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| A photo I took when Fall Out Boy were playing in Manchester 2015. |
I'm one of those people who purposely doesn't check online for concert tickets. In fact I avoid ticket websites like the plague because I know what I'm like. I'd see that numerous bands were touring in my area, want to buy tickets to see all of them and end up disappointed when I couldn't afford even one ticket... *sighs*
Fall Out Boy were one of four bands that opened up an entire new world of music, fashion and culture to me. From the ripe old age of about nine or ten, ever since I first heard their Infinity on High album, I've been hooked on the band who also introduced me to the other rock bands that I listen to today.
When I was asked by a girl, who works for an online music publication, who also happens to be on my uni course, if I wanted to see Fall Out Boy, I died a tiny bit inside (okay, maybe a lot).
I met up with Melissa outside the Manchester Arena where the queue to get in was already huge and with the temperature already dropping, standing outside in the cold and dark was somewhere I really did not want to be. Luckily for us Melissa has special powers (she was on the guest list ;) ) which allowed us to skip the queue completely and get inside out of the cold. I could see a few people looking at us as when we were told to use a different entrance to everybody else. I think people thought we must have been related to the band members or something which made me feel weirdly important, even though I'm not.
After a toilet trip we paid a visit to the bar where Melissa bought a small bottle of wine and I bought a Strongbow, just to keep things classy... We then took our seats and much to my delight we were actually sat really close to the stage.
We sat down as Matt and Kim, an extremely lively, American duo were playing. In all honesty their music and levels of energy were too much for me but I can't lie and say I didn't find Kim's crowd-surf-twerk (I think she may have invented this) absolutely hilarious. I managed to capture it on camera so check out the video I'm going to link at the bottom of this post if you're interested in seeing that. Their energy is something I'm certainly envious of and could probably use on the days I have to get up really early in order to get to uni.
Love getting to play for all of you! #falloutboytour #Manchester pic.twitter.com/9iLYx1KinW
— MATT and KIM (@mattandkim) October 9, 2015
Up next was Professor Green and I know what you're all thinking - what was he doing at a Fall Out Boy concert? I thought the exact same thing when I saw he was playing. I was pleasantly surprised though; myself and the people around me seemingly knew all the lyrics to every song. It was bizarre to see so many scene kids singing along to Read All About It and everyone genuinely enjoying each and every song. I know it probably sounds really weird but I was expecting people to be totally disinterested and even kick up a fuss as Fall Out Boy and Professor Green couldn't be any more different from one another. Everyone sang along, waved their arms in the air and held their hands out to touch Professor Green's hand as he ran up and down the length of the stage at the barrier.
This is one of the things that I love about this community - how tolerant and welcoming people are even if people are totally different to you. I know almost indefinitely that if Fall Out Boy were to play in front of an audience who enjoyed more mainstream music, the reception would not be quite so loving and welcoming.
After another bar stop Fall Out Boy opened their set with with an absolute classic if I do say so myself, Sugar, We're Goin Down. I was so thankful that the band played songs from various albums, both old and new. It made the night even more special for me as although I've been a Fall Out Boy fan for many years, I'd never seen them live. It meant that I could experience hearing songs such as This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race and Thnks fr th Mmrs live as well as songs from their newer albums.
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| Pete Wentz playing with the band in Manchester 2015. Photo taken by me. |
Half way through their performance, (I'm assuming it was about half way through as I was quite drunk at this point) the band moved to a stage in the centre of the arena to play a mini acoustic set consisting of two songs, Immortals and Young Volcanoes. Everyone held their phone torches and lighters up in the air, creating such a beautiful atmosphere. I'd even go as far as saying it was breath taking.
Fall Out Boy then moved back onto the main stage where they played the remainder of the concert and of course their encore.
I had such a fantastic night seeing the band perform live and I wouldn't hesitate in the slightest to go and see them again. From the music, to the people, to the overall atmosphere I felt such a strong sense of belonging (even though I don't have crazy coloured hair like a lot of the fans). Previous concerts had put me off going to see bands live because either the atmosphere had been atrocious, the music had been disappointing or the fans had just been downright rude but it's safe to say that this night has made me want to see bands live again.
