Fall Out Boy @ Rapids Theatre, Niagara Falls, New York 5-28-13

When Fallout Boy announced they were reuniting for a club tour this spring, you can hear the shrieks and screams worldwide. After tickets sold out in minutes everywhere of on sale dates, the pressure was on to see if the band can hold up to the standards they set before they disbanded. In case you weren’t familiar with the and, one of the things the band is really known for are tongue and cheek song titles like “I Slept With Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me” and “Tell that Mick He Just Made My List of Things to Do Today.”

On Tuesday night in Niagara Falls, the band was more than up to the task as rhythm guitarist and vocalist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman and drummer Andy Hurley took a hold of the crowd and dished out an amazing set of material for an hour and half. The band is on test run playing to smaller venues before they embark on arena tour later this year. In the meantime, FOB used arena type of lightening for their set. It was very impressive and over the top for a club show. The stage was lit up for almost the entire night. Wentz had the crowd in the palm of his hand the entire night as he moved about and by his reactions, was loving every minute of it.

Stump’s vocals were spot on and no more evident with songs like “The Phoenix” and “Death Valley.” In between the screams and cheers, the band asked that everyone take 2 steps back after the 5th song due to the fans along the barrier who were getting crushed. The crowd seemed to oblige from my view from the balcony.

Wentz talked about how all of these “man child’s” were “Young Volcanoes” as the band went into the song. Before the encore, Stump took to the piano and played for what I called the highlight of the evening and title track to their latest release, “Save Rock And Roll.” They showed different musicians throughout the song (ranging from prince to Madonna to Bob Marley to Gene Simmons)on the video backdrop. I would call this a huge variant from the bands usual up-tempo set and this song worked very well in a live setting.

For those who are older and have been wondering where rock has gone? Well, pay attention to what your kids are listening to because it’s about to go on the biggest tour of the year later this summer with Panic at the Disco and Twenty One Pilots.

Set List:

Thriller
A Little Less Sixteen Candles a Little More Touch Me
Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes
The Phoenix
This ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race
Where Did the Party Go?
Tell that Mick He Just Made My List of Things to Do Today
What a Catch, Donnie
The Take Over, the Breaks Over
Death Valley
Hum Hallelujah
Grand Theft Autumn/Where is Your Boy?
Sugar We’re Goin Down
Young Volcanoes
Dance, Dance
I Don’t Care
My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light em’ Up)