Fall Out Boy at AFAS

Fall Out Boy, live at AFAS… How can I convey just how long I’ve waited to see these guys live?

The lights dimmed and a beautiful CG ocean popped up on the big screen with a timer in the upper right corner.

The audience didn’t even wait to start screaming. Once the timer had dropped to zero, a voluminous sheet descended and the band emerged from within.

I have three bands that I adore and would follow forever. Fall Out Boy is one of them. I can trace my personal history with them to the song to my high school days. That’s when Sugar, We’re Goin Down literally pulled me out of a bad break up.

Allow me to ramble a bit about my past.

Growing up in America was a strange time for me. I grew up in a household of immigrants who were in the last stages of their marriage. My earlier childhood days consisted of songs from the 1960’s and 1970’s. I didn’t know much outside of those melodies. Most of them were happy and carefree. The moods trickled into my own emotions. If I was depressed about my home life, I could listen to happy music and cure myself.

After leaving middle school I finally began to listen to my own taste in music instead of the oldies my parents played. I think in part it was the internet that opened these doors to me. Two of those bands have stayed with me until now. The third came in a few years ago but that’s a story for another time.

Fall Out Boy’s newest album MANIA made its debut earlier this year and I’ve never been more in enamored. Many of the songs speak of love in its purest form and how often self sabotage rolls into the picture. That’s what MANIA is all about. The whimsical hums and the heart smashing revelations that come with love. MANIA is how to err is human.

The energy was so high for each and every song. Voices rose up and belted out tunes as the band raced from one song to the next. Small breaks where had in between for Patrick Stump, the lead vocalist, to get ready if he needed to. A few songs had a piano and he needed to prepare himself for that.

In those breaks, Pete Wentz, the bassist, spoke to the audience like he was chatting up old friends. He shared a small story with the audience about his son. His son was young and has acknowledgement of how the world perceived him. He was is own person, blind to the pressures of life.

“I wish it was something we had as adults…” Wentz then reconsidered and corrected his words. “As teenagers.”

We later heard on the radio that the audience was much younger than they had anticipated… I believe they were thinking there would be adults but the teens outnumbered us! Wentz went on to say that it would be so nice if we could look in the mirror and just feel good about being ourselves because in the end… We usually end up standing in our own way of achieving something great.

In the middle of the performance, drummer Andy Hurley, rose up on a platform in the middle of the audience for his drum solo. It was so epic, I can’t even find the words to describe it. It carried the beats of several various songs and most of them were so recognizable that people started singing with the beat.

A second platform rose up from the crowd with Wentz on top so that the middle of hall became the stage.

I was so thankful for the use of the TV monitors on both sides of the stage. The Dutch are super tall and since this venue was filled, we were further back for this show than we were in the Paramore one. It was much harder to see over the heads and hands waving but with the TVs in place, I could see just fine.

The night was one I’ll remember forever. I’ve waited so long to see these boys on stage and the time has finally come. What I thought was funny, was when the band left… And the space where the audience screams “ENCORE”… The Dutch had no idea… There was screaming and cheering but I suppose these guys have never seen an American show where the typical response is the classic “encore” chant. Needless to say, I laughed.

I do wish that we could bring cameras into AFAS though. I hate the quality my phone has because it’s so old… but there’s not much I can do about that.

Streams shot confetti into the air at the finale of the show. It was a breathtaking experience. I can’t wait until these guys come back to Amsterdam and AFAS. I’m hoping this will be in a few years with another new and spectacular album out. It’s so good to see that even after all these years… These boys are having so much fun. They too, have had their heart aches and troubled history. In the end, all we can do is turn our faces to the sun and push forward. It’s albums like MANIA that allows me to do just that.