Fall Out Boy w/ New Politics
Oakland, CA
The Fox Theater
June 14, 2013
It's been a whirlwind of a month, so I'm happy that I finally have a chance to sit down at a computer and write about this awesome show. On June 16, Fall Out Boy made their long-awaited return to the Bay Area in support of their newest album "Save Rock And Roll".
One thing that had me very excited about this show was that Fall Out Boy have a true knack for finding the best possible opening acts for their tours. I saw them several times when I was in high school, and I always made sure I was there very early so I would not miss the openers. You weren't just going to see Fall Out Boy, you were going to see a show that kept you entertained every second you were there. This show was no exception to this rule.
Kicking things off right were the charismatic individuals of Denmark's New Politics. I had the great opportunity to interview the guys before the show, which you can check out in the video here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxUCgukZcdw&feature=youtu.be). I managed to catch their set a couple weeks before at the BFD Festival in Mountain View, so I knew to expect nothing but a good time, filled with catchy songs, high energy movement, and break dancing.
The lights go down, and the band take the stage, launching into "Give Me Hope", a track off of their newest release "A Bad Girl In Harlem" (available in stores now). David Boyd (vocals), Soren Hansen (guitar), and Louis Vecchio (drums) play with intensity, never slowing down once through the entire thirty-five minute set. There's even a dance break in the middle of their set, where Boyd shows off his hip-hop dance stylings amid a roar of applause. The band finish the set with their hit "Yeah Yeah Yeah", from their 2010 self-titled album.
After a little less than an hour, the curtain that was placed in front of the stage drops. The words "Save Rock And Roll" are plastered on the video screens behind them. Joe Trohman (guitar), Patrick Stump (vocals/guitar), and Pete Wentz (bass) make their way to the front of the stage as Stump plays the opening riff to "Thriller", the first track from the band's 2007 release Infinity On High. When the clean guitar intro finishes, Andy Hurley (drums), Trohman, and Wentz all kick in with the wall of sound the song creates. The band that everyone has been waiting four years to triumphantly return is finally back.
FOB's set, interestingly enough, did not start off with any new songs. They reached into their extensive catalogue to open with songs from Infinity , 2006's From Under The Cork Tree ("I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me", "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More Touch Me"), and 2008's Folie a Deux ("Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes"). From that point on, the set included a nice mix of songs from Save Rock and Roll like "The Phoenix", "Alone Together", and "Young Volcanoes". The band sounded better than ever. It seems that a few years on break to focus on other artistic ventures did wonders for the band.
I'd say that anyone in attendance was particularly lucky to see the band in such an intimate venue. Fall Out Boy will be embarking on yet another North American headlining tour (this time with Panic! At The Disco and Twenty One Pilots), but this time in an arena setting. New Politics are encountering a great deal of success with the release of "Bad Girl In Harlem", and have even acquired a main opening spot on the Rockstar Uproar Festival this fall. And there's a good chance that the size of the venues they'll each be playing in the coming years are going nowhere but up.