Fall Out Boy

The crowd might have been bigger and the energy level just a little higher if Fall Out Boy had opened their tour in Charlotte almost two months ago as originally planned. But the Chicago-based rockers didn’t disappoint the fans who held out for the postponed concert at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Wednesday night.

The whole thing was more of a mini-music festival than just a concert. At least four bands opened, including Cobra Starship, Paul Wall, The Academy Is…, and +44. The crowd, though, was there for Fall Out Boy.

‘We apologize for our lateness but we’re glad we’re here,’ bassist/lyricist Pete Wentz said, peeking out from his hoodie.

That out of the way, the band dove into an hour and 20 minutes of music. Most of the songs came from their two latest albums, but they sprinkled in a few older hits, plus a cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It‘ and a brief sample of Akon’s ‘Don’t Matter.’

Call them sell outs or entrepreneurs, there’s a simple reason this foursome has quickly risen from underground to mainstream: they know how to put together a catchy pop-punk melody. They’re not so bad at performing either.

Nearly everything about the show was strategically choreographed, starting with the band members blasting out of trapdoors up onto stage for a grand entrance. Images and lyrics projected on huge video screens were synchronized with the songs, and pyrotechnics punctuated dramatic crescendos.

Guitarist Joe Trohman and bassist Wentz were the personality of the group, with Wentz emceeing and both throwing themselves into spinning turns across the stage.

Drummer Andrew Hurley and lead singer/guitarist Patrick Stump stuck to the music. Hurley was steady and solid.

And while bassist Wentz might have earned the most heartthrob screams, Patrick was clearly the musical star. It’s incredible to hear how much his vocal tone and range has expanded since the group’s first of four albums, and watch him get into the music. If only he’d give the audience a hint of who he is between singing, instead of leaving that all to Wentz.

The audience went wild for hits ‘Sugar We’re Goin Down’ (2005’s ‘From Under the Cork Tree’), and ‘Hum Hallelujah,’ ‘This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race,’ and ‘Thnks fr th mmrs,’ (Thanks for the memories) from this year’s ‘Infinity on High.’

Fans were too busy ogling Wentz and Trohman, who had sneakily slipped onto a platform in the middle of the audience during ‘Dance, Dance’ to follow that command. But they did try to sing along to most of the radio hits, despite the difficulty of following the cryptic lyrics and Stump’s sometimes unusual pronunciation. They also obliged earlier when Wentz encouraged them to start moshing.

‘We designed this song specifically for mosh pits,’ he said, grinning. ‘So if you’re in row 47, seat D, start your mosh pit right now.’

A few gags were a little over the top or juvenile — like the time Wentz made a show of changing into — surprise, a different colored hoodie — in a silhouetted chamber to the side of the tiered stage. (In the end, drummer Hurley was shirtless the longest, without the fuss.) Or having a crew member do push-ups throughout the duration of song. Or having an emcee take fastballs to the chest.

Aside from these things, the band showed off just how much they’ve matured and diversified musically in their last album. They left the crowd wanting more, in a blaze of sparks and confetti.

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Fall Out Boy, Chicago, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Cobra Starship, Paul Wall, The Academy Is…, +44, Pete Wentz, Michael Jackson, Beat It, Akon, Joe Trohman, Andrew Hurley, Patrick Stump