EVENT REVIEWS

Fall Out Boy

Chicago rock quartet Fall Out Boy has never been known to be a band to get on a soapbox and preach about political issues.

However, the opening segment of the band’s 90-minute headlining set that night at The Las Vegas contained footage of riots, two policemen in riot gear onstage as the group,
And while lead singer Patrick Stump wore a Newt Gingrich-like wig to drive that point home, the performance of the initial numbers came across much like the collars of the white business shirts they donned: stiff.

The foursome - Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, drummer Andrew Hurley and guitarist Joe Trohman - are currently touring behind last year’s Folie A Deux album. But following the set-starting Disloyal Order Of Water Buffaloes, Fall Out Boy doled out staples such as Thriller, A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More “Touch Me” and the catchy, hook-riddled Sugar We’re Going Down with a rather businesslike demeanour.

“Welcome to the corporate rock set of the evening,” Wentz joked early on before the band left the stage, resulting in more footage of AIG, Bernie Madoff and the whole corporate bailout fiasco.

Fortunately once the suits were gone, the band appeared to loosen up with the gear-changing This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race off 2007’s Infinity On High album as the crowd hopped and hollered the lyrics back at Stump and company.

As the bare-chested Hurley resembled Animal from The Muppets throughout with his manic pounding of his kit and bushy hair, Wentz went into his trademark spins during I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me. However it was the newer material which came off better than anticipated at times, especially the swinging, ‘70s rock-tinged I Don’t Care, (Coffee For Closers) and Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet.

The band, who are headlining their current five-band tour called Believers Never Die Part Deux (which has had 50 Cent appearing on some dates), also made a point of bringing out members of All Time Low and Hey Monday to make brief cameos on some tunes.

For the most part though, fans generally loved the new tunes and the older material while some stood and stared on, perhaps believing now that a band like Fall Out Boy is just so, well, 2007.