And they were my favorite for a whopping 10 years. FOB has stood the test of time thus far — they just released album no. 7, “MANIA,” in January 2018. For the first time in 10 years, I didn’t love a FOB album. FOB underwent a major transformation after their three year hiatus ended in 2013 that launched them into mainstream success, however, with that came conformity to the new norm — pop music.

“MANIA” was a flop in my opinion solely because I’ve seen them do so much better. Each album has evolved in its own way, however, “MANIA” just isn’t great. So I figured for this edition of Jen’s Top Ten’s, I would do my top 10 favorite underrated FOB songs to celebrate the good times.

1.) Homesick At Space Camp

My first pick comes off of FOB’s 2003 debut album “Take This To Your Grave.” The drums crash in, setting the mood for the entire song. Right off the bat, the lyrics paint a picture: “Landing on a runway in Chicago / and I’m grounding all my dreams / of ever really seeing California.” FOB are from Chicago, and the song describes the distance between these people now that FOB are out on the road. The song is cohesive and keeps you on your toes.

2.) I’ve Got A Dark Alley And A Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth (Summer Song)

Ugh, long live the days of long FOB song titles. This song is definitely one of their least popular tunes, coming off of their sophomore album “From Under The Cork Tree.” But god damn this song is so underrated. Musically, it is one of FOB’s more laid back sounds, with lyrics that are even more depressing. The lyrics are about bassist Pete Wentz suicide attempt, which is why Wentz has always said that they will never play this one live. This song gives me hella feels.

3.) Thriller

Thriller is the intro track to their third studio album, and my personal favorite, “Infinity On High.” This album has so many hidden gems, however I feel like this one is overlooked by most critics and casual fans. A twinkling guitar is heard in the background while Jay-Z introduces the record, dedicating the album to the die-hard fans and to the critics who said they wouldn’t make it far. Once the drums and guitars come smashing in, Wentz discusses what it has been like since their newfound fame of their last records. I could talk about this song for days — check out the lyrics here.

4.) Don’t You Know Who I Think I Am?

Honestly, I could probably write a lengthy review about why the entirety of “Infinity On High” is critically underrated, but I’ll just leave it at this for now. Wentz early lyricism is phenomonal, with the intro lyrics here being “Penny for you thoughts but a dollar for your insights / or a fortune for your disaster” — here, Wentz is speaking about how the music industry profits more off of your tragic moments that inspired your art. Deep, huh?

5.) The (Shipped) Gold Standard

FOB’s fourth studio record “Folie a Deux” was viewed by critics as FOB’s weakest albums, however, this album resonates with many FOB fans. The vibe of this song is moody and a little bit meloncholy, with lyrics like “You can only blame your problems on the world for so long / before it all becomes the same old song.” Also, I think vocalist Patrick Stump’s vocals really shine on this record, with more experimentation with super high notes and super low notes.

6.) Young Volcanoes

FOB’s fifth studio album “Save Rock and Roll” came out in 2013 following a four year hiatus. SR&R was recorded in secret, and this song could have been an easy radio hit had “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark” have not taken the cake for best comeback single. There’s a very upbeat sound to it, almost as if you mashed FOB with Imagine Dragons. This is one of those songs that just makes you want to get up and dance around.

7.) What A Catch, Donnie

FOB has few ballads, but when they do them, they kill them. With the combination of a piano and other symphony instruments, this song tugs at your heartstrings. The lyrics also follow the aftermath of Wentz’s suicide attempt, with the opening lyrics being “I’ve got troubled thoughts / and the self-esteem to match / what a catch.” Towards the end of the song, there are many interpolations of their biggest hits, all sung by other singers that they’ve worked with throughout their career, including Brendon Urie, Travie McCoy, and William Beckett.

8.) I’m Like A Lawyer With The Way I’m Always Trying To Get You Off (Me and You)

This has always been my favorite FOB song for so many reasons. It’s a love song, however, I’ve never really been able to make out the lyrics. The pre-chorus and chorus cresendo together, which has always made this song pleasing to the ear. Also, the music video has had me in tears since 2009. FOB have been advocates for the Invisible Children long before Kony2012 was even a thing.

9.) Tell That Mick He Just Made My List Of Things To Do Today

This song is so criminally underrated. Coming off of their debut album, FOB really shows the young angst of the early 2000’s with lyrics like “Let’s play this game called when you catch fire / I wouldn’t piss to put you out,” and “Stop burning bridges / and drive off of them,” and “His smile’s your rope / so wrap it tight around your throat.” I mean, fuck. WHO HURT PETE WENTZ?! This song is honestly so savage and they clearly did a number to Pete for him to have written this harsh song.

10.) Hum Hallelujah

And last but not least, we have another track off of “Infinity On High.” This track also follows the theme of Wentz’s suicide attempt. Honestly, just listening to the song, I couldn’t really tell that it was about that until I actually looked into the lyrics. I’ve honestly just always loved the heavy guitars, beating drums, and level of grit that’s always resided after all these years.

So there you have it, folks. There’s so many more underrated FOB songs, but these are the ones that definitely go missed more than others.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr where I upload concert pictures and you can be up-to-date on where I’ll be next.

The post Jen’s Top Ten’s: The Most Underrated Fall Out Boy Songs appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The year is 2007. I’m sitting in the back of my dad’s truck gluing on fake nails that were painted black with silver skulls on them, making my sister put my hair up in a pony tail for me. This was also the time when I learned gel nails last how long. We arrived at the arena in Denver, Colorado, where we were seeing Fall Out Boy, a band I have heard on the radio a couple of times. This was my first concert ever, and I had no idea what to expect.

The year is now 2016. Fall Out Boy have reigned my number one favorite band for 9 years now, and this is the fourth time that I’m seeing them live. My sister, Amanda, and I arrived at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, and this time I knew all too well what to expect.

Thousands of people gathered to welcome Fall Out Boy to our beautiful state, their first time being here since 2007. All sorts of people were here: parents who brought their children to see their favorite band, punk angsty teens with half shaved heads and pink hair, girls dressed up in sundresses, and hardcore fans decked out head to toe in Fall Out Boy gear. Fall Out Boy used to have a certain niche, but now that their music is getting more radio play, more and more diversity is added in to the FOB family.

Amanda and I found our seats high up in the nosebleeds of the arena. I wasn’t particularly thrilled about being so far away from the stage, considering I’m the type of fan that loves to crowd surf, mosh, and stand in with the crowd. These nosebleeds consisted of the people who weren’t really big fans of any of the bands, but were just there because it was either something to do, they were with someone who wanted to go, or they are a broke college kid (aka me). We settled in our seats after buying some merch and a slice of pizza. The stage wasn’t too far, and we could hear the bands just fine.

The first band to come out is a band named PVRIS (pronounced “Paris”), an up and coming electro-pop/post-hardcore band from Massachusetts. I’ve seen PVRIS before when they opened for Mayday Parade in 2014 and again at Warped Tour in 2015.

Every time I’ve seen PVRIS live (and this time was no exception) their vibe has been so exuberant. Their frontwoman Lynn Gunn is known for her remarkable vocal chords that can hit some deep, forceful tones as well as a softer side. All band members stand out, but Lynn Gunn keeps the crowds energy up by talking between songs and getting the crowd to interact with them. PVRIS fuels the crowd with adrenaline, keeping them pumped up for the bands to come. Their all too short 6 song setlist consisted of their biggest hits off their album White Noise: White Noise, St. Patrick, Smoke, Fire, You and I, and My House.

Up next was Awolnation. Now, to be completely honest, I’m not really a fan of Awolnation, an alternative dance/indie rock band. I found a set list of this concert beforehand and listened to the stuff I knew they were gonna play, and I was not looking forward to it. When the lights dimmed and fans started screaming, I sighed and sat back in my seat, planning on just waiting it out.

I wasn’t blown away by their performance. But, I’m a sucker for live music. While I probably won’t listen to their music on my own time, I was enjoying myself. The lead singer, Aaron Bruno, sent a lively energy through the arena that echoed throughout. He appeared to be barefoot (I could be wrong considering how far up we sat) and danced all around the stage. He danced like no one was watching, and sang his soul out. Their entire set had a very spiritual vibe and it was easy to listen to. For their set, it was easy to forget all of my problems and just simply enjoy music. Their 9 song set list included Run, Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf), Not Your Fault, Windows, Kill Your Heroes, Woman Woman, I Am, Burn It Down, and their most famous tune, Sail.

Finally, it was the moment we were all waiting for. The trumpets from the intro of “Irresistible” echoed throughout the arena, and Patrick, Pete, Joe, and Andy all took positions on stage. Fans all across the arena (including myself) belted the lyrics back to them as each of them ran around on stage and onto the v-shaped catwalk extending into the crowd. They then threw it back to “Sugar, We’re Going Down”, a hit off of their 2005 record From Under The Cork Tree. Out of the 4 FOB concerts I’ve been to, they always know how to shake up their setlist and incorporate new and old songs. Their 22 song set list contains 8 songs from their 6th studio album American Beauty/American Psycho (Irresistible, The Kids Aren’t Alright, Novocaine, Fourth of July, Uma Thurman, American Beauty/American Psycho, Jet Pack Blues, and Centuries), 4 off of their 3rd studio album Infinity On High (Hum Hallelujah, “The Take Over, The Breaks Over”, This Ain’t A Scene It’s An Arms Race, Thnks fr th Mmrs), 4 from their 5th studio album Save Rock and Roll (The Phoenix, Alone Together, Save Rock and Rolle, My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark), 2 off of their studio album Folie a Deux (Disloyal Order of Water Buffalos, I Don’t Care), 2 off of their 2nd studio album From Under The Cork Tree (Sugar We’re Going Down, Dance Dance) and 2 off of their first full length album Take This To Your Grave (Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy, Saturday).

Throughout the show, the guys all moved around onstage, tossed their pics into the crowd, and rocked out. They always throw epic concerts, and this one contained a lot of blue and white confetti, beach balls, and fire.

They slowed it down about halfway through when they brought a piano out and Patrick performed an acoustic version of “Disloyal Order of Water Buffalos” followed by “Save Rock and Roll”, which they played as a tribute to David Bowie. Even though these songs were a little bit slower, the emotions of the song and the energy from the entire night was still lingering in the arena. After taking a short breather, they went right back into their set and played their hearts out.

They all left the stage after “Centuries”, and the arena was almost completely black besides the lit walkways. For their encore, they performed “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark” and “Saturday”, a song off of their first album. I wasn’t surprised to see that people were already getting up to leave during Saturday, since it isn’t a song known by casual fans, and also because this has happened at previous concerts too. Fall Out Boy is notorious for closing with Saturday, while bassist Pete Wentz reaches into the crowd and holds hands with the luckiest crowd members.

All in all, it was an exciting concert and all of the performers put on amazing performances. Till next time!

Click here to listen to a playlist of all of the songs from the concert on Spotify!

Feel free to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr where I upload concert pictures and you can be up-to-date on where I’ll be next.

The post Concert Review: Fall Out Boy appeared first on KRUI Radio.