An epic night with Fall Out Boy
If you believed the booming echoes of explosive fireworks were reserved for the Fourth of July, Fall Out Boy is here to challenge that notion. Rolling into Shoreline Amphitheatre as part of their So Much For (Tour) Dust, the Chicago band presented their performance on a Wednesday night, supporting the album So Much (For) Stardust, which marks a return to their emo roots.
The setlist was generously sprinkled with older material, delivering a dose of rock and roll bombast. Sharing the stage were the fiery U.K. rockers Bring Me the Horizon, along with Royal and the Serpent and Daisy Grenade. Despite their diverse musical styles, all three bands incorporate elements of emo into their journeys.
Fall Out Boy kicked off their performance with an explosive one-two punch of "Love from the Other Side" and "The Phoenix," setting the stage ablaze with a rapid succession of pyrotechnics, fire blasts, and swirling smoke.
Vocalist Patrick Stump, surveying the sea of fans, remarked, "There's so many of you, I'm a little intimidated."
The production was a grand spectacle, yet it never overwhelmed the band. The stage came alive with flames, bubbles, confetti, and even a colossal inflatable dog. The set exhibited expert pacing, seamlessly interweaving new material with their classic tracks. While Fall Out Boy has graced the Bay Area with their presence numerous times over the years, this particular show exuded a distinct energy—a fusion of vibrant production and a captivating live performance.
The stage lights gracefully descended, creating an intimate ambiance reminiscent of the countless clubs where Fall Out Boy honed their craft in the band's early days.
Following a well-deserved break after years of constant touring and album releases, the band returned with renewed energy for the Stardust era, evident in their performance at Shoreline. Patrick Stump's vocals remained as crisp as ever, while bassist Pete Wentz and guitarist Joe Throman exuded a relaxed yet powerful poise.
Wentz took the opportunity to address the audience multiple times, providing insights into the meanings behind some of the band's new material, engaging in banter with Stump. Standout tracks like "Heaven, Iowa" showcased Stump's soaring vocals, adding a magnificent touch to the climax of the performance.
During "Fake Out," a spontaneous crowd-organized flash mob unfolded, as fans adorned their phone lights with thin pink slips of paper, creating a unique lighting effect that extended to the lawn.
Expressing his experience as a punk rock kid and music nerd, Stump, before sitting at a piano, shared, "I always felt like I didn’t fit in as a punk rock kid because I was also this music nerd." He then treated the audience to covers of Elvis Costello’s "Alison" and Journey’s "Don’t Stop Believin’."
Despite his status as an emo hero, Stump showcased his showmanship with understated charisma that captivated the crowd, drawing them into sing-alongs. Wentz even selected a young fan from the audience, recognizing it as their first Fall Out Boy show, and generously bestowed a T-shirt, guitar picks, and prime viewing real estate for a significant portion of the set.
The theatrics reached new heights, with Wentz executing a disappearing act into Stump’s piano, only to reemerge deep within the crowd for "Dance, Dance." The concluding stretch of the performance was a hit parade, leaving the audience breathless and fully immersed in the spectacle.
Toward the end, Wentz deadpanned, "We can pretend like we're done and go backstage and have you cheer for us to come back. But we're just gonna keep playing instead."
The grand finale ignited a fiery inferno, featuring hits like "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)," an enthusiastic singalong to "Thnks fr th Mmrs," and an explosive, pyrotechnic-laden performance of "Centuries." In classic Fall Out Boy style, the band wrapped up the night by sending fans home happy with one of their earliest tracks, "Saturday."
Bring Me The Horizon, in their penultimate performance, took a different approach. Swapping their usual AI narrative for a simple black backdrop and lighting, the U.K. hard rockers delivered a raw and biting set that showcased their energy. Frontman Oli Sykes, accustomed to commanding fans to "open the pit," had to adjust to the all-seated venue. "I'm not sure how we're gonna do this, but we'll figure it out," Sykes remarked. "You can definitely bang your head."
Approaching the release of its second Post Human EP, Bring Me The Horizon's set heavily featured one-off singles like “DiE4u,” “sTraNgeRs,” and the scintillating opener “AmEN!” The commanding presence of Oli Sykes persisted, with the crowd obediently following his orders as he barked instructions between and during songs. However, Sykes injected some humor into the performance, particularly during “Shadow Moses.”
“Open your heart, open your mind, and open... the seating area,” he playfully declared.
For "Drown," Sykes took an extended journey into the audience, reaching the lawn to greet fans. The band concluded with two of its biggest tracks, “Can You Feel My Heart” and “Throne,” prompting fans to sing, jump, and bang their heads. Security even joined in during the final song, calling out fans who didn't kneel at Sykes' command and pointing with flashlights at them.
In the afternoon sun, New Jersey’s Royal & the Serpent brought a blend of grunge-meets-punk energy to the stage. Fronted by vocalist Ryan Santiago, clad in a plaid vest and oversized suit, the band exuded infectious energy, captivating the audience with both upbeat and mid-tempo material.
Reciting the "Gay National Anthem," Santiago seamlessly incorporated tracks such as "Astroturf," "One Nation Underdogs," and "I Can’t Get High" into the performance. Positioned between an impressive guitarist and drummer, Santiago's strong and raspy voice shone, particularly during a fantastic cover of Nirvana’s "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
The night commenced with high energy courtesy of power-punk upstarts Daisy Grenade. Vocalists Dani Nigro and Keaton Whittaker displayed a dynamic interplay, exchanging lines seamlessly. The group exuded an inviting magnetism and electric energy, highlighting the pop elements of pop-punk while infusing a swagger reminiscent of Paramore. With Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz supporting them, Daisy Grenade is undoubtedly a band worth keeping an eye on.
‘Twas an epic night and we can’t wait until these bands come back to Northern California.