We all have that band where we listen to a song by them for the first time and immediately know that this is our favorite band. For me, Fall Out Boy is that band.
I jumped on the Fall Out Boy bandwagon just before Infinity On High was released, so of course, any chance to ever see them play a small venue was gone. When Fall Out Boy announced their M A N I A Tour, I accepted my fate of sitting high up in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena. The concert was on October 20th and I knew Pete Wentz would look like an ant, but it was fine because this band is the reason I know what career path I want to follow.
When the night came, I was less than stoked to see them from so high up, and my friend and I were ridiculously late because we were trying to miss the opening acts because we were “those people” that night. We were even more late because downtown Cleveland parking is what nightmares are made of.
Meanwhile, I could hear “Sugar We’re Goin’ Down” playing and I was dying to get inside. We took the ridiculously long escalator down and were relocated other seats just as high, until we’re told “you have to walk down those steps and they’ll relocate you there.”
We walk down another set of steps, frustrated to see no one to direct us. I look up for one second to realize we’re standing in $400 seating and Fall Out Boy was seriously right there. My eyes have never been so amazed. Halfway through “Centuries,” I could see the sweat dripping off Patrick Stump’s face. Needless to say, we stayed in that section for the rest of the show, and it was the best night of my life.
Being that close to them was like magic; every song was perfect, all of the stage effects were incredible; I’ve never experienced a show like this before. The stage crew pulled out a piano for “Save Rock and Roll” and Stump played “Young And Menace” with nothing but a piano. His voice sent chills up my spine and was quite the experience.
Hopping on the runway to be pulled up into the air, the band played “Dance, Dance,” and hopped back to the main stage to finish the show. They played many fan favorites, including “This Ain’t A Scene It’s An Arms Race”, “I Don’t Care” and the one song that made me feel like I was a fan girl from 2007 again, “Grand Theft Autmn/Where Is Your Boy”. I’m not one to cry at shows but if anything almost made me cry, it would be hearing this song. You can even check it out on my poorly-recorded Snapchat video.
All in all, it was a great show. We could feel the heat from the stage flames during “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark” and as they closed the show with “Saturday,” it couldn’t have felt more nostalgic.
Don’t miss Fall Out Boy on this tour because not only will you get a variety of songs, but you’ll be very happy you went.
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