Just ahead of a big homecoming show in Chicago, Fall Out Boy delivered fan faves and more at Van Andel Arena on Thursday with child-like vigor, pyrotechnics and dizzying lights. Review, photos.
In a fiery pop-punk spectacle, Fall Out Boy proved Thursday it can still inspire “Mania” from an all-ages throng.
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The near-capacity audience at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena cheered on the Chicago-based band as it burned through songs new and old amid robust LED projections, rising platforms and a dizzying light display.
Singer-guitarist Patrick Stump moved and sang with child-like vigor, and led fans through singalongs of the band’s biggest hits, including “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race,” “Dance, Dance” and “Thks fr th Mmrs.” The crowd was just as eager to scream out hooks to more recent, electronics-addled Fall Out Boy anthems such as “Uma Thurman” and “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark.”
It’s quite remarkable that the band – which had its multi-platinum-selling, radio rock heyday back in the early 2000s – is as vital as ever in the music industry today. And with new, young fans who may not have been around in 2005 to hear chorus of “Sugar We’re Going Down” stuck in their heads.
PUNK, METALCORE AND RAP
The show opened with a charge of metalcore from Buffalo’s Every Time I Die, followed by rock-infused rap from Cleveland’s Machine Gun Kelly. However oddly matched the artists on Thursday’s bill may have seemed, both supporting acts delivered similarly loud and aggressive sets, wowing fans and strangers just the same.
Taking advantage of his platform in Michigan, Machine Gun Kelly riled up the crowd further with a few choice words about Eminem, with whom the 28-year-old rapper has recently been feuding publicly.
The heat continued in a more literal sense as Fall Out Boy took the stage with a variety of pyrotechnics and fireworks in sync with their pop-punk grooves. Bassist Pete Wentz even sported a flame-throwing bass guitar during a few songs.
Wearing a Grand Rapids Griffins jersey, Wentz jumped into the crowd during an encore performance of the band’s lesser-known “Saturday.” A blast from several confetti cannons was the cherry on top.
In addition to performing several songs from its 2018 release “Mania,” Fall Out Boy showed off the title track to its brand new EP, “Lake Effect Kid.” The three-song love letter to Chicago was released ahead of the band’s homecoming show Saturday at Wrigley Field.
PHOTO GALLERY: Fall Out Boy, Every Time I Die, Machine Gun Kelly at Van Andel Arena
Photos by Anthony Norkus
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