Fall Out Boy keeps fans glowing over Fall break

Online Poster

Online Poster

By Evangeline Politis

The Fall Out Boy lyric “there’s a light on in Chicago and I know I should be home,” was the calling for thousands of students the moment classes got out on Friday, Nov. 18.

But the fans of the suburban Chicago band felt differently. They stayed in Champaign-Urbana in order to watch the four musicians perform at Assembly Hall on Saturday, Nov. 19.

“I thought the concert was amazing,” said Jamie Samson, junior in LAS and a Fall Out Boy fan for the last three years. “All five bands performed really well. I mean, a concert with five amazing bands, how can you really go wrong?”

Fall Out Boy toured the entire summer on the Vans’ Warped Tour and had taken an offer to headline the Nintendo Fusion Tour. They visited Champaign on the tour accompanied by Panic! At the Disco, Boys Night Out, Motion City Soundtrack and The Starting Line.

Panic! At the Disco, a band out of Las Vegas on the same label as Fall Out Boy, played first. After their short set, they were followed by Boys Night Out.

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“I think all the bands performed really well though, even Boys Night Out and Panic! at the Disco, who were only on for about 30 minutes put on a great show,” Samson said.

Motion City Soundtrack performed afterwards. The band was brought here last year by StarCourse and preformed at the Courtyard Caf‚ in the Illini Union.

They also joined Fall Out Boy on the Warped Tour this summer and included Patrick Stump, the lead singer of Fall Out Boy, in the background of their new album “Commit This To Memory.”

“It is amazing to see how far they have come since their gig at Courtyard,” said Sara Prokup, sophomore in LAS, who saw Motion City Soundtrack on the Nintendo Fusion Tour and last year at the Illini Union.

The Starting Line, a quartet from Pennsylvania, was the last opening act for the night. The band preformed in Urbana last March with Further Seems Forever, Days Away and JamisonParker at the Canopy Club.

“I think my favorite of the night was The Starting Line, mainly because I knew most of their songs and I really enjoy their music,” Samson said.

Fall Out Boy finally took the stage after all four acts. Each of the four members of the band comes from a northern suburb of Chicago.

Pete Wentz, the bassist and songwriter for the band, hails from Wilmette, IL and attended New Trier Township High School along with Samson.

“I didn’t know him personally, but one of my close friends is family friends with him,” Samson said.

Patrick Stump, lead singer of the band, comes from the neighboring suburb of Glenview and attended Glenbrook South High School.

“I couldn’t believe it when I heard that he was in Fall Out Boy,” said Jamie Rudman, sophomore in LAS and a native of Glenview. “My friend had been raving about the band for the past month and then I realized that it was the same Patrick Stump that had preformed in my high school’s Variety Show.”

Andy Hurley, drummer, and Joe Trohman, lead guitarist, both come from surrounding suburbs as well.

Many suburbanites are proud of the band’s home. Fans proudly wear t-shirts saying, “Fall Out Boy is for lovers! Chicago soft core” with an image of the state of Illinois and star denoting the location of Chicago.

But Samson denies this is reason why she likes the band.

“I’d say their origin is what introduced me to the band, not necessarily what drew me towards it, Samson said. “Once I heard them, I liked the music, not necessarily just the fact that they’re from the area.”