Taste of Chaos 2016 feat. Dashboard Confessional + Taking Back Sunday – GALLERY + REVIEW

We had the awesome chance to check out and photograph a recent date of the Taste of Chaos featuring Dashboard Confessional, Taking Back Sunday, Saosin and The Early November. You can check out our review and photos, after the break.

With the emo revival in full swing, the Taste of Chaos has made a triumphant return after being absent from the North American touring circuit since 2009. For their return, TOC is coming back with a bang, recruiting heavyweights, Dashboard Confessional and Taking Back Sunday, to co-headline the festival tour, with support from Saosin and The Early November. We caught up with the tour as it made its way to the Maine State Pier in the waterfront district of Portland, ME on June 15th.

Things kicked off relatively early at the pier with The Early November taking the stage before several hundred fans at 4:30 and blasting through a killer seven-song set that included more recent tracks Narrow Mouth and I Don’t Care, as well as older fan-favorites like Baby Blue and Frayed Doubt. Their frontman, Ace Enders, was in humorous form, engaging the audience in banter after he mistakenly referred to Portland as Providence (which became a running joke for the rest of their set).

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”260″ gal_title=”The Early November – Taste of Chaos 2016″]

With the crowd now swelled to numbers of more than 1000 and warmed up from The Early November’s set, it was time for Saosin to take the stage. Frontman Anthony Green’s recent return seems to have reinvigorated their fan base, helped along by the release of their latest record, Along The Shadow, in May. The audience went nuts for the band’s eight-song set on this day, especially as the band dug into their discography to play older songs, including: Translating The Name, Seven Years and 3rd Measurement in C. As the band just released a new record, it made sense that much of the rest of the set was comprised of newer material—especially since the album has been so well-received by fans. Anthony Green was phenomenal throughout his performance and much like Enders during the previous set, was full of jokes. Highlights of the set included Green’s two young sons joining the band onstage—clearly having a blast as they ran around and climbed various members of the band—and Green plucking a lucky fan up on stage for the final two songs.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”261″ gal_title=”Saosin – Taste of Chaos 2016″]

For any other bands, Saosin would be a hard act to follow. But, the two co-headliners seemed more than up to the task. Taking Back Sunday were up first, and led by frontman Adam Lazarra, they wasted little time launching straight into hit songs, including: Cute without the ‘E’ (Cut from the Team), Liar (It Takes One to Know One) and Flicker, Fade, right at the start of their set. What ensued was a massive singalong that would carry through into Dashboard Confessional’s set as well. Lazarra was in top form throughout, swinging his microphone as he danced around the stage. The frontman marveled at the scenic location of the venue, which wasn’t lost on those in the audience or those passing by. In fact, as the ferry boats passed in the harbor, the passengers could be seen craning their necks to catch as much of the spectacle from their free vantage point as possible, and several folks were standing atop the boom of their sailboat docked alongside the pier sipping on beers and enjoying a free show. TBS ended their set with the hit track MakeDamnSure.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”262″ gal_title=”Taking Back Sunday – Taste of Chaos 2016″]

Last up was Florida’s Dashboard Confessional and much like with the previous set, they kicked things off with a hit, starting their set off with Vindicated. This track was followed by older tracks, The Sharp Hint of Tears, The Good Fight and Saints and Sailors. After another song, they launched into an acoustic set for three tracks before the full band returned for another three. Things slowed down again for an acoustic version of Heart Beat Here before the band returned once more for three more tracks, including a cover of Coldplay’s Fix You. They closed with an encore of Hands Down that brought down the house, leaving the audience tired, sweaty and satisfied as they filed out of the venue to a picturesque sunset.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”263″ gal_title=”Dashboard Confessional – Taste of Chaos 2016″]

You can catch the Taste of Chaos on one of the remaining dates listed after the photos below!
June 25 – Tampa, FL
June 26 – Tallahassee, FL
June 27 – Baton Rouge, LA
June 29 – Kansas City, MO
June 30 – Oklahoma City, OK
July 1 – Dallas, TX
July 2 – Houston, TX
July 3 – Cedar Park, TX
July 5 – Papillion, NE
July 6 – Morrison, CO
July 7 – Magna, UT
July 8 – Boise, ID
July 9 – Everett, WA
July 10 – Eugene, OR
July 12 – Fresno, CA
July 14 – Phoenix, AZ
July 15 – Las Vegas, NV
July 16 – San Bernardino, CA

Information about this review/gallery:
Tour – Taste of Chaos 2016
Bands – Dashboard Confessional, Taking Back Sunday, Saosin, The Early November
Photographer/Reviewer – Nathan Katsiaficas
Date – June 15, 2016
Venue – Maine State Pier in Portland, ME