Review || Fall Out Boy & WAAX Live @ Riverstage Brisbane

2000s pop-punk-turned-stadium-rock four-piece Fall Out Boy graced the Riverstage in Brisbane on Wednesday night as apart of their ‘M A N I A’ album tour. Joined by local Australian punk rockers WAAX and thousands of excited fans, it was a show I will never forget.

 

At precisely 7pm, WAAX graced the stage in full force. The five piece leaped into killer tracks from their most recent EP ‘Wild & Weak’ and the crowd went mental. Lead vocalist Maz showcased more passion in her performance then ever before and the boys played their hearts out putting on the best show I’ve seen so far.

 

Songs such as Nothing Is Always and This Everything sent the crowd into a frenzy, and so did their cover of Pedestrian At Best by Courtney Barnett. WAAX also took the opportunity to trial some new material with the crowd and it was met with open arms and a mexican wave of applause. No matter what song they played they played it with perfection and their high energy throughout the entire set was matched by the enormous crowd every step of the way.

 

Even though WAAX recently played Falls Festival over new years and supported Dune Rats on their recent tour, I still can’t get used to seeing them on the big stage but they totally smashed it playing as if they have been together playing live for 20+ years. Closing their set with singles Same Same and You Wouldn’t Believe, WAAX gave every ounce of energy they had left until the last drip of sweat hit the stage.

 

 

The thing I love the most about WAAX is that their fans are always number one. They show appreciation for the support every second they are on the stage by breaking down the barrier between performer and fan. Their performance is always selfless, they are a band of everyday passionate and talented musicians whose dreams are coming true and I couldn’t be happier for them.

 

The crowd were bursting at the seams with excitement while waiting for Fall Out Boy to take to the stage. With an audience that ranged from adults to teens to even little kids, Fall Out Boy catered to everyone playing singles from across all of their seven albums from 2003 to their most recent release ‘M A N I A’.

 

As the lights dimmed the massive backdrop screen visualiser came to life with a countdown timer. As the crowd counted down from 10 the words ‘Silence Please And Put Away Your Cell Phones’ appeared on the screen, unfortunately those words did nothing to shy away the hundreds of people already recording the show.

 

Met with an outrageous roar of applause, Fall Out Boy took to the stage and from the minute the first punch of single The Phoenix was heard it was only up from there. Right from the start the pyrotechnics were out of this world. Massive strobe lights lit up the whole Riverstage while fire canyons exploded in the background, it didn’t matter where you looked there was something going on and it only added to all of the excitement.

 

Fall Out Boy played a perfect set list including all of their hits such as Dance Dance, Sugar We’re Goin Down, Centuries and Irresistible. No matter what they played the fans knew the words and the band strutted their stuff knowing damn well that the crowd was wrapped around their little finger. During single Save Rock and Roll, vocalist Patrick jumped onto the piano and as the stage and arena lights started to dim the crowd rose their phone lights to the sky in worship turning the Riverstage into a fairy’s dream. The biggest hype by far was definitely saved for 2007 ‘Infinity On A High’ single Thnks fr th Mmrs which brought back a bucket load of nostalgia for everyone and at times Patrick had to compete with the crowd to have his voice heard.

 

As for the their live sound I was absolutely blown away. Lead vocalist Patrick sounded just like he did on recording if not better and with most tracks not only did he sing his parts but also covered any feature artists vocals as well. Drummer Andy also had his time to shine with an impressive drum solo half way through the set featuring songs such as Kendrick Lamar’s Humble and Blur’s Song 2. Heartthrob Pete rocked the bass like an absolute master and at one point he secretly made his way to the sound desk through the crowd and played a couple of songs in a high-vis security vest. And as for guitarist Joe, that man shredded his guitar like his life depended on it. Riff after riff there wasn’t a beat out of place it was bloody incredible.

 

The set finished with single Champion before the house lights went black and the boys left the stage. As a chant of “One more song’ radiated throughout the thousands of people it wasn’t long before they returned announcing they did in fact have a few more songs. Performing an encore featuring tracks Uma Thurman and My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up) the band used the last of their power both with their performance and the fire canyons that were going mad in the background. Their mammoth 20 song set came to a complete close with 2003 ‘Take To This To The Grave’ single Saturday which to be honest I thought was a little weird to finish on but the crowd loved it nether the less.

 

From their high energy performance to their perfectly played tracks, the entire show was memorising. I had forgotten just how many amazing songs were by Fall Out Boy and for my first time seeing them live I was completely blown away by their talent. This show I would have to say was one of the best live performances I have ever been to and if you haven’t got your ticket to one of their other upcoming shows in Australia then I highly suggest you get one NOW!

 

 

 

FALL OUT BOY AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES

FRI 2 MAR

Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney (LIC/AA)

SAT 3 MAR

Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne (LIC/AA) *SOLD OUT*

MON 5 MAR 

*Public Holiday

Red Hill Auditorium, Perth (LIC/AA)