Live Review : Fall Out Boy w/ Trial Kennedy & Avalon Drive

Fall Out Boy w/ Trial Kennedy & Avalon Drive 

Wednesday March 7th 2007 @ Vodafone Arena (Melbourne) 

I was one of 8,000 people that descended on Vodafone Arena to see the love em or hate em Fall Out Boy. While waiting outside the venue for some friends I think it's safe to say I was one of a handful of people over the age of 15 at this show.

Feeling like a senior citizen is always a good way to start the evening but regardless of the average tenure of the audience, I was siked for this show.

Kicking off proceedings was Brisbane pop - rock heroes Avalon Drive. AD have been lucky enough to land some really big supports in recent months - Yellowcard and The Veronicas to name two - and it's this experience on a larger stage which has given AD the ability to really perform in an arena setting.

Their sound was well received and as a support band, AD definitely did their job. To say the crowd was warmed up for Trial Kennedy and Fall Out Boy would be an understatement given that there were a bunch of hyperactive kids screaming at the band for photos and autographs afterwards. Great way to start the night!

Trial Kennedy were up next and they showed everyone in Vodafone why they deserved to be playing such a massive tour. TK's mix of driving beats, rock guitar and almost operatic vocals was made for venues this size.

TK have a much more traditional rock sound compared to a lot of acts flooding the market these days - and it's this classic approach to song writing that will see Trial Kennedy still releasing albums well into the next decade. TK definitely have the potential to become one of Australia's classic rock bands.

Too often do our American counterparts let us down and put on a 2nd rate live performance, but Fall Out Boy are one band who know how to put on a show. Walking on stage to the Kanye West remix of "This Ain't A Scene, its An Arms Race" the applause was ear splitting.

Opening with "Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued" and following up with "Of All The Gin Joints In The World", the night was off to an energetic start.

When a band hasn't toured a country before they tend to rely on material from their most recent release, however FOB were smart enough to know that their Australian fans have been champing at the bit to songs from "Take This To Your Grave". The set boasted a healthy mix of old and new, including songs such as "Dance, Dance", "Sugar We're Going Down", "I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy...", "Grand Theft Autumn" (although I was a little annoyed they didn't play "Dead On Arrival") right through to songs off the recently released "Infinity On High".

The massive production job that FOB was given on "Infinity On High" was successfully pulled off in the live setting, with tracks such as "Satisfaction" and "Thriller" sounding absolutely massive. As expected, lead single "This Ain't A Scene..." had the crowd at breaking point and "Thriller" (or Car Crash Hearts as it's printed on some copies of "Infinity On High") ensured the crowd was pogoing like their little lives depended on it.

I was a little surprised that the rest of FOB exited the stage and vocalist Patrick Stump performed the almost ballad-esque "How Cruel" on his own. To his credit, the track sounded amazing in the live setting and it was good to see at least a few kids raise their lighters.

Closing the set with "Saturday" (from "Take This To Your Grave") was a great way to end the night. With Pete Wentz passing his bass playing duties over to a member of the FOB road crew it freed him up to sing in the crowd - something that the kids at the front were definitely hanging for.

As I mentioned earlier, FOB definitely know how to put on a great live show. While the songs were a little sloppy, the high levels of energy and crowd participation made for a great night. The mid set intermission involving the FOB road crew and a cricket bat was a nice touch (albeit a cheesy one) and made for a great evening of entertainment.

My hat goes off to all involved.