First Posted: 9/9/2013
There is no better way to spend a Sunday night than spending it with your favorite band. Last Sunday, Sept. 8, I was able to do this at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia with Fall Out Boy. I can honestly say that this was one of the best concerts I have ever been to. I felt like a 13-year-old girl at a One Direction concert.
The show opened up with duo Twenty One Pilots. It was my first time experiencing these guys and they were fantastic.
Next up was the ever-lovely Panic! at the Disco. Brendon Urie, the singer and only original member left, knows how to work a crowd. He got the fans going by eagerly asking if we were ready for Fall Out Boy: “I don’t think you’re ready. Fall Out Boy is going to come out and melt your faces off!”
Finally the moment all of us Overcast Kids waited four long years for was just minutes away. Fall Out Boy charged the stage, wearing black ski masks, with their new song “The Phoenix.” The crowd went wild as we screamed the lyrics back at Patrick Stump. Everything in this moment was perfect: jumping, dancing, and screaming every word with strangers, being connected by one thing – these four boys. In between songs, bassist Pete Wentz spoke to the crowd, making us feel like we were friends and not crazed fans. “I like you too, man; I like all of you. I got to meet a lot of you earlier and I realized that you are all freaks and I love it! Not that you look like freaks, but you are all freaks on the inside and I love it,” Wentz said to his adoring fans.
“Dance, Dance,” “Sugar, We’re Going Down,” and so many other hits were played that night. Halfway through the 25-song set, the stage went black. When the lights came back on, Wentz, Stump, and guitarist Joe Trohman had relocated to the middle of the arena to play an acoustic set. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. My favorite band was playing my favorite song, “Grand Theft Autumn,” in my favorite style, acoustic.
When they returned to the main stage, drummer Andy Hurley went crazy with an out-of-this-world drum solo.
After, balloons donned with the FOB symbol came out into the crowd as they played another new song, “Young Volcanoes.” During the second verse, Stump stopped singing: “Sorry guys, I got distracted by the balloons and forgot the words. I knew them earlier.” His balloon distraction also caused him to accidently knock down the microphone stand, which hit a girl. He apologized and dedicated “What a Catch, Donnie,” to her.
Urie graced the stage once again to help Fall Out Boy sing “20 Dollar Nose Bleed.”
After leaving the stage, Fall Out Boy came back out with a three song encore. They started off with the title track from their new album, “Save Rock and Roll,” and continued with fan-favorite “Thnks fr th Mmrs.”
The last song of the night and one of the best parts of any Fall Out Boy show was finally coming: “Saturday.” The crowd got rowdy while Stump sang the song that just celebrated its 10-year anniversary. During the last chorus, Wentz threw his bass stage left, grabbed the microphone, and came charging at the crowd. All of us “car crash hearts” swarmed him as we sang back. Pete’s shirt was ripped off him, but he still thanked us for being crazy and told us to drive safe before leaving the stage with the rest of the band.
The show was absolutely incredible. Nothing can compare to the energy Fall Out Boy generated. Thnks fr th mmrs, boys.
