By Lake DiStefano
Staff Writer
Over the past two decades, Fall Out Boy has been the epitome of what many consider to be pop-punk. They are titans in the genre, and while many — myself included — expected that style of music to die down in tandem with the 2000s, there is a recent phenomenon I’ve begun to notice.
With the growing usage of TikTok and other short-form content, hyper-individualistic niches and subcultures are suddenly now able to survive even when the overarching culture deems them no longer relevant. You can find a community for anything nowadays — even more so than in the days of forums.
This, combined with the constant nostalgia craze which doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon, perfectly prepared the public to receive Fall Out Boy’s newest album – which was a self-proclaimed return to their older, nostalgic, sound. Bleeding guitars, pounding drums, and searing vocals decorate Fall Out Boy’s blazing return to their pop-punk roots.
This brings us to 2ourdust, the second leg of the tour in support of that record, “So Much (For) Stardust.” The tour recently resulted in a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden on March 22 that I was thankfully able to attend.
The night began with my arrival at the venue, and the competence of their security protocols were immediately apparent. It was one of the smoother entrances to a concert I’ve had in recent memory, and it was nice to not have my mood slightly soured before the show.
A sense of solidarity instantly settled, as I found myself within a sea of leather jackets and smudged eyeliner. Fans eagerly chattered about the potential setlist, and many complimented each other’s outfits. It was a wholesome thing to witness, even if only briefly.
Upon entering the actual stadium itself, it wasn’t long before the first of the three openers began their set. The show was precoursed by three separate bands: Hot Mulligan, Games We Play and Jimmy Eat World. Each gave an energetic performance. Their gratitude was noticeable, and I found myself smiling at their eagerness and crowd work.
Jimmy Eat World’s set was particularly fun due to the numerous hits they were able to whip out whenever the energy reached a lull.
Before long, the show truly began, and Fall Out Boy graced the stage with the opening track off their newest project, “Love from the Other Side.” It was a bombastic performance, and instantly set the mood for the night.
As they continued their set, pyrotechnics became more and more relevant throughout the show. Flames highlighted the silhouettes of the band, and were perfectly timed in tandem with the beat of whichever song was being played. At one point, Pete Wentz, the bassist, started spewing flames from the neck of his bass.
The stage was also decorated with a gigantic animatronic dog head, which would jerk forwards at random intervals. This was a clear reference to the album artwork, which features the same Doberman.
Beyond the visual spectacle, the music itself was unsurprisingly sublime. This late into their career, the band plays so tightly that even I, with no understanding of live playing, was able to notice a stark contrast between them and previous bands I’ve seen.
“Heaven Iowa” was a memorable performance due to the sheer intensity of the belting in its chorus, and their hit “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down” was one of the overall highlights of the night.
The setlist was able to cater to both casual and die-hard fans, with there being enough hits played to keep the energy high, while also finding time for fan-favorite deep-cuts which may have not been played live since the tour for their album.
The acoustic set was a needed change of tempo, which came at around the halfway point of the show. The main highlight was the piano cover of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.” There was a palpable adrenaline rush as the stadium slowly recognized the opening chords and rushed to sing-along to the bonafide classic.
The band finished the show with a string of their biggest hits: “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up), “Thnks fr th Mmrs” and “Centuries.” This then led into the true show closer, “Saturday,” which is a fan-favorite off their very first album. The high this stretch of the show gave is impossible to overstate.
2ourdust felt like the culmination of Fall Out Boy’s long career of fusing pop-melodies with rock instrumentals. They are at the top of their game as performers, and their discography is stacked to an extent reflected only by that of their longtime peers in the scene.
