Fall Out Boy covers David Allan Coe in Nashville show. Here are the night's top moments
On Easter Sunday, Fall Out Boy hit the stage at a packed Bridgestone Arena clad in blacks and grays, ready to stomp, kick, belt and scream. And scream they did.
The rock band, known for their pop-punk and alternative-emo flair, stopped in Nashville as part of their "So Much For (2our) Dust Tour," an extension of their 2023 run in support of their latest record, "So Much Stardust," their eighth studio album.
The band is best known for hits "Centuries," "Thnks fr th Mmrs" and "Sugar, We're Goin Down."
They kicked off the second leg of their tour in February in Portland, Ore., and hit cities in Texas, Florida, New York and more before making their way down to Music City.
Nashville is one of the final stops for the band who will have played 75 shows on their "Dust" tours; Nashvillians showed out for the band.
The arena was full of fans donning combat boots, black clothing, thick eyeliner and colorful hair.
The show began early with the first two openers CARR and Hot Mulligan. Jimmy Eat World followed, a rock band known for songs "The Middle" and "Sweetness."
And then, the members of Fall Out Boy entered.
Fall Out Boy's vocalist Patrick Stump told the crowd he was on day three of battling a flu-like illness, but his singing voice showed no signs of weakness.
Stump's vocals held power with soaring belts and his familiar piercing, punk quality. Stump, who has been called one of the best voices in pop-punk, lived up to it at his Nashville show.
Lead guitarist Joe Trohman impressed with soaring guitar riffs and extreme precision on songs "Uma Thurman," the bands cover of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" and hit "Thnks fr th Mmrs."
Drummer Andy Hurley took to the stage shirtless, but thoroughly covered in tattoos, as flames shot up around him. Bassist Pete Wentz rocked a hoodie even in the midst of the heat emanating from his flame-shooting electric bass.
Wentz, also the band's lyricist (and some would say the frontman), kept his usual deadpan rockstar demeanor throughout the show as he jammed, but would occasionally step up to the mic to give one of his famous growly and aggressive screams.
Over a two hour show, Fall Out Boy took the crowd through a combination of hits from their catalogue, showcasing songs from different chapters of their 23 years together as a band.
The audience was just as eager to sing along to the recent 2023 songs as they were the 2005 hits, showing a crowd that went beyond loyal fans. They were a cult following.
Here are some highlight's from Fall Out Boy's Easter show in Nashville.
Smoke, fire, magic and more...
Fall Out Boy started out the night with their new song "Love From the Other Side" while the crowd yelled and strobe lights flashed.
Fireworks burst in line with the song's beats as Stump sang, "Love from the other side of the apocalypse / And I just about snapped / Don't look back / Every lover's got a little dagger in their hand."
Fireballs and columns of flames ignited during song "The Phoenix" and even Wentz's bass was ablaze while smoke poured over the stage.
But that's not where the visual spectacle ended. For the whole evening, the band leaned into a whimsical but dark, almost Tim Burton-like aesthetic fueled by puppets, magic tricks and sets that changed every few songs.
During "Uma Thurman," the stage was covered with giant cacti and a desert backdrop. A human-sized moving snail danced in the background while a man dressed in a bunny suit hopped around the stage and bowed down to the band.
Bassist Wentz invited the bunny to stage onstage for another song, adding that he was supposed to leave after one song, but since it was "kind of his day" on Easter Sunday, he could stick around.
During "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race," a giant Doberman's head appeared, seemingly controlled by a puppeteer with a rope.
The dog was more than just display. Stump approached it and sang the chorus, the dog's mouth opened and mouthed along to the song as the crowd chanted the lyrics, "This ain't a scene, it's a goddamn arms race."
The visual extravaganza continued. After "So Much (for) Stardust," Wentz performed a spoken word piece from "Baby Annihilation" standing on top of a grand piano.
At the song's conclusion, he threw a curtain in the air and seemingly vanished into space.
Wentz later reappeared on a column in the middle of the Bridgestone crowd, where he was escorted by guards through the audience during the song "20 Dollar Nosebleed." Wentz continued to play his bass throughout the entire ordeal.
Stump covers classic country song, dedicates to dad
Stump hit the stage without the band for a few songs, accompanying himself on a grand piano and acoustic guitar. Wentz sauntered off stage after joking that acoustics were meant for campfire gatherings.
On the stage alone, Stump said, "It's always intimidating playing in Nashville 'cause all these musicians. Everybody's a musician here. Everybody's pretty good."
"I'm from Chicago and I didn't know anything about country music growing up," he continued. "There's a lot of country music and it was all lost on me....And there was this songwriter that I loved a lot growing up and I had no idea that he apparently wrote a country song."
Humbly, he said, "So I'm gonna see how I do!" He added that he would be dedicating the song to his father for his birthday, though he wasn't in the crowd that evening.
Wentz sang "You Never Even Called Me by My Name," a song originally written by Steve Goodman—the songwriter Stump was referring to—and John Prine. The tune was more famously recorded by country singer David Allan Coe in 1975.
Stump's foray into country music in Music City was well-received as fans sang along and cheered him on. His pop-punk voice was surprisingly suited for the genre switch-up, showcasing Stump's versatility.
Stump sang, "You don't have to call me Waylon Jennings / And you don't have to call me Charlie Pride / And you don't have to call me Merle Haggard anymore / Even though you're on my fighting side."
Magic 8-Ball Song: 'Jet Pack Blues'
On their tours, Fall Out Boy surprises fans with a different song each night, a tradition they call the Magic 8-Ball song. Later shows will usually include repeats or songs that have been performed on prior tours.
The song is often an older hit or a brand new one that may not have ever been performed live. Tonight, it was right in the middle with 2015 song "Jet Pack Blues."
Stump sang, "I got those jet pack blues / Just like Judy / The kind that makes June feel like September / I'm the last one that you'll ever remember."
Following the 8-Ball song, the encore commenced.
The band performed "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)," "Thnks fr th Mmrs," their hit "Centuries" and final song "Saturday." The evening closed out with confetti bursts as Wentz grabbed people's hands in the crowd.
"'Til next time, Nashville," the band said.
Fall Out Boy's Nashville Set List
Love from the Other Side
The Phoenix
Sugar, We're Goin Down
Uma Thurman
G.I.N.A.S.F.S.
The Patron Saint of Liars and Fakes (Tour Debut)
Grand Theft Autumn / Where Is Your Boy
Calm Before the Storm
This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race
Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes
The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years)
Bang the Doldrums
Headfirst Slide into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet
Fake Out
You Never Even Called Me by My Name (Steve Goodman, David Allan Coe Cover)
Spotlight (New Regrets)
Golden
Don't Stop Me Now (Queen Cover)
So Much (for) Stardust
Baby Annihilation
20 Dollar Nosebleed
Dance, Dance
Hold Me Like a Grudge
Jet Back Blues (Magic 8 Ball Song)
Encore: My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up), Thnks fr th Mmrs, Centuries, Saturday
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Fall Out Boy rocks Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, covers David Allan Coe
