Fall Out Boy - Chicago, IL

I first saw Fall Out Boy nearly three years ago at the Metro. At the time, I was not a fan, and honestly did not pay much attention to the songs. But the audience reaction was unlike any I had seen for a small scene band; even then, the audience was in love with them. Like many small shows in the scene, the average age was typically in the mid-teens, with a fairly even mix of males and females.

Fast-forward to May 15th, 2006. Fall Out Boy has become a worldwide sensation, now packing arenas with several times the capacity of our beloved Metro. On the last date of the "Black Clouds and Underdogs" tour, the band hit Chicago's UIC Pavilion for the second time in a month. With four opening bands and a sold-out hometown crowd, Fall Out Boy aimed to make it a memorable show -- their last in the U.S. before beginning work on their third full-length album. As their popularity has grown, so has their fan base, albeit in a different direction.

Cue the thousands of screaming, thirteen-year-old girls.

The show began with two Chicago-based bands on Decaydance Records, the vanity label of Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz. First up was October Fall, whose distinctly average piano-pop album A Season in Hell was released earlier this year. They seemed to rock a bit harder during the live show, which actually worked to their disadvantage, setting them up as yet another unremarkable band to emerge from the scene. Next was The Hush Sound, who craft diverse (but catchy) indie-pop gems. Many songs from their 2005 debut So Sudden seem out of place in the arena setting, but the new tracks from Like Vines (due June 6th) were more upbeat and fleshed out, sounding almost like an indie version of Maroon 5.

During The Hush Sound's set, Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy came out to provide backup vocals on a new song, setting the tone for collaborative efforts for the evening. Each subsequent performance featured one or more members from another band. The third band to perform was From First to Last, who seemed out-of-place on the tour. My notes from their set include the comment, "shitty, indiscernible emo-core." That really says it all, as each song sounded the same as the one that preceded it.

Still, their set had several amusing moments:

1. A homemade banner was draped over their official one, saying "From Worst to Last - We <3 Unicorns, We <3 Shitty Rainbows (With Love, Fall Out Boy)."
2. Sonny tried to get the audience to sing one of his lyrics, and was greeted with near-silence from the large crowd. Hilarious.
3. Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump came out during the set; Pete tackled one of the band members to the ground, then pushed over one of their amps.

Only spectacle could save their set, and it was entirely the work of Fall Out Boy and the crowd. Much more successful were the All-American Rejects, who likely had the best set of any of the bands. Not only were they technically proficient, but they were able to work up the crowd with beach balls, toilet paper, and the image of Chuck Norris on the head of the bass drum. The Rejects had a kiddy pool set up on stage, with various half-naked men rocking out during the set (most notably Pete Wentz; cue those screaming girls). I last saw the band just before the release of their first album, and was drawn in by their high-energy performance. Even though the stage and gags are much bigger, I am happy to report that the energy remains.

It is usually a bad sign when a band is known for playing poorly. Fall Out Boy is such a band; YouTube one of their live performances and prepare to be let down. Missed vocals, sloppy instrumentation, emphasized theatrics...not a thing of beauty. In fact, I only attended the show because I got a half-price ticket from a friend. I typically avoid the corporate-sponsored, arena tours (obnoxious Amp'd Mobile and MTV2 commercials ran between sets), especially when overpriced and featuring a band notorious for not playing well.

Still, the band puts on a good show. Video screens assisted the performance, with visual representations of song lyrics, as well as an amusing introduction that spoofed Wentz's recently-leaked nude photos. Fall Out Boy played a slew of songs, focusing mostly on material off of 2005's From Under the Cork Tree, as well as an unexpectedly large selection of tracks from 2003's Take This to Your Grave. The band even played a song from their Evening out with Your Girlfriend EP, which most casual fans have likely not heard.

As expected, the instrumentation took a hit in favor of theatrical jumping and the like, but Stump's vocals seemed fine. Guests included William Beckett from The Academy Is..., as well as Sonny of From First to Last and Pat of October Fall. When the band's initial set concluded, their friend "Dirty" came out and was tossed onto three tables, stacked on top of each other. This "Jackass"-inspired entertainment seemed to be the theme of the evening, and the crowd lapped it up. Fall Out Boy re-emerged for a four-song encore, the last of which saw the release of hundreds of balloons and a storm of confetti.

Those looking for instrumental prowess likely left the show disappointed, but as I saw it, the concert was pure entertainment. For Fall Out Boy, it was a celebration of their huge year, as well as one last chance to party with the hometown crowd before moving onto the next stage of their career.