Review by Molly Segers. Photos by Ken Lackner.
Every show has a spark of feeling like you’re experiencing something special that the world is missing out on. This was especially true of Fall Out Boy’s show at The Tabernacle Sunday, June 2. Tickets sold out in just a few hours and thanks to the paperless ticketing they weren’t showing up on Stub Hub. The fans that managed to get tickets were not only dedicated, some camped out over night to ensure a good spot, but they were all too happy to show off their dedication with homemade tee shirts (no fear of being “that guy”) and face paint. Not bad for a band that was concerned no one would care about their reunion.
The enthusiasm of the crowd who’d been waiting 4 years for a reunion they never thought would happen did get a bit out of hand. Fall Out Boy stopped their set 3 times for security to help injured fans out of the melee. Each time they would ask the whole crowd to take a step back, which they did, but it never lasted more than a few seconds. Security zigzagged the crowd with bottles of water, dropping a bit into each person’s mouth mama bird style.
As if the false starts from having to stop mid song weren’t enough of a handicap, the concern for their fans seemed to really hold them back and break their stride for the first part of the set. The risers on either side of the stage went largely unused and everyone remained pretty stationary on the stage, as if they didn’t fully give themselves permission to enjoy it, perhaps out of fear of crossing the line into “and Nero played a fiddle” territory. The awkwardness extended to the pauses between songs, which seemed haphazard and disjointed. The lights would come up and they seemed to be surveying the crowd for new injuries.
The crowd and band did find their stasis about five or six songs into the 16 song/90 minute set which was dominated by cuts from new album, Save Rock and Roll, such as “Alone Together” and “The Phoenix,” with a sampling of hits like “I Don’t Care,” “Dance, Dance,” and “Sugar We’re Going Down”. They did throw in a few older album cuts, like “Hum Hallelujah,” to keep things interesting.
After final song in the regular “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark” they left the stage without comment, though it was obviously for the encore. Not content with the typical cheers or chants of “Fall Out Boy,” the crowd broke into the chorus of “Save Rock and Roll,” singing “Oh-no we won’t go/Cause we don’t know when to quit, oh-no” to coax the band back to the stage. This was highly appropriate as the first song they encored was in fact “Save Rock and Roll” with Patrick on piano and doing his best Elton John impression on the verses performed by the icon on their record. After “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs” they closed out with “Saturday,” a track from their first record.
If you missed this show Fall Out Boy will be back in Atlanta with Panic at the Disco on September 28 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park.
Fall Out Boy
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