By Brianna Jamieson

Zac Efron is in a musical, the Jonas Brothers are teasing a tour and Fall Out Boy just dropped an album. Hard to believe that this isn’t 2008. Hard to believe that this is all going down in 2018.

Listen though. Much like Zac Efron’s appearance in The Greatest Showman, the return of Fall Out Boy is truly something to be celebrated. You may think these self proclaimed ‘poster boys from your scene’ peaked back in 2013 (or 2008- depending on how old school you are), but I’m here to tell you that if that’s your mindset, you’re only letting yourself miss out. The (fall out) boys are back, and they’re bloody better than ever.

I flew all the way to their ‘album launch’ show in their hometown of Chicago, Illinois last September to experience just what this new era of Fall Out Boy is all about. Bearing in mind that a lot has happened since New Zealand last saw the (fall out) boys headline a show here in 2013- all of them bar drummer Andy Hurley have become dads (Pete Wentz already was, but he became a dad again), and they’ve all comfortably settled in to their 30’s.

Full disclosure- I’ve seen Fall Out Boy eight times over the past 11 years. I’m a bit of a connoisseur of their live shows. I had high expectations- how would time have affected their live show? Would I even recognise this version of the band? I need not have worried. This is a band who have taken the time to refine their live performance, and they know exactly what their fans want- and (fall out) boy are they capable of delivering.

Despite what you may think, Fall Out Boy has not peaked yet. Over the space of two hours in the drastically undersized House Of Blues Chicago they tore through 22 songs, eight of which were from albums PH* (*pre-hiatus, the time before the band took four years off in 2009). Not to brag, but they definitely played Chicago Is So Two Years Ago. In Chicago. An absolute moment.

What a Fall Out Boy concert does, is make you feel so unapologetically like a teenager again. Let’s be clear- you still know all the words to Thnks Fr Th Mmrs, and like it did with me, something will stir in you when those opening notes play. You’ll be immediately transported back to a much simpler time (or more complex, depending how hard your emo teenage years were). Their classics are classics for a reason, and there’s no denying how these songs have stood the test of time.

“But I just reeeeally love old school Fall Out Boy” well pal, if you think Pete Wentz isn’t taking off his bass and jumping in to the crowd to scream the lyrics to Saturday for an encore? You’re really going to just play yourself like that? Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, Pete’s singing you Saturday from the crowd like he always has.

Give over to the nostalgia, and revel in the soundtrack of your youth. Don’t write off this new era of Fall Out Boy when they head our way this month. The material from their new album M A  N  I    A has heart, and is quintessentially Fall Out Boy for the modern era. They’re out here writing and performing for a world that’s just a little bit broken, but somehow getting to experience it in person makes the world feel a bit better, even temporarily.

Fall Out Boy are playing one New Zealand show tonight - Wednesday March 7, 2018 at the Trusts Stadium