LAS VEGAS, NV | This past weekend Emos from all over the world descended upon Las Vegas for what has become an annual pilgrimage featuring a who’s-who of sad singalong favorites. Not to be missed, of course, are the epic WWWY sideshows featuring festival performers in a much more intimate setting.
One popular option on Friday night was a sold-out performance at the Fountainebleau Resort featuring an absolutely stacked lineup punctuated by a headlining performance by The Used. With the show kicking off early, folks were still waiting in line as Taylor Acorn kicked things off at 6:30PM, but the room quickly filled up by the time emo supergroup L.S. Dunes took the stage for a ripping 30-minute set that had the fans singing along.
From there, Taking Back Sunday picked up the baton and blasted through their “152 Tour” setlist with aplomb, frontman Adam Lazzara making full use of the expansive stage as he whipped his mic around, the rest of the band well-aware to keep their distance or else suffer a likely strike. Rather than using the gig as an opportunity to hone their play-through of Tell All Your Friends planned for the following day, TBS stuck with their “152 Tour” setlist, which featured a healthy dose of the new material.
The crew made quick work of the changeover, revealing a remarkable transformation from the stark TBS set to one of chain link and steel when the skrim finally dropped. This band is truly a force of nature and the energy in the room peaked both onstage and off as the room sang along and crowd surfers poured over the barricade in a steady stream. But when Bert entered the general admission floor during “I Caught Fire,” people completely lost their minds.
All-in-all a pretty great way to kick off the start of a long weekend of music, though it was clear that some folks were going to have a slow start the next day.
TAYLOR ACORN
L.S. DUNES
TAKING BACK SUNDAY
THE USED
