This year, I wanted to reclaim my life. I felt it had been falling by the wayside due to professional commitments, and while I feel those advancements were necessary, I wanted to also take some time to enjoy youth while it’s still there. As a result, I’ve been going to a variety of concerts. From open park jams, to stadiums and arenas. By time the year is over, I think I’ll have went to 15-20 shows, which are rookie numbers for a lot of folks. That being said, I wonder how many will top what I saw this past weekend; Fall Out Boy sounding as good as ever, 20 years after their debut.
I decided to see Fall Out Boy almost on a whim. I know their hits, a few deep cuts, but they weren’t ever the soundtrack to my childhood or teenage adolescence. Songs like ‘Dance Dance’ and ‘Thnks fr th mmrs’ were catchy tunes, and everyone knows ‘Sugar we’re going down swinging’. Still, with all of these bands getting older and older, I decided to make my way out to see them live. It helps that I REALLY enjoyed their last album, “So Much (for) Stardust. I figured they’d play about half their album, and then go into the classics. They did so much more.
First of all, can we talk about how good Patrick Stump sounded 28 shows into the tour? This should was a come-to-Jesus moment that Patrick Stump not only is one of the greatest singers in this genre of pop punk/emo/insert-genre-here-that-they-get-tossed-into, but that the band is killer at creating earworms that are both iconic and get stuck in your head. The bass and drums in ‘Dance Dance’ set off screams throughout the crowd and ‘Uma Thurman’ had everyone singing every word.
From a band prospective, everyone sounded tight. Andy Hurley’s prowess on the drums was nothing short of inspiring and it was incredible hearing some of the fills he was able to place into these songs. Pete Wentz’s showmanship and crowd interactions were great, and really gave Patrick time to move around the stage, swap instruments etc. Joe’s guitar parts stood out in a great way and provided great contrast to the consistent 8th note pulse that Pete and Patrick were laying down. The Magic 8 Ball segment that FOB incorporated was a nice touch. While I was unfamiliar with the song they played, ‘Bob Dylan’, I’m glad fans of that track got to hear it.
After seeing the show, especially after having seen Paramore 3 months prior, I started to question who put on the better show. And what a great question to have. The stage presence Paramore had was great, but the overall vibe of Fall Out Boy and constant barrage of hits was incredible. This, as well as Paramore, reminded me of what a good band sounds like; their instruments. Sweat on a microphone, plastic attacking strings, wood beating drum heads. There just isn’t enough that can be said for how good the band sounded. I’d love to catch them live again!
Memories In Wax 
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