Courtesy of Fall Out Boy / photo by Ashley Osborn
The lyrics “Scream until your lungs give out,” from Fall Out Boy’s “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race,” pretty much summed up the behavior encouraged at the band’s Columbus show.
The crowd at the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion’s outdoor venue represented a significant age gap. There were die-hard fans that grew up with the band: 20-somethings who blasted FOB’s music to get them through middle school and mourned its 2009-early 2013 hiatus as a blow to their childhood. Then there were new middle school-aged, preteen fans who perhaps jumped on the bandwagon a bit later, but were just as antsy as the 20-somethings were at age 12.
Noting the depression their hiatus caused, lead singer Patrick Stump said, “Thanks for waiting a few years,” before launching into “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up),” the lead single from Fall Out Boy’s latest album, “Save Rock and Roll.”
Despite the hiatus, which, based on the looks of the crowd, some fans might be too young to remember starting, the band played and moved together effortlessly. The band treated the audience to the same energy FOB had six years ago when it released “From Under the Cork Tree,” which perhaps marked the band’s breakout into the mainstream.
At the delight of its Columbus fans, the band weaved its classic greatest hits through songs from “Save Rock and Roll.” Songs like “A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More ‘Touch Me,’” “Dance, Dance” and “Where Is Your Boy” had nearly everyone in the arena jumping around, thrashing their heads and fists in the air and screaming along.
These songs speak to the middle school hearts inside of Fall Out Boy’s fans. In an awkward, angst-ridden time, FOB was the voice 12-15 year olds didn’t think they had. The great thing about this band is its ability to continue reaching new fans who relate to younger versions of its original fans.
Alongside “Thnks fr th Mmrs” and “I Don’t Care,” off 2007’s “Infinity on High” and 2008’s “Folie à Deux,” respectively, were “Alone Together,” “Young Volcanoes” and “The Phoenix,” from “Save Rock and Roll.”
One thing that remained consistent throughout the entire set was the energy — from the fans and band alike. In fact, the energy level was so high Stump and bassist Pete Wentz took turns at the mic, encouraging fans in the pit to “Please back the f— up” in order to aid front-row fans who were smashed against the stage.
Along those lines, the band never paused, never slowed down and didn’t disappoint, powering through a nearly one and a half hour set of greatest hits, old and new. The LC was the perfect venue for the show, with enough packed pit space for younger, pushy fans, but also plenty of open grassy space for beer-drinking, 25-year-old nostalgic fans to bond over the good old days.
Through a hiatus and beyond, Fall Out Boy is a band that you can forget about for years, but at a live show still know all the words by heart. Fans will probably never stop thanking FOB for the memories.
