This past Sunday night felt like a time warp on my heart. In 2006, I was a bleary-eyed teenager, only taking my first baby steps into the giant world of music. Right around that time, a quartet of suburban Chicago boys released a music video featuring a boy with antlers and his unrequited love being torn apart by her crazy hunter dad. If you’re not familiar, this was Fall Out Boy, and that music video for “Sugar, We’re Going Down” quickly became the video representation of a new pop punk anthem. It’s been awhile, but the quick and sudden return of these alternative allstars seems to have brought about a pop punk revolution. Playing to sold out, intimate venues across the US before rocking an arena tour this fall, Fall Out Boy took to the stage with Copenhagen rockers New Politics to help remind all of us that rock & roll is certainly not dead, and Pop Punk is in fact alive and well. 

Although they played a terribly short 30 minute set, Brooklyn based New Politics tore the roof off of The Ogden Theatre. Originally from Copenhagen, this trio has been taking local radio waves by storm with their new single “Harlem”. Opening the show with more energy in one song than you normally see in a 60min set, it’s clear that not only does this band love what they do, but they are taking full advantage of their time with the likes of Fall Out Boy. With lead singer David crowd surfing into the audience by song two, and break dancing in the middle of “Tonight You’re Perfect”, this band’s energy was unlike anything I’ve seen. Guitarist/vocalist Søren brought out a ukulele during one of their songs, and I don’t think I will EVER see that instrument look more punk rock. It was completely insane, and I loved ever minute of it. Celebrating the rise of their single “Harlem” to the number 5 spot on local 93.3 fm KTCL’s charts, the band closed their much-too-short set with the single, which had the whole room off their feet, bouncing to the beat. The band mentioned that they’ll be touring the US for the next year and a half, and I sincerely can’t wait for their next stop in Denver. I guarantee you we’ll be there excited to hear more from them, and I highly recommend you are too.

After a quick 30 minute changeover, Fall Out Boy took stage promptly at 8:30pm, beginning what would be a hit-filled, momentous 90 minute set. Taking to the stage with “Thriller”, the opening track to Infinity On High, the crowd was electrified and ready to go. This band may be coming off a 4-year hiatus, but they certainly proved that this time away hasn’t changed a thing, if not only made them stronger performers. With every single band member taking time to work on separate projects during their break, they have all certainly grown as musicians. Wearing matching jean jackets that made them look like a biker gang, the band attacked both new and old hits with power and emotion. Opening the show with four songs from four separate albums, it set the tone for the rest of the evening: a well constructed homage to the legacy they’ve built. 

Although I was fortunate enough to catch the bands secret show at SXSW earlier this year, this was the first time I’d heard them play songs off of the newly released album Save Rock and Roll, and was certainly impressed. When I first listened to the album, I was really surprised by how different the instrumentation was from their older work, and was curious how it would sound live. Seeing them perform the songs finally took me from feeling like this album was a more fledged out version of Patrick Stump’s solo work, to truly believing and seeing just how much “Fall Out Boy” this record truly is. Although I’m still personally disappointed the band chose to not do a 10 year reunion tour for their Take This To Your Grave album, and wish they had played a few more of the album’s tracks to make up for it, I completely respect and understand just how much musical ground they had to cover in such little time. I couldn’t have been disappointed with the set list for the evening even if I tried! With fans stage diving from the balcony to the floor during “Sugar We’re Going Down”, to Patrick conducting the crowd while singing the opening to “Grand Theft Autumn(Where Is Your Boy)”, and fans screaming along to the anthemic “Young Volcanoes”, it was clear just how deeply missed this band has been. 

When the group left the stage after “My Songs Know What You Did in The Dark”, the audience could not be silenced, and called the band back to stage by chanting the lyrics to the song “Save Rock and Roll”, “oh no, we won’t go! We don’t know when to quit, oh oh!” - hands down one of the most brilliant encore calls I’ve heard from an audience. Starting the encore with “Save Rock and Roll”, Patrick chose to sing Sir Elton John’s parts, rather than relying on a track. Singing them an octave below his normal pitch, he sounded spot on for the part, which was eerily incredible to watch, proving just how powerful of a performer he is. Closing the show with the fan favorite “Saturday”, Pete Wentz climbed into the audience; both he and the crowd gave it all they had as the band played their last chorus. By the looks of the audience, there was a decent mix of both old and young fans, an awesome thing to see despite the bands absence over the past four years. This only proved that no matter what decade, their music has truly become a pop punk standard, and will find new fans generation after generation. The band will be back September 18th to the 1stBank Center, and tickets are still available. Hope to see you there!

-Maddie

SET LIST:

Thriller | I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was The Stupid Song Written | This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race | The Phoenix | Tell Mick That He Just Made My List of Things To Do Today | Alone Together | What A Catch, Donnie | Death Valley | Hum Hallelujah | Grand Theft Autumn (Where Is Your Boy) | Sugar We’re Going Down | Young Volcanoes | Dance, Dance | I Don’t Care | ENCORE: Save Rock And Roll | Thnks fr th Mmrs | Saturday |