
Ever thought you’d see the day when Chicago-based Fall Out Boy would sell out, let alone have a line circling a venue? Well, that’s what happened at the Miami stop of the “Save Rock and Roll” tour.
The Fillmore is not exactly a small venue, but in less than 8 hours, the box office had officially ruled the tour stop, sold out. The line outside the venue that started to form at eight in the morning showed proof of just how much the fans missed the foursome.
The show started out with Fall Out Boy’s opening act, New Politics taking the stage and proving why they got the gig. The Denmark-based band, made a splash with fans easily shifting from hard-hitting rock songs to pop-punk songs that could easily fit into the genre that Fall Out Boy helped mold.
Frontman David Boyd, was what every frontman should hope to be with the energy that not once wavered as he did cartwheels, handstands, some break dancing and even clapping with his feet. His energy as well as the energy from the other two members, would explain why FOB frontman, Patrick Stump told the audience his cousin was more excited to see New Politics than FOB.
Once their set had finished, the stage went dark and the lights went up, giving fans time to prepare themselves for the show that would be starting after the set change.
It was a little past nine when the banging of the drums started and the silhouettes of the band could be seen behind sheer curtains. The noise of the fans cheering become united once the sheer curtains dropped, minus one that decided to stay lingering as the band into 2007’s “Thriller.”
Dressed in matching attire, minus drummer Andy Hurley who apparently missed the memo, they launched into a setlist that brought together songs from all of their albums. The hour and a half show featured songs from each one of their albums giving old fans some nostalgic moments and new ones to be introduced to those songs.
The set included songs from Take This to Your Grave such as “Grand Theft Autumn (Where is Your Boy)” and “Tell That Mick He Just Made My List of Things to Do Today” as well as selected songs from From Under the Corktree including “Dance, Dance,” “A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More Touch Me” and the song that launched them to top 40 success, “Sugar, We’re Going Down.”
“Hum Hallelujah” and “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” joined show opener, “Thriller” from Infinity on High while “I Don’t Care” and “Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes” from pre-hiatus album, Folie à Deux made an appearance as well.
After taking a few seconds to collect themselves, they returned for their encore but first they sang bassist, Pete Wentz, happy birthday with the help of the sold out venue. The band presented the bassist with a cake and a $25 gift card to Starbucks which made him so excited, he ran clear across stage to give guitarist, Joe Trohman who had the card, a big, manly hug.
The encore included three songs, starting with a visually beautiful performance of “Save Rock and Roll” which paid tribute to some of rock’s late stars as well as current ones. Closing out the show were “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs” and “Saturday” which signaled the end of Fall Out Boy’s comeback.
While the show was great there was some disappointment which came in the form of Wentz. The charismatic stage persona he was known for was no longer there. The energy that he used to portray like a five-year-old on Sour Patches and Red Bull was all gone as well as the bass flips, jumps and dangerous antics. One thing that really changed and maybe for the best during the break was Stump’s ability to articulate. Long gone are the days of “watching Youtube from the closet.”
So when anyone asks if the break is officially over, the answer is “yes, the break is definitely over.”
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