ATP! Live Review - Paramore, Fall Out Boy, New Politics - Hershey, PA (07/19/2014)
The show started with openers New Politics putting on a super energetic set. The crowd didn’t really know the words to most of the songs besides single “Harlem,” but they pulled you in with their infectious energy and excitement to be playing this tour. Lead singer David Boyd had some insane break dance moves and came out into the crowd during one of the songs. They’re definitely going to be doing even bigger things in the future.
The crowd really got into it, however, when Paramore took the stage. Their backdrop was an awesome light show that changed from song to song, displaying everything from an eerie green during the song “Decode” to the band’s name in giant red and blue letters. Confetti was also blasted out multiple times, covering the audience from every angle.
Frontwoman Hayley Williams completely owned every song, her voice the same, if not even better, than on their recorded albums. Her talking points showed an adorable dorky side; with her poking fun at bassist Jeremy Davis sitting due to a hernia he got during one of the shows. The band’s love for each other really showed with how they interacted onstage. At one point, they all sat in a little trio. “Why haven’t we done this before? This is really nice,” Hayley said. “I don’t think they’d like this as much as we do though,” she said about the audience.
When last act, Fall Out Boy, took the stage, the crowd went completely nuts. The band ripped into a varied selection of songs from every album, starting with “The Phoenix.” Multiple screens moved behind them as they played, showing prerecorded videos along with live footage of both the band and the crowd. Instead of confetti, fireworks and plumes of actual fire were peppered throughout their set, particularly during “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark.”
Bassist Pete Wentz did most of the talking for them, thanking the audience for staying with them even though it had started raining. Patrick Stump showcased his ability to do basically anything musically, playing guitar and singing through most of the songs, playing piano on others and then having a drum-off with drummer Andy Hurley. They ended their set with Pete coming into the crowd and throwing a lucky fan his shirt as they played old favorite “Saturday.” If the MONUMENTOUR has yet to come to your city, I suggest you go get tickets.
- Words by Lauren Jones
Remaining dates and ticket information for the MONUMENTOUR can be found here.
