The “So Much For (2our) Dust” tour featuring Fall Out Boy and Jimmy Eat World came to Oklahoma City, Okla., and left a wave of star power on everyone who attended the concert, including me. The pop-punk bands had their commanding performances at Paycom Center March 11, along with Daisy Grenade and The Maine as the opening bands for this concert.
The process of going into this event was a lot easier than I anticipated. I was able to get my ticket scanned and through security within five minutes of arriving at Paycom Center. I had two of my friends tag along with me for this experience, with one of them only knowing a couple of songs from Fall Out Boy, and none from Jimmy Eat World.
As I got into my seat, Daisy Grenade was the first band of the night and was already performing their first song. I won’t waste too much time on them, as they were the worst band I’d ever heard at a concert. The best comparison I can make of them would be Yoko Ono during her stint with John Lennon and The Beatles. Not only did they want to make my ears bleed, but they attempted to ruin one of my favorite songs by Nirvana. For their last song of the set, they did a cover of “Polly” by Nirvana. Traditionally, it is a slower-paced song played with an acoustic guitar, but Daisy Grenade made it a fast pop-rock version of the song that was hard to interpret what they were singing. Honestly, I’m mad at myself for talking about them this long.
After a bad start, The Maine came out and brought the crowd back to life with their music. Although I didn’t know any of their songs, I enjoyed their sound and the energy from their lead singer John O’Callaghan. Their style reminded me of The 1975, and the good vibes were floating around like specks of dust upon the audience. My favorite part of their set was when they pulled a fan named Brandon from their crowd and brought him to the stage. This was in the middle of their performance of “Girls Do What They Want,” where another huge surprise followed. O’Callaghan gave the microphone to Brandon, to which he finished singing the song and had better vocals than Daisy Grenade. The entire audience loved Brandon for being brave enough to go on stage and I loved that for him as well. With their performance and this fun moment, The Maine is now on my radar, and I look forward to learning more of their songs.
After having both bands open the show, it was finally time for Jimmy Eat World to perform. They had a 15-song setlist, with their third song “Sweetness,” being my favorite part from them. I definitely “sang it back” to them and was not alone in my effort as everyone was shouting from the top of their lungs. Their lead singer Jim Adkins shocked me as he sounded exactly like the studio recording of this song. This was the first surreal moment I had, with plenty more to follow as the show went on.
I didn’t remember as many of the songs from Jimmy Eat World as I would have liked, but I still enjoyed listening to their music. Toward the end of their setlist, they played “Pain,” which made my ears perk up while I began to smile. However, I didn’t get the satisfaction from hearing the song as I thought I would have. As he sounded amazing earlier, Adkins wasn’t hitting the same octaves as he was before. I’m sure it was a mixture of being on tour as well as being twenty years older since the song was released. However, it was a bit of a letdown for me.
Despite this hiccup, Jimmy Eat World finished off their set with their most popular song “The Middle.” The crowd’s reaction felt as if I had just launched into outer space, and this performance was one to not look down on. Everyone in attendance came together as one, all singing this song in a moment that will be cherished in my mind for a long time. Jimmy Eat World went out on the stage and gave us their best, which is something I’m thankful for.
The moment I was waiting for all night had finally arrived. Fall Out Boy has always been in my life in some sort of fashion. Whether that was when I was playing on a Rock Band™ drum set to “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race,” or singing karaoke to “My Song’s Know What You Did In The Dark,” I was hearing them somewhere. Fall Out Boy came out of the gate hot and gave all of us some performances that we never knew we would see in our lifetimes.
Fireworks and flames busted out onto the stage as they opened with “Love From The Other Side.” Lead singer Patrick Stump and backing vocalist/bass player Pete Wentz killed it on the microphones, a feat that continued during their 28-song setlist. The drums from shirtless Andy Hurley and lead guitar work from Joe Trohman also set and kept the tone of the night at an all-time high as well.
Fall Out Boy gave the OKC crowd an extremely special show, as they had surprises that we had never seen before. They performed a cover of “Back in Black” by AC/DC along with another cover of “Don’t Stop Me Now” from Queen. Stump had the piano out for a cover of “Tempted” by Squeeze, a band he said was influential to him growing up.
The biggest surprise came as an announcement from Wentz around the middle of the concert. Essentially, he stated that the band decided to begin performing this song again based on popular demand from the fan base. After saying this, “Tiffany Blews,” which has not been performed in concert by Fall Out Boy since 2009, began to play. This blew stardust all over the crowd as they erupted to a level higher than cloud nine.
I knew the concert was going to be a great one, but my superior moment didn’t come from their song of “Tiffany Blews,” but rather another older song of theirs. I would have spent the $50 I used for my ticket, just to see them play this song alone.
After Fall Out Boy finished their eighth song of the set, the lights went dark in the whole arena. Above the stage was a circle that had changed logos throughout the night depending on what album the band was singing from. When it turned into a moon, signifying their third studio album “Infinity on High.”
After realizing this, the audio of a dog barking appeared, and the lights turned on again at the stage which showed a gigantic dog head. This threw me off for a second, but then I heard the beginning of “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race.” After yelling an expletive and jumping onto my feet, I began to reminisce on those memories of myself as a kid in fourth grade.
For me, I had always wanted to experience this song in a concert setting, as it always gets the crowd singing with them. Screaming from the top of my lungs “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” repeatedly while in a crowd of people doing the same was otherworldly. To most people, this is just one of their old songs, but to me, this was a bucket list moment that I got to cross off.
I loved every bit of the rest of their concert as they had variety throughout it all. They played well-known songs like “Centuries,” “Uma Thurman,” and “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark.” They also featured their newest album by showcasing “So Much (for) Stardust,” “Love From the Other Side,” and a few others as well.
I’m still in awe over how well they did in a live format, and even my friend who knew very little about Jimmy Eat World and Fall Out Boy said it was a great show. If you’re able to see The Maine, Jimmy Eat World, or Fall Out Boy for a concert, I’d tell you to go there in a heartbeat. They were all able to provide nostalgia and a great pop-punk/rock sound that can be appreciated by casual or die-hard fans. Just don’t look into seeing Daisy Grenade, as your eardrums will explode from their awful screeching.
Gary Jackson is a third-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
