Forever the Sickest Kids / Jack's Mannequin - 25 Feb - The Metro

First act Bayside were loud, and played a solid set of surprisingly tuneful songs.

Jack's Mannequin were poptastic and fun, and very warmly welcomed by the already packed theatre. Andrew McMahon was an adorable muppet, throwing himself around the stage with the same abandon he bashed at his keyboard and sang. Set list was an almost even mix from both albums: Crashin', The Mixed Tape, Spinning, Bloodshot, Dark Blue, The Resolution, Bruised. Thirty minutes was too short a time - I would love to see them headline one day.



Forever the Sickest Kids were enjoyable beyond expectations. They came out to a pre-recorded tongue-in-cheek announcement, with half the band sporting amazingly emo hair, and wearing lolzy band t-shirts (Creed, Nickelback). It wasn't so much their musical ability - a bit shambolic live, which lessened the poptastic impact of their songs on record - but rather their energetic, ironic performance that really sold their show. Frontman Jonathan Cook worked the crowd into a frenzy with his cult leader like posturing, and the blond drummer was fun to watch too, with his endless stream of stick tossing tricks. They were a lot of fun to watch overall.

We decided to not catch RJA, and ended up having a later dinner at the same restaurant in Chinatown as Andrew McMahon, Bobby Anderson, and friends. :)

Fall Out Boy / All-American Rejects / Hey Monday - 21 Feb 2009 - Acer Arena

Despite my misgivings about their youth and relative inexperience, Hey Monday just about won me over with their adorable bouncy show, their bright (if not particularly memorable) pop tunes, and lead singer Cassadee Pope's sweet voice (noticeably stronger in the higher register). I thought Candles - acoustic at the start with just Cassadee and a guitar - was a particular highlight.

The banter for the All-American Rejects was forced and a bit arrogant (as was coming out to the 1812 Overture). The crowd on the floor was really into them though, particularly in the big hits that started the show (Swing Swing, Dirty Little Secret). Musically they were solid, but it wasn't a dynamic set, and it left me a little cold.

This was probably the best I've seen Fall Out Boy live. Pete Wentz was in a fine mood, cracking jokes about being a R.Patz fan, and telling rambling anecdotes about drunkdialling his friends. Lead singer Patrick Stump looked every inch the rock star, and his vocal has improved so much, noticeably when he reached some really low notes in Headfirst Slide...

Cassadee came out to sing on Sugar, and she and Patrick sounded really nice in harmony, and it does make me wish that they could somehow clone Patrick so he could harmonise with himself live.

There were some great surprises, such as Lullabye, a hidden track for Wentz' baby boy on their latest album Folie A Deux, which was lovely though it was a jarring segue from that into the loud singalong that is Arms Race. And they jazzed up the show with some great pyro displays to punctuate their more anthemic songs.

Anyway, it was a really fun, high energy show, pakced with hit after hit, and the crowd obviously adored them.

Thnks Fr Th Mmrs
Thriller
16 Candles
American Boy
Sugar
Lullaby
Arms Race
I Don't Care
Beat It
Headfirst Slide
Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner
Take Over, Break's Over
I Slept With Someone in Fall Out Boy...
Disloyal Order
Grand Theft Autumn
American's Suitehearts

Patron Saints
Me & You
Dance Dance
Saturday