Fall Out Boy & Plain White T’s Return: Homecoming Dance, Dance

Allstate Arena – Rosemont, IL, United States – October 20, 2007
By Terra Cooney


It was homecoming night on Saturday, October 20, 2007, for two Chicago-bred bands that made it big on the international music scene. A sold-out crowd was drawn to Allstate Arena to "Dance, Dance" with Fall Out Boy and drape themselves in the sounds of Plain White T's. As long-time fans of these artists, the Chicago kids were psyched to see them on a much larger stage than those from back in the days before TRL, late night television, and award shows. The two groups of friends stopped in, accompanied by Gym Class Heroes and Cute Is What We Aim For. The bands, both from New York, sweetened up the bill for The Young Wild Things Tour and were accepted with open arms.

The Cute Is What We Aim For boys were right on mark as they warmed up the eager fans with their set. The floor was packed and the seats of the arena filled up quickly as people trickled in. Next, the Plain White T's wore confidence on their sleeves while getting comfortable in the venue that had, in the past, been more familiar to them from the other side of the stage. They pleased the screaming fans even prior to setting foot on stage, with a banner bearing their name spread across as a backdrop. The shrieking grew more deafening as the lights dimmed and the stage turned purple from the lights. Tom Higgenson, lead singer of the T's stepped onto the stage bellowing "Chicago!" before launching into the lyrics from "Hate (I Really Don't Like You)" off of the CD Every Second Counts. The hits continued with their latest single, "Our Time Now," and of course, the song of the summer, "Hey There Delilah."

Gym Class Heroes brought splashes of color as loud and energetic as their music was. Lead singer, Travis McCoy, showed off his beat boxing skills and his matrix dance moves, and the group covered an Arctic Monkey's song, all before the switch back to another hometown band. In preparation for Fall Out Boy's performance, the stage transformed behind a big black curtain. The main act launched into "Sugar, We're Going Down" before the curtain tumbled to the ground, revealing a stage set that looked much like a cartoon version of the inside of a child's room. The production value was definitely taken up a notch with explosions of flames periodically shooting up on either side of drummer Andrew Hurley. A constant video stream ran behind the guys, bringing the excitement to a new level while the crowd responded by jumping around and singing along. The band members were vigorous on stage--Hurley beat the drums atop a raised platform, in front of which bassist Pete Wentz rolled around on the floor with his guitar. Wentz addresses the Chicago crowd, expressing his excitement to be home, remembering other acts he had seen in that same room and how "insane" it was to him to be playing Allstate now. The band struck chords with the crowd as they played many favorites including "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More 'Touch Me'" and "The Carpel Tunnel Of Love," among others. "Thnks fr th Mmrs" and "Dance, Dance" were among some of the last songs they performed, and then they went out with a bang. The band promoted the cause for the group Invisible Children, covered "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers, wished everyone a Happy Sweetest Day, and sang "Happy Birthday" to vocalist Patrick Stump's girlfriend. The show was filled with one pleasure after another, right through to the confetti-filled closing.

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