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Fall Out Boy rocks a new frontier at Cheyenne Frontier Days

Walking in to Cheyenne Frontier Days, it was clear who was there for the Fall Out Boy concert. It was a hot day, over 90 degrees at points, yet droves of fans, young and old, were wearing dark black t-shirts. Some even sported the band’s official flag as a cape, and although there was no merch booth in site, these superfans were covered head to toe in gear, waiting in lines that were several hundred yards long for up to an hour  just to get in, despite the fact that the majority of seating was reserved.

As we all shuffled to either our numbered metal benches or to stand in the small general admission that was the 50 yards between the beginning of the arena floor and the massive stage, clouds started to roll in from the East, threatening lightning cracking every so often in a beautifully terrifying display. It was that way as we all stayed for an hour, waiting patiently for the opener to start at 8 p.m. 

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As the sun set, the band Rooney took the stage. Rooney is a throw back to the late 90’s, early 2000’s alternative rock, with the look to match it. However, their songs had variety, with songs that had twinges of blues or pop mixed in with their sound. They played songs from more than 10 years of albums, ending with their biggest hit, “When Did Your Heart Go Missing?,” which was a hit when it was released in 2007 and is still played on 93.3 during their Throwback Lunches. 

Fun fact, the entire time Rooney took the stage, I couldn’t help but feel that the lead singer, Robert Coppola, looked a lot like Michael Moscovitz, the leading man who kisses Anna Hathaway at the end of The Princess Diaries. Upon returning home, I found out that the reason they look alike is because Robert Coppola also acts, and played Moscovitz in the 2001 movie before returning to his band to release their first album in 2003. 

With the sun fully engulfed by horizon and clouds, it started to drizzle lightly as everyone waited expectantly for Fall Out Boy. The roadies quickly got Rooney’s equipment off the stage and uncovered Fall Out Boy’s rather modest set, and the only sign of any work was occasional flashes from the three giant monitors they used so that those in the seats could see. That’s how it continued for 45 minutes, just blips on a screen, while the crowd grew more and more anxious. 

Finally, a black sedan pulled up from behind the stadium, riding towards the stage. Pulling up directly beside the stairs, out poured all four boys, bounding up the stairs and entering the stage, one by one with a pause in between, to an absolutely ear-splitting crowd. They immediately dived into “Irresistible,” followed immediately by “Sugar We’re Goin’ Down,” to a crowd so loud, at times the band was hard to hear, despite reports from blocks away of being loud and clear. 

My only complaint was the lack of crowd interaction. Pete Wentz, the bassist and “unclean” vocalist, addressed the crowd less than a half dozen times throughout the whole show, yet he was the only person to speak, other than one short request of the crowd from Patrick Stump. Still, the short interactions with Pete Wentz were fun and a nice break between songs. He told jokes and gave shout outs to the band’s friends in the audience, but after that it was off to the races. 

In what turned into an hour and fifteen minute set, they played almost an entire albums worth of material. They played all their older hits, like “Dance, Dance” and “Sugar We’re Goin’ Down”, their pre-hiatus hits, like “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” and “Thnks fr th Mmrs,” a cover of “Beat It,” and all of their new hits, including “Centuries,” “Uma Thurman,” and “The Phoenix.” 

After a full hour of blazing through what seemed to be every song that had ever had radio air time, and many more that hadn’t, the boys thanked Cheyenne and filed off stage rather abruptly. In our hearts, it didn’t feel over, and it had ended with so little warning that no one could accept it. Clapping, chanting and cheering filled the void to keep silence at bay, and for five minutes, the crowd stood in the dark, wondering if it was in fact over. Just when people started to file out, convinced that it was the end, the speakers crackled to life, with an intro that the entire arena recognized. 

The intro to “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark” resonated through the stadium, just barely heard over a ballistic crowd, and the four men bounded back on stage for their much awaited encore. Because of the anticipation and the pure vocal range and solid endurance that Patrick Stump has, it was the best song they performed all night. The crowd sang at the top of their lungs, and the boys, finally, seemed to get really into the song, bouncing around the stage more than ever. 

Now it was over, right? Wrong. The boys thanked their opener, Rooney, and the Frontier Days staff again, before closing out the Saturday night concert with an old, forgotten favorite of many: “Saturday.” Many of the young fans didn’t seem to know the words, but the die-hards and the older, loyal fans all sang at the top of their lungs, myself included. Pete Wentz even leaned over the rail into the crowd, only maintaining an upright position by the bouncer holding him by the back of his waistband. 

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It was finally over. A concert so fast paced and music packed that the hour seemed to slip away in 20 minutes. Hit after hit after hit was flung at the crowd, and we ate it up. That’s how you know that a band can stand the test of time: ten years of music packed into an hour and the crowd knows (almost) every word. Three years after the hiatus that almost broke them, 15 years since they first joined forces, and Fall Out Boy has proven that they are on top, have been on top and will always be on top. They are at the head of the Rock frontier, and they plan to keep it that way. 

Collegian Blogger and Editor Sarah Ross can be reached online at blogs@collegian.com or on Twitter at @HowSarahTweets. Read more of her content on AltLife or at collegian.com under Music. Leave a comment!

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