REVIEW BY DAVID TAYLOR AND PHOTOS BY PAM WHISENHUNT | Go Venue Magazine
CHI Health Center Omaha was the place to be at on Friday, April 5 as Fall Out Boy brought their So Much For (2our) Dust tour to town. Thousands packed the arena for a night of rock n’ roll. It was a memorable night for all.
Carr was the opener on the bill. She is signed onto Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz’s label, DCD2 Records. I feel like women pop-punk vocalists are more fun to watch live than men because they just bring a fun energy to them that men don’t. She was having a fun time onstage, moving about the place. Her backing band consisted of a drummer and a guitarist, both were incredible players. She shouted out to hot dads and ex-boyfriends during “Hot Dad”, her latest single, and “Loser”, respectively. She was a great warm-up act for this incredible bill. Check out her latest album, The Carr Show.
Next up on the bill was Michigan’s own Hot Mulligan. This five-piece band brought a ton of grit to the stage. They were just five guys playing their instruments and having fun while doing so. Nathan “Tades” Sanville, wearing a vintage World of Warcraft shirt, had a great sense of humor onstage, while also being an incredible screamer. Shout out to the two guys in my section who stood up during their set and sang along to every song of theirs. Their style of emo pop punk was one that fit this bill very well. Very excited to see where these guys go next. Be sure to check out their latest album, Why Would I Watch.
The direct support of the night came from the one and only Arizona pop-punk legends Jimmy Eat World. I got to see these guys for the first at Lollapalooza 2021 in Chicago, and my second time cemented that they are one of the great live bands. I don’t throw that title around, but they are. They go onstage to the Top Gun theme, which was incredible to hear inside a sports arena. Lead vocalist and guitarist Jim Adkins (who is pushing 50 and still looks good) sounded just as good if not even better on the record live. The whole band was just rhythmically tight and precise. It looked like there was a fun atmosphere on stage. The crowd’s enthusiasm for them was quite electric. When they started playing “The Middle”, everyone got on their feet to just soak in this timeless song.
And finally, it was time for Fall Out Boy to take the stage. They haven’t played Omaha proper (not Council Bluffs) since 2005, so this was a long time coming. First off, I just want to shout out Patrick Stump, lead vocalist and guitarist. He took advantage of his day off (he mentioned never really been in the city to explore) before the concert to hang out in the Benson neighborhood, even sporting a Legend Comics & Coffee (and shouting them out as one of the coolest shops he’s ever been to) shirt for the entirety of their set. Not to mention, he sang his ass off (even tickling the ivories for a section of the set). For a band that has been playing music for over twenty years, the whole band sounded fresh and phenomenal. Drummer Andy Hurley may look physically overqualified to play Fall Out Boy’s music, but he does it with quite the precision and style that is unmatched. Pete Wentz gave these mini-motivational speeches was a choice, but a welcomed one. He was immolating Nikki Sixx with his bass guitar flamethrower. I enjoyed the production they brought quite a bit. It was like old-school theatrics. When the pyrotechnics hit, they hit hard. I haven’t heard pyrotechnics that go boom in a long time, and they brought it back. They had this functioning clock that they used for the passage of time. That had this inflatable Doberman, from the album cover of So Much (for) Stardust, that they used for “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” with the dog flapping its mouth. They played everything from fan favorites to rarities to covers (Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” and Blur’s “Song 2”) to radio hits. I think everyone inside that arena, from fans of them or, like me, not a fan, but like their music enough, was left feeling satisfied. This is in connection with being the best concert of the year. I hope Fall Out Boy doesn’t take too long to come back because it seems like they really liked being here.
Fall Out Boy
Jimmy Eat World
All images © Pam Whistenhunt
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