There was air of excitement around North West London on Thursday as droves of fans headed to Wembley Arena to see Fall Out Boy on their first headline UK tour since their hiatus back in 2009.
As the first bars of The Phoenix echoed throughout the arena, a huge curtain dropped to reveal the band wearing black balaclavas and waving a Fall Out Boy flag.
Almighty energy oozed from the foursome and never slowed down throughout the show. The set list was a perfect mix of old records as well as songs from their most recent album plus their famous cover of Michael Jackson’s Beat It. Crowd pleasers came in the form of hits such as Dance, Dance and Sugar We’re Going Down, though the audience was just as ecstatic as the band throughout the entire show.
Midway, they took to a pop-up stage in the middle of the arena to perform a short acoustic set. Grand Theft Autumn / Where Is Your Boy was a particular highlight, creating a whole need feel to the track whilst the crowd sung every word back to them. These stripped back songs really helped to show off lead singer Patrick Stump’s impressive vocals and his ability to effortlessly transform an arena setting into a more intimate affair.
The Save Rock and Roll Tour certainly lived up to its name – paying homage to musical legends by projecting videos and images of them during the show, including The Rolling Stones, Sex Pistols and Madonna. Before performing My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light ‘Em Up), the band described themselves as ‘the splinter underneath the thumb of the UK music scene’ and thanked fans for keeping rock music in the charts.
Aptly, the encore consisted of Thnks Fr Th Mmrs and Save Rock and Roll, rounding off the night perfectly. A classic from their debut album called Saturday closed the set – at which point almost the entire standing area turned into a mosh pit, giving everyone one last chance to go crazy. It was a truly memorable night for any Fall Out Boy fan.
Bassist Pete Wentz commented on how much they love playing UK shows and reminded us that they will be playing both Download and Isle of Wight festival this year. While ticket holders won’t have to wait long to once again witness their energy and passion on stage, the rest of us have our fingers crossed that they’ll be back again soon.