Fall Out Boy - Infinity on the A38
Trying to drive from Nottingham to Birmingham straight after work on a Tuesday night for a Fall Out Boy show turned out to be a little slice of hell. Plagued with standstill traffic jams, filled car parks, roadworks and full bladders, this was easily the most stressful event we’ve ever been to.
Alas, through the gauntlet we arrived to catch the last few songs of Professor Green’s dismal set. First thoughts, as always, are to blame the crappy sound that often comes with larger venues like Birmingham’s Barclaycard Arena. However, these initial thoughts are quickly written off when his Emili Sande stand-in passionately and beautifully sang aloud every single word of “Read All About It”. An angel with a remarkable voice, this unknown lady stole the show, with Pro Green acting as the little devil on her back, there only to ruin what could have been a perfect performance.
The silver lining is that Pro Green’s terrible vocals have only added to Fall Out Boy’s impressive performance. Led by the massive voice in a small package that is Patrick Stump, the Chicago pop-punk giants take stage, greeted by the high-pitched screams of over 9000 eager fans. Set opener and FOB classic “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down” receives a shockingly underwhelming response, but luckily “The Phoenix” follows, making everyone a little crazy; settling the dispute as to whether today’s fans prefer the more punky pre-hiatus FOB or the more funky and eclectic post-hiatus FOB.
As much as I’ll always be a ‘Cork Tree’ and ‘Infinity on High’ child, the most significant result of the new FOB style is that it has allowed P. Stump to show Birmingham and the rest of the world just how incredible his voice is. The band’s electric cover of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” is one of those 5 or 6 songs that still sends shivers down my spine as Patrick’s voice echoes like a siren, leaving a feeling of total satisfaction behind.
The biggest commendation for the band is their choice of setlist. Managing to please everyone with a healthy mixture of old and new is no easy task, but by playing a 50/50 split of pre and post-hiatus tracks, including two tracks from debut ‘Take This To Your Grave’, Fall Out Boy have pretty much nailed this show.
Fall Out Boy are now also responsible for one of my favourite things I’ve ever seen at a gig. The set was broken up in the middle by a movie scene, while the rest of the band snuck off stage, re-appearing minutes later in the centre of the arena, armed with acoustic guitars. Stump, joined by Wentz on bass and Trohman on guitar, busted out “Young Volcanoes”, as well as the full acoustic version of “Immortals”, the latter sounding arguably better than the standard version, to a crowd that was nearly brought to tears – wonderful.
Whether the first Fall Out Boy CD you picked up was Take This To Your Grave or American Beauty/American Psycho, whether you were a casual fan or a die hard B-side hoarder, this show would have left you on a high. It’s an interesting situation when a band is writing material wildly different from previous releases but still playing shows from their entire discography, and while attempts to please all fans are appreciated, you can’t help but wonder how the band themselves must feel. How long before they tire completely of songs they surely must have moved on from? Hopefully longer than we tired of sitting in a stationary car less than a mile from the NIA. Up your game Birmingham.
Photo Credit: Emily Kyne
COMMENTS
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Such a good gig
