Say what you will about this band, but they sure do put on a fairly good live show. I'm usually not a major fan of this Taking Back Sunday style of emo/pop-punk/softcore/screamo/whatever-the-hell-you-want-to-call-it, but even the most mediocre bands can prove that they can perform well (The Donnas are a good example). And that's exactly what Fall Out Boy proved. I wouldn't have even gone to this show initially, but hey, I had just finished my last headache-inducing semester final, the show was only seven bucks, it was easy to get to, and I was in the mood for some rock.

The show took place at a venue called The House of Bricks, which was a good, standard place for a small rock show. No major complaints or anything. The first act was called Lil' Moby Dick and I was…confused. The group consisted of four white teenage guy Christian rappers with shockingly moronic lyrics and a terrible performance that just irritated me. Not only was their name really obvious innuendo, but they had stupid, stupid lyrics about eating pussy with Italian dressing and a song about hippos. All I did was roll my eyes during the entire set and so did everybody else. They played for way too long. Maybe the whole thing was just a joke, but I certainly didn't find it funny.

After that disaster, The Lifestyle, a local emo/pop-punk act, took stage. I saw them perform about a year ago, and their sound has definitely evolved. They seem to have lost a lot of their sugary qualities, thankfully. They were still rather generic (everything sounded like throw-away No Use for a Name, Midtown, or The Used songs), though, but still easily tolerable. They didn't last long on stage, anyway.

Up next was Fall Out Boy, who recently signed to Island Records. I really didn't know much of their material beforehand (only a couple songs I heard on a Less Than Jake sampler), but I didn't care. I just needed some generic punk to blow off some steam to. They played a solid (if a little short) set of heavy emo/punk that kept me thoroughly entertained. The new material (including a Christmas song) and the concluding performance of "Saturday" (in which one of the vocalists started climbing the rafters) were the stand-outs.

I wasn't blown away by what I saw that night, but I wasn't really disappointed either. Even though the show was nothing wholly remarkable, I still had a lot of fun, and I was convinced enough to buy myself a cheap t-shirt. I don't regret the seven bucks I spent. This was mostly just good, simple music to relieve my boredom on a cold November night with my friends. Nothing more, nothing less. Check out Fall Out Boy the next time they're in town. Or don't.