Sending My Love From the Other Side (of a Fall Out Boy Show)
Photo by Pamela LittkyWhere is your boy tonight? If I had to guess I’d say he’s thinking about Fall Out Boy’s show on April 2nd in Milwaukee. Maybe that’s just me?
The show, aptly named “So Much For (2our) Dust,” was the 20th stop for the band on the second US leg of the “So Much For Tour Dust” run. On top of that, the show also served as a homecoming for the band's drummer, Andy Hurley, with lyricist and bassist Pete Wentz noting that Milwaukee was one of the first cities they performed in while coming up.
Before the band took the stage at the Fiserv Forum, I traded some bracelets with fellow FOB fans (Eras Tour flashbacks), and already I could tell it was going to be a good night. The band's cover of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start The Fire” blasted from speakers throughout the arena, getting the crowd hyped for what was to come.
With anticipation successfully built, the guys opened with the lead single from their most recent album So Much (For) Stardust. I can personally confirm that “Love From the Other Side” is just as amazing of a show opener as it is an album opener, and their electric energy really sets the tone for the rest of their set. It’s no surprise that Fall Out Boy would have an amazing stage set (shoutout to their crew), but fans were still amazed when, on top of fireworks, Wentz adorned a flamethrower bass!
After “LFTOS,” the band rocked through fan favorites “The Phoenix,” “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down,” “Uma Thurman” and “A Little Less Sixteen Candles…” with lead singer Patrick Stump giving us his absolute all.
Then, the stage had been transformed to look like a Chicago basement show as the band jumped into tracks from their pop-punk album Take This To Your Grave. Like magic, I suddenly forgot that I was at a huge arena concert with 16,000+ other people.This is only one example of just how intricate their stage set and props get, but even the simple blue lights coming down like a ceiling and having all of the band in one area really does replicate their roots while taking the crowd there with them.
After a mix of older and newer songs, the band left the stage, leaving Stump alone for his solo medley. He paid a heartfelt tribute to one of his friends and fellow musician Casey Benjamin as he started with a track from his solo EP, Truant Wave, “Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)” before FOB’s “What a Catch, Donnie” and “Golden.” The band rejoined the stage for “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen before some “20 Dollar Nose Bleed/Baby Annihilation” action and magic trick from Wentz, where he disappeared into Stump’s piano. The man “teleports” into a tree (another part of their amazing stage set), and disappears again until the next song. He then appears across the arena, playing his bass whilst being lifted into the air. About halfway through “Dance, Dance” Wentz went down into the crowd and walked along the audience back to the stage.
Next was a new track, “Hold Me Like A Grudge,” and any FOB fan knows the end of that song marks the start of the Magic 8 Ball portion of their set in which they play 1-2 songs of their choosing. This changed every night, so naturally the fanbase speculated what the 8 Ball song(s) could be before each show. As someone who was paying attention to prior shows, I found myself almost devastated when I saw a song I wanted was played. This didn’t necessarily mean they wouldn’t do it again, but, much like when Taylor Swift plays a surprise song without you, it’s heartbreaking. After talking to the Magic 8 Ball on screen, the band broke into “Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying (Do Your Part to Save the Scene and Stop Going to Shows).” (Boy, do they love their parentheses.)
When it ended, I was eager to see if there would be a second 8 ball song. So, when Wentz started talking to the Magic 8 Ball again, calling the next song a “unicorn,” I knew we were in for a treat. The beginning of Folie à Deux demo track “Pavlove” started and the arena exploded. Previously only available on the deluxe version of the album, the track was released on streaming late last year for its 15th anniversary, and had only been performed one time (August 2023!) in those 15 years. So, yeah, a unicorn.
To close out their set, they played a few more older, popular songs before ending the night with the quintessential Take This to Your Grave track “Saturday,” as they have for nearly every show in the last 20 years. I would never say that I look forward to the end of a concert, but at the same time, watching Pete Wentz climb on the barricade and lean on the crowd––confetti and streamers falling as he screams into his microphone––is something very personal to me, so I did in fact look forward to that.
This was my first time seeing Fall Out Boy, and I’m glad it was on this tour. I’m a huge fan of their new album, but their set is a perfect mixture of old and new. It’s perfect for casual and die-hard fans alike, especially with the addition of the Magic 8 Ball portion. All of this to say that if you have the opportunity to see Fall Out Boy in the future, definitely take it. You won’t regret it! (Unless you get to hear a song I wanted to hear…)