Opening night of the UK/EU M A N I A Tour is set to go off with a bang, with an almost sold out arena and excitement building up for days.
Against the Current (7) are frequently placed as supports for larger bands in the UK, touring with the likes of All Time Low and Good Charlotte in the past. Therefore, supporting Fall Out boy in the same arena as they supported All Time Low in two years ago should be no big issue. Yet, it kind of was. No doubt, Against the Current started well. Chrissy Costanza (Vocals) dancing around the stage with the energy a smaller band should have with such a big stage/crowd. Musically, all seemed great, apart from the extremely loud bass which did hinder the ability to hear anything else, probably through no fault of theirs. However, playing two new songs, one of which was a lot slower, the audience didn’t really know how to react. Even more well-known tracks ‘Gravity’ or ‘Running with The Wild Things’ didn’t create any energetic reciprocity from the audience, making the band seem rather small and swallowed by the large front they were tasked with performing to. Maybe it was just first night fears, but overall, they did a good job.
With an almost sold out arena, the first night of Fall Out Boy’s (9) UK ‘M A N I A Tour’ has officially kicked off at full speed. Opening with the fire packed (literally) track ‘The Phoenix’, the lit-up room was instantaneously brought to life, making full use of the stage with Pete Wentz(Bass/vocals) and Patrick Stump (Vocals/guitar) running down the centre stage isle to really blow out their first track. Being the ‘M A N I A Tour’, there must be some new tracks from their latest album. Seeing ‘Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea’ and ‘Hold Me Tight or Don’t’ was also received well throughout the set. Occasionally, the question of bands being able to affect an entire arena through stripped back tracks is debated, it either works well, or it doesn’t. This was one that went very well. ‘Save Rock and Roll’ saw not only Stump’s piano and vocal skills come into play, but their ability to create such a powerful atmosphere across the arena. Even through the extremely stripped back solo piano version of ‘Young and Menace’, the dramatic singularity sent a real wave across the arena and everyone in it.
It’s no doubt that over the last few years, Fall Out Boy have truly upped their game in terms of stage sets, and with their new layout, they really have risen above all. Of course, as you make your way to the top, you may fall down.About to embark on the biggest stage reveal of the set yet, a rising stage platform, Andy Hurley (Drums) accidentally fell off the stage. Pulling through however, the classic drum solo carried on in a professional way – with the platform eventually working again. Incorporating two rising platforms in the central arena, crowds saw the band being lifted many metres high to play favourites such as ‘Dance, Dance,’ and ‘Wilson (Expensive Mistakes). Even visually, the large screens dominating behind the main stage and around the lifted platforms gave audiences a more visual version of tracks, with ‘I Don’t Care’ hosting hundreds of middle finger emoji’s and gifs, ‘Champion’ bringing a touching Princess Diana tribute and ‘Uma Thurman’, unsurprisingly, showing clips of Uma Thurman in her respective feature film roles.
Fall Out Boy fans came to see a good show, and they got just that if not more. Not only does the bands performance, visuals and reference to llamas stand out, but also the work of dedicated fans along the side. With dedicated fans creating the ‘M A N I A Project’, handing out and holding purple slips to their phone lights during ‘Champion’, the respective community of the fans was truly recognisable. Another stand out show with many more to come through this tour.
EUPHORIA OF BREAKDOWN 