Fall Out Boy—The Lawn at White River State Park—Indianapolis, Indiana—May 15, 2009Moderate rainfall did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd at the Indianapolis stop of the Believers Never Die Part Deux tour. In fact, it's rained so much on the outdoor stops on this tour that Pete Wentz of headliner act Fall Out Boy has pronounced it cursed, and my concert buddy has christened it Believers Never Stay Dry.
About 4,000 fans swarmed the Lawn as the show opened under cloudy but so-far dry skies with Hey Monday. Cassadee Pope’s energy pulled this band along, and the acoustics were much more suited to her voice than they have been at other venues. Highlights of the four-song set included Candles, a lovely acoustic turn, as well as a surprise visit from Wentz at the microphone.
All Time Low followed with another short, high-energy set. The Maryland foursome put in a solid show, though front man Alex Gaskarth’s between-song patter, while amusing, seemed overly obscene for the largely teenage audience.
The skies opened up as Cobra Starship took the stage, but that didn’t stop Gabe Saporta and company from whipping the audience into a bouncing, dancing, fangs-up frenzy. Few seemed to mind the rain as Starship treated the audience to a fun set that included “Guilty Pleasure,” new track “Pete Wentz is the Only Reason We’re Famous,” and of course the song that got Cobra started in the first place, “Snakes on a Plane.”
Metro Station, with front man Trace Cyrus, proved the low spot of the evening. After Saporta’s genuinely enthusiastic performance and heartfelt appreciation of the audience, Cyrus’ indulgent banter felt forced. And strangely inaccurate, since his comment about the rain not letting up was delivered after a good half-hour of dry skies following Cobra’s set. Even his persistent swearing felt too much like an attempt to be “cool.” The music itself was bland and uninspired.
Headliner Fall Out Boy opened with a somewhat awkward but endearing political statement featuring a video introduction and costuming that saw the entire band wearing business suits and lead vocalist Patrick Stump wearing a platinum blond wig that didn’t want to stay where it belonged. The comments on corporate greed and control fit well with the overall theme of their latest album, Folie a Deux, but wasn’t preachy enough to annoy.
After an introductory set, a short, amusing video intermission saw Wentz poking fun at himself while the band changed costumes, emerging in uniform jackets. The video screens, set up in segments beneath and around Andy Hurley’s drum set, added nice artistic touches to the show, but were particularly effective during “What a Catch, Donnie.” Video “cameos” featured most of the guest artists who appear on the album track, including Brendon Urie (Panic at the Disco) singing from bed and William Beckett (The Academy Is…) in a bathtub proved a big crowd-pleaser (especially Beckett in the bathtub).
Fall Out Boy’s show overall showcased songs from Folie a Deux, but also included old favorites like “Sugar, We’re Going Down”, “Thnks fr th Mmrs,” “A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More ‘Touch Me’,” and “Dance Dance.” Highlights included “Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet,” which showcased Stump’s stellar vocal range, and the aforementioned “What a Catch, Donnie.” Fall Out Boy closed the show with “Saturday,” much to the delight of the crowd.
Best known in some circles as the touring keyboardist for Panic(!) at the Disco, Eric Ronick is a skilled musician and vocalist in his own right. Along with Than Luu on percussion and guitars, Ronick fronts Black Gold, whose debut album, Rush, dropped back in February.
