Fall Out Boy Lights Up the Room on the Last Night of the MANIA Tour

For nearly 15 years, Fall Out Boy has been conquering the alternative rock scene with their distinct sound, which has definitely evolved over the years, especially with their newest album M A N I A. The band brought their dynamic set to Phoenix this past November for their MANIA tour supported by artists Jaden Smith and Blackbear. With this being my second time seeing the band in concert, it’s been proven to me that Fall Out Boy touches on every phase of their musical career during their shows. From one of their first, best-selling singles “Sugar We’re Goin Down” to their most recent album M A N I A, the band performed their best hits and some new releases alongside an assortment of pyrotechnics, confetti, and floating stages; it was a night full of unforgettable performances.

Jaden Smith kicked off the night with an energetic performance filled with vivid and dramatically-filmed visuals that were displayed behind him. He finished his set with a flawless moonwalk across the stage during his performance of “Icon”; Jaden left every ounce of passion on the stage. Blackbear followed Smith’s set by opening with a powerful and crowd-pleasing performance of “Dirty Laundry.” He delivered stellar renditions of his biggest singles “Do Re Mi” and “idfc” that had the crowd singing and dancing along. But perhaps the most iconic part of his set was when Blackbear finished his set. He walked off stage while his band performed an instrumental arrangement of the famous “Ghostbusters Theme,” which conveniently creates a memorable impression for Blackbear’s performance.

As the audience became eager for Fall Out Boy’s performance, a fifteen minute countdown for the beginning of the set was displayed on the main screens. Once the wait was over there was more excitement than ever, because the band sure knows how to make an entrance. Fall Out Boy rose from underneath the stage to deliver a powerful performance of “The Phoenix,” which included high-energy visuals of race cars behind them and flames that could be felt all throughout the arena; the night was off to a fiery and energizing start.

After setting the tone for the night with a dynamic “Hum Hallelujah” accompanied by a shower of streamers, the band performed one of their most popular singles “Sugar We’re Goin Down” as the crowd sang every line, bringing back memories of the first time we started to know Fall Out Boy. The band recognized their most recent album American Beauty/American Psycho by performing a few energizing songs that were brought to life by colorful laser lights and interesting visuals. “Centuries,” their first single off of the album, is by all means an arena anthem. Sparks flew from canons on stage as the band displayed videos of football players kneeling on the field, though the band is not the controversial type. The band transitioned from the energizing anthem right into the more emotional side of the show performed on the piano. Leader singer Patrick Stump sang his heart out in a passionate performance of “Save Rock and Roll” on the keys while his bandmates delivered the accompanying harmonies on guitar, bass, and drums; Stump’s soulful voice had the audience hooked until the end. Bassist Pete Wentz walked down the stage’s catwalk lined with sparklers as an image of the late Chester Bennington of Linkin Park was displayed on the main stage; the song served as a heartfelt tribute to all passed rock icons.

The band continued to use the piano to perform a couple more songs from M A N I A, including the fast-paced “The Last of the Real Ones” and a piano rendition of the technology-driven “Young and Menace.” The stage glowed purple for M A N I A during “The Last of the Real Ones” as Stump’s dominant piano served as the backbone for his bandmates’ up-tempo rock elements-- a unique drum beat, a consistent bass line, and the sounds of an energetic electric guitar. The energy and intensity from “Last of the Real Ones” transferred over to Stump’s piano rendition of “Young and Menace,” the band’s returning single from 2017 that announced their album and tour. What was originally a technology-fueled song filled with a range of layers was stripped down to a vocal-and-piano-only performance. As Patrick Stump serenaded the audience, the crowd members made the room glow purple for M A N I A. Before the show, months in advance even, fans volunteered to create purple-colored paper cut outs to shine through their phone flashlights during the song (which resembles a similar basis to the Panic! at the Disco pride project that fans created for those concerts, as well). I wanted to take part in this fun and interactive experience, so I volunteered to pass out some of the papers to audience members and leave cut outs in the seats. Everyone’s hard work paid off when the audience saw the final product-- a glowing sea of purple that flooded the entire arena.

As Stump left his piano, drummer Andy Hurley transitioned to one of the B-stages to perform a powerful drum solo that consisted of a medley of current radio songs. His solo had the audience energized and engaged, and right on time. By the end of Hurley’s solo, the rest of the band members moved to the B-stages as well, but the crowd was unaware that they were in for a surprise.

The stages started to rise from the ground as Pete Wentz began playing the well-known bass line of “Dance, Dance.” The audience roared with excitement and clapped along as Fall Out Boy rose higher towards the ceiling. During this portion of the set, the floating stages became a time capsule of the band’s past; they performed “Wilson (Expensive Mistakes),” an unreleased single from M A N I A at the time, to grow the anticipation of the upcoming album. “Wilson” demonstrated the components of another arena-made anthem: the thrilling guitars, the empowering drums, and Stump’s passionate vocals. Each element defined the song as a whole.

The last song that was performed on the floating stages was “Thnks fr th Mmrs,” another one of Fall Out Boy’s most popular radio hits. On the sides of the stages, a glowing, marquee-like sign was displayed as a comparison to the band’s past performances of the song (which had a similar screen design since the song was released). The audience sang along to every line, reminiscent of the late 2000s, but satisfied that the band successfully showed their development as a group with a diverse choice of songs.

When the band arrived back down from the floating stages, they continued their time-capsule set with captivating performances of “I Don’t Care,” “This Ain’t a Scene It’s an Arms Race,” and “Grand Theft Autumn (Where is Boy).” Each song depended on the audience to join the band in singing along, echoing a melody, or moving to the catchy rhythms. “Grand Theft Autumn” started with a spotlight shining on Patrick Stump with his guitar as he delicately sang the chorus before letting the crowd took charge. While they performed a collection of older songs, the band still performed an abundance of newer songs to recognize their most recent eras as a band. The dance-worthy “Hold Me Tight or Don’t,” which was released a few days prior to the Phoenix concert, had the audience on their feet, enjoying every moment of the band’s performance.

As the night came to a closing, Fall Out Boy returned for their encore-- a collection of their most recent, biggest hits. The lively “Uma Thurman” was fueled by the electrifying guitar riff and audience’s non-stop energy. That same enthusiasm was seen during their fiery performance of “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up),” possibly one of their best-selling singles of all time. As sparks flew from cannons near the front of the stage, the audience had the most energy yet. They sang along to every lyric while the powerful drums and electric guitar served as the thrilling instrumentals when paired with Stump’s dynamic vocals.

Pete Wentz thanked the crowd one last time for an amazing last night of tour before performing their final song “Saturday.” For the last fifteen years, the song has closed out almost every one of their shows; the band’s acknowledgement of their very first album shows that they’re true to themselves and aren’t afraid to show everyone who they’ve evolved into. The devoted crowd jumped and sang along to the nostalgic song that exposed them the band they know today. During the last chorus of the song, a downpour of purple confetti fell down on to the audience and small, parachutes were dropped down throughout the room. They contained a one-of-a-kind tour shirt that wasn’t sold at the merchandise stands that read “I went to the MANIA tour and all I got was this t-shirt.” However, anyone who had the opportunity to experience the thrill of seeing Fall Out Boy live took home more than a shirt; the left after being part of an unforgettable show that won’t be forgotten.

Set:

The Phoenix

Irresistible

Hum Hallelujah

Sugar We’re Goin Down

Immortals

American Beauty/American Psycho

Centuries

Save Rock and Roll

The Last of the Real Ones

Young and Menace

Dance, Dance

Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)

Thnks fr th Mmrs

I Don’t Care

This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race

Hold Me Tight or Don’t

Grand Theft Autumn/Where is Your Boy

Champion

Encore:

Uma Thurman

My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)

Saturday