March 28. Two of the three covers Fall Out Boy chose for their Pittsburgh show couldn't have been more appropriate.
Late in their set Wednesday night at PPG Paints Arena, the emo titans channeled Queen's stadium rock energy with “Don't Stop Me Now,” then Blur's “Song 2,” one of the most popular sports anthems improbable.
With their So Much for (2our) Dust stop here, Fall Out Boy delivered a full-on, celebratory arena rock show. The show included a professional light show, perfectly timed fireworks and pyro. Even bassist Pete Wentz got in on the act, with flames shooting out of the tip of his guitar on several songs.
And let's not forget the man dressed in a rabbit costume and another dressed in a snail costume… or the bubble machine and the fake snow… or the huge inflatable dog head, whose mouth is 'opened to seemingly sing along to the choruses.
It was a spectacle, in a good way, with performance-enhancing special effects, that had the majority of the crowd on their feet from the moment a recorded version of their updated version of “We Didn't Start the Fire ” by Billy Joel began. playing. Whether it was clapping for “Uma Thurman,” screaming “whoa oh oh” in “Bang the Doldrums” or turning their phone lights pink for “Fake Out,” the crowd was definitely invested All night long.
The show covered Fall Out Boy's career, with two songs from their 2003 debut album, “Take This to Your Grave,” through five songs from last year's “So Much (for) Stardust.”
Many arena tours don't change from night to night, so it was refreshing to see Fall Out Boy shake it up repeatedly during the last few shows. Before the encore's huge hits, they had a slot for a Magic 8 Ball moment that required an old B-side, so they played a punky “The Music or the Misery”, which they haven't played live since 2006 .
And for the first time, singer Patrick Stump released a piano cover of Punchline's “Heart Transplant,” honoring the Pittsburgh band with whom they shared many stages. “We played Club Laga with them a million times,” said Stump, who was bravely battling a cold. (That wasn't Pittsburgh's only nod, as Wentz referenced Mario Lemieux twice.)
But it was the hits and their big choruses that resonated the most. “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” came third on the night, with an electric “Dance, Dance” coming in near the end. Wentz had done a disappearing/magic trick at the end of “Baby Annihilation” and appeared on a platform in the middle of the audience for this one.
The last four songs they didn't try to fake “encore” on began with “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)”, which did just that, complete with pyro, explosions and more flames from Wentz's bass. “Thank you to Madame,” with more fireworks and lots of hands clapping, preceded “Centuries,” arguably their greatest. And then they closed with 2003's “Saturday,” their long-running finale as a nod to their past.
Fall Out Boy may be one of emo's big three now, but their direct support act for Jimmy Eat World is one of the genre's biggest influences. “We wouldn’t be the band we are without a band called Jimmy Eat World,” Wentz would say later that night.
With golden hooks, Jimmy Eat World delivered a satisfying performance of new and old tracks.
On the newer side, singer/guitarist Jim Adkins described his self-released 2022 “Something Loud” as “a song about finding yourself in rock and roll.”
Other highlights include a soulful “Hear You Me,” featuring Adkins on acoustic guitar, followed by the hard-hitting “Pain.” Of course, songs from 2001's “Bleed American,” like “Sweetness,” received the strongest reaction, with closing track “The Middle” bringing the audience to their feet.
——
Related
Pittsburgh Music Scene: Avenged Sevenfold, KK's Priest, reviews by JP Saxe; Merce Lemon's new single; Documentary Indigo Girls
Bayside singer Anthony Raneri on the punk band's new album, its unusual release cycle and songwriting styles
Pittsburgh Area Concert Schedule 2024
——
Hot Mulligan, which sold out the Roxian Theater in November, delivered 30 minutes of harder post-emo as the Michigan band's star continues to rise.
With song titles like “Drink Milk and Run,” “Shouldn't Have a Leg Hole but I Do” and “John 'The Rock' Cena, Can You Smell What the Undertaker,” Hot Mulligan didn't seem too concerned. take it upon himself. seriously, but the music hit hard when singer Nathan Sanville banged his head and whipped his hair.
“We write songs, and I scream, and that’s kind of the whole point,” Sanville joked. “If you don't like it, (expletive). If you do, stick around.”
Los Angeles-based, New Jersey-born CARR opened the show, dropping an impressive amount of profanity in her 20-minute set, which included the live debut of her latest single, “Hot Dads.”
Mike Palm is a TribLive digital producer who also writes music reviews and features. A Westmoreland County native, he joined the Trib in 2001, where he spent years on the sports writing desk, including as night sports editor. He has been part of the multimedia team since 2013. He can be reached at [email protected].
(c) 2024 The Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pa.)
Visit The Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pa.) at www.triblive.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
