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Epitaph Records -- Millencolin

Fall Out Boy sold out this show about a month and a half in advance, and I should not have been surprised that come doors, the line stretched around the Metro to the point where you could see the front of the line from the back, through the bar and next to the Metro.

Gym Class Heroes came up first. I’m sure you’re aware they’re the hip-hop group on Fueled by Ramen. So was the crowd, and, okay, we were skeptical. Before I say anything else, I have to give props to a hip-hop group opening a punk rock show because there’s little crossover in the fans, and it's gotta be tough. Truth be told, Gym Class Heroes performed fabulously. I’m not a hip-hop fan, so I couldn’t tell you if they were good technically, but I had a prodigious amount of fun. The emcee really was an emcee (a master of ceremonies). He kept our attention between songs, and was genuinely a likeable character. I’ll probably never buy a CD, but you can bet I’ll be singing the praises of the Gym Class Heroes to anyone who will listen. If they’re on a tour that you’re going to anyway, go early. You’ll have fun, and who cares about scene points?

I purposely skipped The Academy Is. The mainly teenage girl crowd seemed to have fun, though.

Ah, Midtown. I hadn’t seen Midtown in a real show since 2002 (I’m assuming Q101’s shindig with the Lostprophets does not count here), so I was interested on how they’d play since Forget What You Know had come out. At first, it didn’t look good. Gabe looked like Jake Bannon minus the tattoos; bullimic, perhaps. Unlike their radio show performance, the band sounded less contrived, and much tighter musically. Put simply, THEY BROUGHT THE FUCKING ROCK. They came back at the top of their game, putting everything they had into their 45-minute set. The Midtown I knew and loved two years ago may be gone, but the spark of their energy burns on. I thought they lost it after the radio show, but I’m so glad to be wrong. The songs off of Forget What You Know sound much better live than on record, so please, lend them your ears.

Yes, that was a Monty Python reference.

Here’s where I lose whatever shred of credibility I may have left: I had fun watching Fall Out Boy’s set. The positive energy, as so many of their diehard, foaming at the mouth fans have reported, is indeed infectious. You can’t help but smile as they play, you can’t help but sing along to choruses, and with so much scenester bullshit, it's great to see a fun group for FUN. I’m going to call a spade a spade here: Fall Out Boy is a very talented pop-punk group. Nothing more, nothing less. You’ve heard Fall Out Boy before, somewhere, I’m sure. But if you like it, by all means, go.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that fuck is used gratuitously, and if you’re sick and tired of every other word being an obscenity at shows, you’ll be hearing a lot of fucking drivel. I’m paraphrasing slightly, but here’s the bassist: “Fuck yeah! Thank you so fucking much Chicago, this means the fucking world to us!”

More bad news is that girls who probably should stop purging themselves or morbidly obese girls will be the only ones at the Fall Out Boy show with you. Well, that and guys trying to pick up said girls. So, the crowd is going to suck.

All things considered, my ticket price was covered by the quality of the groups performing.

Oddities:

  • Onstage, Pete (the bassist) announced that Fall Out Boy’s new CD would be in stores May 3rd, and that they would be on the Warped Tour.
  • Brendan Kelly of the Lawrence Arms was at the show, helping out with moving equipment.
  • The emcee of the Gym Class Heroes said that one of the lines off of their new record went like this: "They say we won’t fit into the indie scene because our dicks won’t fit into girls jeans."
  • Currently in the “thought” process is a Midtown headlining tour where they play only requests. Rob said it would come in April 2005, but was only in the “thought” stage, saying it was still all in his head. No details have been set.




People who liked this also liked:
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    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 12, 2006 at 9:32 PM (EST)

    Hey everyone, I saw them at the concert and really like them, so for all of you that like Gym Class Hereos, check out their video premiere at www.mtvu.com and also check out them on the hot seat at http://www.mtvu.com/music/the_hot_seat/ .

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, November 8, 2005 at 9:05 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    im like so glad you dudes live in chicago i live in chicago in darien im olivia and i love you guys mostly patrick stump.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 10, 2005 at 11:42 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    what is it with pop punk bands and cursing live? i mean i dont care about swearing but it sounds funny when someone says "fuck" every other word. i saw the starting line once (not the band i was there for, believe me) and they did the same thing.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 10, 2005 at 8:55 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    a sailboat is a schooner dummy.

    -WNB
    jd

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 10, 2005 at 9:37 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    midtown's new album sucks, but i'll believe you that their live show is still fun/tight. i saw them enough prior to their new shitty album to have skipped their last few shows. 'living well' is sucha great pop punk album. the new one is like shitty jimmy eat world or something.

    falloutboy are good live for what they are. yea they are pretty cliche and rip off saves the day/TBS pretty hardcore but what can ya do? that opening song on their cd is pretty damn perfect for pop punk.

    saying fuck is cool

    paul

    Posted by krankykirk on 2005-01-08 17:59:51
    My Score:

    i own this cd. i even enjoy some of the songs, but its not fucking original. just because you like it, that doesnt make it orginal.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, January 8, 2005 at 5:09 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    If you want Indie and Hip Hop combined, look into the Go Team.

    Posted by maverick on 2005-01-08 01:50:18
    My Score:

    FYI: It's a sailboat, not a schooner.

    -Scott

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 7, 2005 at 7:50 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    "motion city soundtrack is overrated? nobody else sounds like them. they are unmatched in originality, uniqueness, and charisma. their live show is off the hook. "

    MCS is one of my favorite bands right now, but dude, you should pick up "designing a nervous breakdown" by the anniversary.... Then realize how wrong you are, and i'm not even mentioning get up kids first 2 cd's.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 7, 2005 at 7:36 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Go back to AP.net
    ----------------------
    Would someone please explain why so many people seem to hate AP.net on this site? There's got to be a reason. It's not like it's a rivalry since no one on AP.net talks shit about punknews (nobody is exageration, but it's punknews isn't insulted regularly).

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 7, 2005 at 5:48 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    "that should be a wicked concet. i saw fall out boy, taking back sunday, matchbook romance, and a thorn for every heart in duluth last octiber. i really liked it. fall out boydoes an awesome job so that concert should be was good."

    Go back to AP.net

    Posted by -oggie- on 2005-01-07 11:58:02
    My Score:

    that should be a wicked concet. i saw fall out boy, taking back sunday, matchbook romance, and a thorn for every heart in duluth last octiber. i really liked it. fall out boydoes an awesome job so that concert should be was good.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 7, 2005 at 11:39 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Fuck Gym Class Heroes. That is not hip-hop. It's a pathetic attempt to mix "indie" with hip-hop. Same with Mel Gibson and the Pants. It's all shit. It will never hold a candle to Wu-Tang.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 7, 2005 at 1:34 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    "FYI: It's a moog, not a keyboard."

    FYI: Whoop-de-frickin-do.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 6, 2005 at 11:27 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    the get up kids and motion city soundtrack have about as much in common as ashlee simpson and mariah carey.

    Posted by primeevil7 on 2005-01-06 22:46:39
    My Score:

    FYI: It's a moog, not a keyboard.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 6, 2005 at 4:58 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    "motion city soundtrack is overrated? nobody else sounds like them. they are unmatched in originality, uniqueness, and charisma. their live show is off the hook. "

    for the sake of everything good in the world, i fucking hope your joking. they sound like every other pop rock band except *gasp* they have a keyboard (or whatever the fuck they have). wait, didnt the get up kids already make this sound?either way, they are FAR from original.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 6, 2005 at 4:04 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Is it just me or have Midtown somehow managed to get increasingly worse?

    Joe

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 6, 2005 at 3:23 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    the academy is a pop punk band with uninspiring lyrics and hooks that have been done a million times before. as a wise man once said, congradulations. you're mediocre.

    motion city soundtrack is overrated? nobody else sounds like them. they are unmatched in originality, uniqueness, and charisma. their live show is off the hook.

    www.youhavebadtasteinmusic.com

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 at 11:11 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Screw you all. The Acedemy Is was the best band at the Motion City show. Motion City, whop, by the way, is one of the most overrated bands. I left. Thats how boring they were.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 at 9:51 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    ...and Fall Out Boy is going to blow the fuck UP in 2005. like it or not, they'll be MTV darlings come June.

    How can Fall Out Boy be MTV darlings...if they are uglier than Freddy Krugger?

    Posted by 8dollarclarinetsolo on 2005-01-05 18:19:39
    My Score:

    "They say we won’t fit into the indie scene because our dicks won’t fit into girls jeans."

    priceless. gym class hereos are the next j5.


    so they suck?

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 at 3:37 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    "They say we won’t fit into the indie scene because our dicks won’t fit into girls jeans."

    priceless. gym class hereos are the next j5.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 at 9:52 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    I'm pretty sure that Brendan works at Metro, I saw him doing load ins at the Jimmy Eat World show back in September and at the Hot Water gig in November.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 at 9:26 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    fall out boy. midtown. boys in girls jeans. white belts. not a dry eye in the house. sounds like 2004 is spilling into 2005. fantastic.

    at least i'll save money on records.

    WNB
    -jd

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 at 4:20 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    no way, man. the pixies tribute was pretty flawless.

    imagine how midtown must feel opening up for fall out boy. that's some funny shit. chumps.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 at 2:52 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Midtown brings the rock?????????? Even back in their hayday they didnt bring the rock. They actually sucked very badly live.

    You suck at life and should be shot numerous times in the face for even bothering to post this review. You suck.

    Posted by Anchors on 2005-01-05 02:09:26
    My Score:

    I'm not sure if it was on a tribute or not, but let us not forget their (FallOutBoy) destruction of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart."

    I still haven't forgiven them for that.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 at 11:44 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    as a rule, tribute albums suck anyway...with or without fallout boy

    Posted by hey_sailor on 2005-01-04 22:56:53
    My Score:

    Is anyone else sick of Fall Out Boy ruining every single tribute album this side of the millenium? I mean seriously guys you aren't anywhere near the playing level of Jawbreaker or The Police so why embarass yourselves by trying and failing miserably? Thanks for making sure I can't enjoy tribute albums enough to purchase them anymore...assholes...

    Posted by blaubs21 on 2005-01-04 18:46:17
    My Score:

    The Gym Class Heroes make me happy...

    ...and Fall Out Boy is going to blow the fuck UP in 2005. like it or not, they'll be MTV darlings come June.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 at 4:55 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Gym Class Heroes are wasted on a tour like this. Here would be the jizz of all tours. Gym Class Heroes and Atmosphere playing 45 minute sets, Then Gym Class Heroes would back Cody Chestnutt for an hour of smooth lovin. Next, The Roots would come perform a short set and stay on to back the jurassic five. Then HOVA (jay z) would come out and perform with abe leborial playing bass and his son playing drums. Cody Chestnutt would play guitar and there would be some jazz cat playing the rhodes / organ. Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong would instantaneously appear and solo over a fat backbeat. And Fergie from Black Eyed Peas would be giving me all kind of dirty love backstage the entire time. Linkin park, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, and Fat Mike would all be raped, pillaged and brutally murdered between sets while the crowd watched in adoration

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 at 4:37 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Brendan works at the Metro.

    Posted by FamousLastWords on 2005-01-04 16:25:46
    My Score:

    that was great..

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 at 4:22 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    these guys might be the worst band ive ever heard

    Posted by TheNightProwler on 2005-01-04 15:45:59
    My Score:

    You did a great job skipping The Academy Is, holy shit were they horrible when I saw them with Tsunami Bomb & Motion City Soundtrack.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 at 2:53 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Fall Out Boy=Most overrated pu**ies to ever attempt pop-punk. Fans must be really desperate for something to grasp onto these days...

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 at 2:52 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    score is for your taste in music.
    just because the members in a band sing fast and to a different rythm does not make it bad. open your ears and you might actually learn alot about all kinds of music

    Posted by Anchors on 2005-01-04 14:31:53
    My Score:

    Gym Class Heroes sounds like the name of a pop punk band, but so many people have been talking about them, I think I need to give them a shot.

    Posted by primeevil7 on 2005-01-04 14:20:20
    My Score:

    IMMATURE! That's the word I was going for, thanks!

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 at 1:55 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Man, you have bad taste in music.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 at 1:40 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    "The bad news is that fuck is used gratuitously, and if you’re sick and tired of every other word being an obscenity at shows, you’ll be hearing a lot of fucking drivel. I’m paraphrasing slightly, but here’s the bassist: “Fuck yeah! Thank you so fucking much Chicago, this means the fucking world to us!”

    eeeexacly...i saw them while i was at the summerfest encore festival a few months back, and it was pretty horrifying how they were throwing around the F-word when there were small children with parents wandering around, not even watching the band...i'm no prude, but it was pretty immature

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 at 12:57 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    score is for brendan kelly, thought its pretty weird he'd be at a show like that. you'd think from his interviews he'd be avoiding a fallout boy show.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 at 12:42 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    midtown should seriously give it up. no pun intended. theyre done. toast!

    Posted by Costanza on 2005-01-04 12:24:26
    My Score:

    Midtown opening for fallout boy? Oh how the mighty have fallen.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 at 11:53 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Brendan from Lawrence Arms was there? How odd.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 at 11:39 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    yes, but what was monty python referring to? you kids are so ignorant.