By Ariel Kohane
Staff Writer
Last Friday, fans of all ages excitedly packed into TD Garden to see Fall Out Boy in concert. As an avid fan myself, I was very excited to hear them play some of their most popular songs as well as new ones from their upcoming album, “M A N I A.” As soon as the group came on stage to perform “The Phoenix,” the arena burst into screams.
The band played amidst a background of fire effects, smoke, lights, and videos projected onto a large screen behind them. In-between songs, bassist Pete Wentz gave little “speeches,” and in one of them he praised an audience member who was raising money for Mental Health America. One of the many highlights of the show was when the musicians were hoisted fifty feet into the air on TD Garden’s iconic video scoreboard. As the concert came to a close, purple and white confetti erupted from the stage, coating the stadium in a “M A N I A”-colored snowfall. All in all, their show was nothing short of spectacular.
Hailing from Wilmette, Illinois, the four-man-band consists of drummer Andy Hurley, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, bassist Pete Wentz, and lead singer Patrick Stump. They have released six albums (“M A N I A” being their seventh) since their inception in 2001. Many people (myself included) love the band’s quirky sense of humour, fun music videos, and uniquely long song titles. Fall Out Boy has had nineteen songs hit the “Hot 100,” four of which made it into the top ten. Some of their most well-known songs are “Centuries,” “I Don’t Care,” “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs,” and “Immortals.”
“M A N I A” was set to release sometime earlier this year, but that deadline has since been pushed back. In early August, Stump shed light on the band’s decision to delay the album’s release until January of 2018. In an Instagram post, he said that he and the other members didn’t want to feel that the songs were “rushed.” Fall Out Boy wants their music to be the best it can be, and they want time to record good performances and produce a stellar new album. If their recent concert was any indication of what’s to come, I think it’s definitely worth the wait.
