Taking Back Sunday Make Damn Sure Everyone Has a Good Time at Manchester O2 Ritz [Photos]

Announced back in November 2023, the arrival of this short run of dates from American post-hardcore quartet Taking Back Sunday has a been a longtime coming. Unsurprisingly, all three dates (Manchester plus Cardiff and London) sold-out well in advance as the band returned to the UK in support of their latest album, 152.

Joining the band on this trek of dates around the UK are Nottingham alt-rock troop GIRLBAND! who were recently traversing the motorways of the UK supporting Brit rock faves Feeder (check out our photos from that show here). Clearly the band are making good on their promise to make 2024 a massive year as, by late March, they’ve probably dropped in on most of the live venues across the country.

It’s been an age since Taking Back Sunday have graced the UK with their presence and, with a catalogue as strong as they have, fans would be right in expecting a decent mix of old favourites and new album tracks.

You can see the full twenty-song setlist below in all it’s glory with 152represented in the form of over half of the track-listing jammed into their setlist including “S’old” which kicked off the band’s impressive set list. Elsewhere the band pulled together a career-spanning set reaching as far back as their 2002 debut plucking out fan-pleasing cuts like “Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut From The Team)” and “Timberwolves at New Jersey”.

From more recent times, the band dusted off “Flicker, Fade” from 2014’s Happiness Is disc and the title track and “You Can’t Look Back” from their 2018 effort Tidal Wave. Of course, there is only one way to wrap up a TBS set and that is with an anthemic “MakeDamnSure” which puts the perfect full stop on a night with Adam Lazarra and his bandmates.

We sent our photographer Maryleen Photography along to the opening night to bring back this fantastic gallery of photos.

Here’s their set list as well:

Set List:

1. S’old
2. Set Phasers to Stun
3. What’s It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?
4. A Decade Under the Influence
5. Amphetamine Smiles
6. Error: Operator
7. The One
8. Liar (It Takes One to Know One)
9. Lightbringer
10. You’re So Last Summer
11. Tidal Wave
12. My Blue Heaven
13. Quit Trying
14. Timberwolves at New Jersey
15. You Can’t Look Back
16. Keep Going
17. Flicker, Fade
18. Cute Without the ’E’ (Cut From the Team)
19. End of the Road (Boyz II Men cover)
20. MakeDamnSure

Taking Back Sunday (w/ Girlband!) @ O2 Ritz (Manchester, UK) on March 26th, 2024

40 photos