Fall
Out Boy
By
Matthew Wilkinson
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
The formula is simple. Take three of the hottest bands from MTV, get a couple
of hot up-and-coming bands to open, grab some big corporate sponsors, and sell
out arenas nationwide. That is just what the promoters of this spring’s
Black Clouds and Underdogs Tour did. Fall Out Boy, All-American Rejects, and
Hawthorne Heights headlined, with From First to Last and The Hush Sound on opening
duty.
Last Thursday night at the Joint Concert Hall, at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las
Vegas, Nev. is packed to max capacity. From First to Last has just taken the
stage and the walls of the casino are actually shaking. Up in the inner workings
of the venue,
The Hush Sound is relaxing after their set. They are sitting in leather couches
that are strewn against the olive green walls of the dressing room. Hitting every
age from 18 to 21, the members of the band appear just to be kids. Drummer Darren
Wilson is enjoying a bowl of Fruity Pebbles. Fall Out Boy drummer Andy Hurley
is sitting on the couch playing with his T-Mobile Sidekick.
"
We don’t have Sidekicks" said bassist Chris Faller, "We’re
not that cool."
Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz listened to a demo of the Hush Sound on Purevolume.com
and sent them an e-mail. He signed the band to his Decaydance record label (home
of Panic! At The Disco), re-released its self produced album "So Sudden," and
sent the band back into the studio to record a follow-up. They finished up recording
just in time to jump on this tour.
The band is now entering its third week on the tour, and is finally getting accustomed
to playing the arenas.
"
We hadn’t played shows in a long time because (we) had been doing pre-production,
and writing the album, and then actually recording it," said singer/guitarist
Bob Morris. "We weren’t prepared for it in any sense."
The group didn’t show any signs of ill-preparation during its six-song
set. They eased through the first three tracks from "So Sudden" before
breaking out some new stuff. They previewed "Wine Red" and "Sweet
Tangerine" for the crowd before capping off with old track "Momentum."
The members are excited about their new album.
"
It’s much more thought out," Salpeter said.
The Hush Sound’s sophomore release "Like Vines" will hit stores
June 6. When asked about the significance of the title
Morris said the band members
had all gotten inspiration from new places.
The disc was produced by Fall Out Boy singer/guitarist Patrick Stump and Sean
O’Keefe. They will be on tour in the summer with Panic! At The Disco, Dresden
Dolls and OK Go.
From First To Last came on next. They were the black sheep of the tour. Its music,
which Purevolume describes as screamo/post hardcore/punk didn’t exactly
fit in with the sweet poppy sounds of Fall Out Boy and All-American Rejects,
but the crowd didn’t seem to mind. The band hit the stage hard with "Mothersound," the
first track off their not even two-weeks-old sophomore release "Heroine," and
never lost the momentum. The sweat poured from their painted faces as the band
pounded through four more loud tracks.
Lead singer Sonny Moore proved to be one of the hardest guys in music to photograph
as he flailed across the stage during old favorite "Note to Self" demanding
attention from every audience member. Its set also included new single "The
Latest Plague," "The Levy" and old single "Ride the Wings
of Pestilence."
The crowd embraced the break between bands to take a deep breath, but it wasn’t
long before Hawthorne Heights took the stage. The band kicked off with TRL favorite "Saying
Sorry" and then led into "This Is Who We Are," the first track
off their most recent release "If Only You Were Lonely." The disc debuted
at no. 3 overall on the Billboard Charts last month and proved indie bands can
hold their own against the majors. The Ohio-bred quintet’s eight-song set
drew mostly from that release, playing five tracks off the CD. The guys—dressed
completely in white—gave fans a guitar show rocking back and forth in unison
during "Niki FM," and holding their guitars up in the air during "Ohio
is for Lovers." The group had a fun, entertaining set that left you wishing
it was longer.
The All-American Rejects also had an the same eight-song long set. They entered
the stage to the hand-clapping anthem "Night Drive" and kept the energy
level up with "Dirty Little Secret" and "Top of the World," all
from last summer’s release
"Move Along." The band proved to be the best live band of the night.
Smiles are contagious and singer/guitarist Tyson Ritter had a big cheesy one
through most of the set. The Stillwater, Okla., foursome
doesn’t take themselves too seriously, they have fun.
Not at one point during Fall Out Boy’s 70-minute set did it seem like the
band was enjoying itself like their predecessors.
Bassist, and now pop icon, Pete Wentz has completely taken over its live show.
He speaks almost in between every song and most of the time it’s some cheesy
introduction to the song they’re about to play. Watching the band’s
set can make you start to feel a little animosity toward him. He exudes a cocky,
too-cool-for-everybody attitude as he struts around the stage, but it’s
hard to blame him when 1,500 teenage girls scream at just a glimpse in their
direction. It was enough to give flashbacks to the boy band era.
Singer/guitarist Patrick Stump does a good job of taking attention off Wentz.
His extremely strong voice and his catchy guitar riffs are a welcomed distraction.
He delivered strongly during the 19-song set, leading fans in sing-alongs of
both old and new tracks. The whole time the band was on stage video projected
on the big screens synchronizing with the music. Footage of them playing shows,
music videos and random clips of the band messing around ran during the span
of the show.
While this new Fall Out Boy just seems to take its too seriously, when the end
of its set comes around and "Dance, Dance" fills the air and you see
2,000 people shaking what they got throughout the venue, you can’t help
but smile. While the show may feel empty to older fans, new ones appeared to
be having the time of their life.
At the end of the night, the "Black Clouds and Underdogs Tour" is a
fun and entertaining show. There isn’t a weak link among the acts. If you
do decide to go, go early. The best acts on the tour play at the beginning.
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