resonant, heartland and alt rock infused punk style over two more LPs and several EPs (most recently last year’s SkyTigers), the band have attracted a cult following, praised for their great live show, forged across countless dates around the globe, sharing the stage with acts like New Found Glory, Strung Out, Less Than Jake, Anti-Flag, The Lawrence Arms, and more. If you’re a Taking Back Sunday fan (particularly of their more recent, more alternative leaning work), you’re sure to dig Red City Radio as well, so we strongly encourage you to be punctual for this one!

Taking Back Sunday and Red City Radio will perform Wednesday, Oct. 16 and Thursday, Oct. 17 at Marathon Music Works. The shows are all ages, begin at 8 p.m. (doors at 6:30 p.m.), and tickets are available to purchase for 29.50-154.50 here (10/16) and here (10/17).