Gym Class Heroes

Fall Out Boy / Midtown / Gym Class Heroes: live in Chicagolive in Chicago (2004)
Island Records

Reviewer Rating: 3.5

Contributed by: jamespastepunkjamespastepunk
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on January 4th 2005Fall 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 firs.

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.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

Anonymous (March 12, 2006)

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/ .

Anonymous (November 8, 2005)

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.

Anonymous (January 10, 2005)

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.

Anonymous (January 10, 2005)

a sailboat is a schooner dummy.

-WNB
jd

Anonymous (January 10, 2005)

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

krankykirk (January 8, 2005)

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.

Anonymous (January 8, 2005)

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

maverick (January 8, 2005)

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

-Scott

Anonymous (January 7, 2005)

"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.

Anonymous (January 7, 2005)

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).

Anonymous (January 7, 2005)

"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

-oggie- (January 7, 2005)

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.

Anonymous (January 7, 2005)

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.

Anonymous (January 7, 2005)

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

FYI: Whoop-de-frickin-do.

Anonymous (January 6, 2005)

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

jamespastepunk (January 6, 2005)

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

Anonymous (January 6, 2005)

"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.

Anonymous (January 6, 2005)

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

Joe

Anonymous (January 6, 2005)

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

Anonymous (January 5, 2005)

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.

Anonymous (January 5, 2005)

...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?

8dollarclarinetsolo (January 5, 2005)

"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?

Anonymous (January 5, 2005)

"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.

Anonymous (January 5, 2005)

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.

Anonymous (January 5, 2005)

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

Anonymous (January 5, 2005)

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.

Anonymous (January 5, 2005)

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.

Anchors (January 5, 2005)

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.