After a short but sweet extended weekend out in Leadville, Colorado to crew for a friend at the Leadville 100 mile race, I was ready to be back into my semi-normal routine of running with a midweek show mixed in. This time, I found myself headed back to one of my favorite venues in the Twin Cities, The Armory, for a co-headling evening with Coheed and Cambria and Taking Back Sunday. The last time I was able to catch Coheed and Cambria was a few years ago when they played at the same venue with Taking Back Sunday, and it was neat to be able to catch almost an identical lineup several years later.

The first band up for the night was indie rockers Foxing. The St. Louis based group took the stage promptly at 6:30 to kick off their opening set. Somehow Foxing was a band that was always on the outskirts of my personal rotation, but the band was never able to make it in full time. However, almost immediately as the band started, I knew that would be changing. There was something raw and honest about Foxing’s set, an emotional catharsis pouring out from the stage during every moment. What I love about seeing a band live is being able to form an emotional connection with the performance that draws you back to the band to listen to their music on record after the show, and that is exactly what Foxing did for me. Even though the band verbally recognized that many in the audience may not know who they are or would be there so see their set specifically, they were grateful to be able to be on stage performing for everyone in attendance.

The penultimate band of the evening was the one and only Taking Back Sunday. I have been lucky to catch this group on a number of different occasions as headliners or openers and at festivals, and there is a certain hit of nostalgia that happens every time I’m able to see them live. Although I have admittingly let their more recent releases slip completely off of my radar, only half of their set showcased their newer material, as Taking Back Sunday’s massive sixteen song set sprinkled in a lot of classics from their discography. The band walked out on stage to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now,” before starting with “A Decade Under the Influence” and “What’s it Feel Like to Be A Ghost?” Almost immediately, the nostalgia wave hit me like a ton of bricks, and I found myself completely lost in bliss during their set. One of the highlights for me personally was watching the band play my favorite song of theirs, “My Blue Heaven.” While it has been a couple of years since I’ve been able to catch Taking Back Sunday live, it felt like almost no time at all had passed, with their music being so familiar to a lot of parts of my life.

Finally, it was time for the last band of the night, Coheed and Cambria, to take the stage. While I personally have not been a huge fan of this group, I cannot deny the pure talent this band has or the inspiration this band has had on others that are more in my rotation. Coheed and Cambria is still relatively fresh off the release of their eleventh full length “Vaxis - Act III: The Father of Make Believe,” with the band starting their set with “Goodbye, Sunshine,” the first of several tracks from their new record. From the moment the band took the stage it was clear that a majority in the audience was there for them; most of the crowd was moving and singing along to nearly every word. Coheed and Cambria even brought out a huge inflatable stage prop to liven the production of their set. While the band skewed a little heavier towards their most recent release, they snuck in some hits from prior records, including closing with arguably one of their biggest hits, “Welcome Home.” A nice surprise to their set was a cover of “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers; it was awesome to see Coheed put their twist on this song. There is no denying Coheed continues to dominate, and their set at The Armory proved they are here to stay.