Thanks For The Memories, Fall Out Boy!

So Much For (Tour) Dust Hits PNC Music Pavilion

In late January, emo hearts around the world started beating a little bit faster when Fall Out Boy announced a brand new album and tour. So Much (For) Stardust, the band’s eighth studio album and first since 2018, was released in March and pretty much blew up the charts as fans everywhere clung to the new record like white on rice. So it’s no surprise that the So Much (For) Tourdust Tour has been selling out everywhere Fall Out Boy goes. The band recently stopped in at PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte with Bring Me The Horizon and needless to say the evening was epic in every way.

Opening up the show was Ryan Santiago, who is known as Royal & the Serpent and let me tell you this was an amazing way to kick things off. She is simply a commanding presence on the stage, holding your attention as you lock into her every nuanced movement. Treating us to selections from her latest release How To Grow A Rat, her set was wild in every way and her band is top-notch, notably drummer Tosh Peterson who was an absolute madman behind his kit. (more on Tosh later) If you’re heading out to see the tour, make sure to get there early and check out Royal & the Serpent’s set as I’m sure we will be seeing and hearing a lot more from her in the future.

“S-P-I-R-I-T, spirit

Let’s hear it…”

Next up was the British rockers Bring Me The Horizon led by frontman Oliver Sykes. BMTH is usually a headlining act so it was a bit unusual to see them hit the stage in the daylight, but hit it they did and it was definitely a vibe. The band brought out quite the production with their giant hexagram logo lit up at the rear of the stage. Below that was a platform for the drumkit, keyboard, and bass guitar to perform. At the bottom of the platform, we had the guitarists each flanking Oli who was of course all over the stage during the set. The crowd was going berserk, screaming and some young fans even crying as Oli led the band through a set that featured both BMTH favorites as well as some new tunes.

Oli sounded fantastic, his vocals carrying over the venue as the crowd sang along and the band was on point, nailing each and every note. Throughout all this, cryo was going off as Oli ran from one side of the stage to the other, jumping up and down, and giving the fans the show of a lifetime. He even took off during “Drown” and walked around the crowd, greeting fans and in general giving as many people as possible an up close and personal experience. But a BMTH isn’t about all the bells and whistles, it really is about emotion and nobody captures the emotion and transfers it back to the audience as well as they do. When you see BMTH, you’ll laugh, cry, shout out loud, and experience just about every feeling you’ve ever had and that is really what sets this band apart from the crowd. BMTH dedicated “Can You Feel My Heart” to Fall Out Boy and closed out with an epic live version of “Throne.”

“Dance, dance

We’re falling apart to half time

Dance, dance

And these are the lives you love to lead…”

After such a stunning performance from BMTH, it would be hard for any band to top it and we were all more than excited to see what Fall Out Boy would bring to the table. Before taking the stage, a few songs played from tape to warm up the crowd and get everyone ready. The lights went down and the band began “Love From the Other Side” and we were officially off to the races.

The Band

It was amazing to see this group of talented musicians hitting the stage again. Patrick Stump was front and center behind his microphone, guitar in hand with lead guitarist Joe Trohman to his left and bassist Pete Wents to his right. Behind him was situated an enormous drumkit, but drummer Andy Hurley was notably absent. Instead, in his place, was the young gun, Tosh Peterson from Royal & the Serpent who was wailing away behind that drumkit like he’d been born there. So what was up? Pete would shortly explain that Andy had a family emergency and had to fly home and Tosh stepped up to the plate to save the show, learning the whole set in 24 hours. What an amazing feat! Tosh did a fantastic job filling in and I know there are big things coming from him in the future. The rest of the band sounded great which I expected but also just looked so damn happy to be up on that stage. It seemed more like a group of friends having the time of their lives than touring professionals and the feeling was like no other. Now, that’s not to say that they didn’t sound professional because they certainly did but they had a little of that old-school mojo back and their excitement was palpable which made for an awesome show.

The Production

Lights, Pyro, Props! Yes, Fall Out Boy and Pete Wentz in particular because he always plays a major role when it comes to the production of the show, went all out for this tour. The number of lights, cryo, smoke, and fireworks was outstanding, but there was more, so much more. We had fire shooting out of Pete’s bass guitar and a giant dog’s head with moving jaws. We had giant bubbles and a huge tree. At one point, Pete performed a disappearing act and vanished only to be seen moments later high up in the tree playing his bass. Later in the show, we had a giant magic 8 ball which led to a song selection for the evening. Overall, this show was in a class of its own as far as production goes. Kudos to the Fall Out Boy team and crew because this legendary show went off without a hitch which is not easy to do.

The Music

So, this was a concert, right? So what about the music? Fall Out Boy performed 28 songs during the evening and gave everyone a little bit of what they wanted. The setlist covered all eight albums including five selections from their latest So Much (For) Stardust as well as all the crowd favorites and even a few covers. We rocked, danced, and even had some tender moments especially when a piano was brought out on stage for Patrick to play and he led the crowd through a tender cover of Bill Withers’ “Lean On Me” before a little “Don’t Stop Believin’” from Journey. We had a surprise selection courtesy of the Magic 8 ball which was “Dead on Arrival,” a track that hasn’t been played since sometime in 2013, a wonderful addition to the set. The sound quality was spectacular throughout the show as the band played to near perfection.

This show really was the complete package and I think everyone in the audience would have to agree. The So Much (For) Tourdust Tour has a few dates left in the U.S. before the band heads out to Japan and Europe. If you get the chance to “dance, dance” with Fall Out Boy, don’t miss it! Until next time…

“One night and one more time

Thanks for the memories…”

See the Full Gallery of the Evening Here!

If you happened to capture any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see.