Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco, Twenty One Pilots Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion September 25, 2013
For many of their fans, a Fall Out Boy concert is most likely the kind of thing that has always been experienced in the darkest, dirtiest clubs that a city can offer. It's synonymous with ringing ears, crowded dance floors, spilled beer and the feeling of peeling off soaking-wet skinny jeans at the end of the night.
Wednesday evening, however, would redefine what it meant to go to a Fall Out Boy concert.
The evening kicked off early as the duo better known as Twenty One Pilots took the stage before the sun set. Within their allotted time, the group, which blends hip-hop, electronica, folk and indie-rock, pumped the crowd up with songs from their self-titled debut, Twenty One Pilots, as well as their recent album, Vessel.
Energy-wise, photographer Jim Bricker said it best when he tweeted that Twenty One Pilots are "gonna be big soon, in that Matt and Kim festival way."
Shortly after their set, an all-black banner went up with silver, glittering letters announcing Panic! At the Disco were merely minutes away, but when they emerged, they were almost unrecognizable.
In the past, the band had a reputation of being "metrosexual showmen" due to their baroque emo-pop and former costume choices. But time is a funny thing, and it's done nothing but favors to the group of men whose polished style has gone from questionable and campy to fashion forward. (Though there were some glittering silver pants that are up for debate.)
The group powered through new and old fan favorites from "The Ballad of Mona Lisa" and "Nine In the Afternoon," before teaseing newer material, "This Is Gospel" and "Miss Jackson," which some fans already knew.
One issue that did arise, however, was the fact that the large stage seemed to detract from Panic! At the Disco's performance enough to make it seem as though the crowd was simply watching the concert rather than experiencing it.
Regardless, they found a way to go out with a bang when they performed their first (and biggest) single, "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" to a crowd that knew all the words.
Slowly, seats began to fill up as the crowd anticipated Fall Out Boy's arrival, and luckily, fans didn't have to wait long.
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