A great way for students to escape the thought of looming finals, RPI hosted the 2009 Believers Never Die Tour this past Sunday. The lineup for this year featured Hey Monday, All Time Low, Cobra Starship, Metro Station, and headlining Fall Out Boy in a fantastic show that lasted over four hours at a packed Houston Field House. I was excited to see a slightly older crowd of crazy girl fans than that of last year’s Honda Civic Tour, which featured Panic at the Disco; this year, the girls were at least old enough to see over the barricades at the front of the pit.
The opening band for the show was Hey Monday, an emo-pop-meets-alternative band that reminded me of a softer-sounding Paramore (yes, they were fronted by a girl). The group—Cassadee Pope (vocals), Mike Gentile (lead guitar), Elliot James (drums), Alex Lipshaw (guitar), and Jersey Moriarty (bass/vocals)—released their freshman album Hold On Tight in late 2008, but acted like they’ve been on tour forever. Despite Pope’s tiny physique, she commanded attention on stage with her energy and powerhouse vocals, though at times the instrumentation slightly overpowered her and muffled the lyrics. Though I had never heard any of their music, I was pleasantly surprised at how great they were. They opened the evening with a set of five songs, but my favorite was definitely the opener “Run, Don’t Walk.” Though the beginning of their third and slower-paced song “Candles” was a little rough in my opinion, they recovered by the end and had the audience waving cell phones in the air to the music (a modern take of the candle-waving tradition ... and a horrible one at that). Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy also made a guest appearance on the second song, which almost gave some of the girls behind me a heart attack.
Hey Monday started the night off strong and got the audience really energized from the start, a task normally difficult to accomplish for opening bands. Following Hey Monday, All Time Low took the stage with their song “Six Feet Under the Stars.” The band—comprised of Alex Gaskarth (lead vocals/guitar), Jack Barakat (guitar/vocals), Zack Merrick (bass/vocals), and Rian Dawson (drums)—was formed in 2003 and hails from Maryland. Recently named Alternative Press’ Band of the Year, I was expecting a little more, but they were still alright. The energy they brought to the stage was great and the personality of the band members was also incredible, especially when Barakat ran through the crowd and played among some screaming fans in the stands during “Coffee Shop Soundtrack.” The group had a strong connection with the audience—particularly the girls who all screamed when one of the band members said that he was starting to get sweaty from the lights up on stage.
Cobra Starship—the band that gained popularity after their collaboration with The Academy Is …, Gym Class Heroes, and The Sounds on “Bring It (Snakes on a Plane)” from the Snakes on a Plane: The Album—was up next. With Gabe Saporta on vocals, Ryland Blackinton on guitar, Alex Suarez on bass, Nate Novarro on drums, and Victoria Asher on keytar, the group’s energy, along with their colorful background and lighting, made for a flashy performance. The “legend” of how Saporta was driven to start Cobra Starship was that he was bitten by a cobra while searching for his purpose in life in the desert; the cobra told him he was sent from the future to tell Saporta it was his duty to ensure the human race went out in style. As you can tell from just this, the group is very unique. Their sound combines alternative and punk elements with electronic dance, and they gave a great set—although the instrumentation sometimes drowned out Saporta’s vocals. The first song, “The City is at War,” got the crowd going, and the energy didn’t stop until the final number, “Guilty Pleasure.” The obvious crowd favorite was “Bring It,” which featured Pope from Hey Monday on female vocals and had everyone’s hands in the air making the sign of the cobra. The group has an unusual sound, but you can’t help but tap your foot along with the music.
After Cobra Starship, Metro Station took to the stage. One of the more popular bands at the show, Metro Station was formed in Hollywood, Calif., and really gained fame after their single “Shake it.” Led on vocals and guitar by both Trace Cyrus (yes, related to the infamous Miley) and Mason Musso, along with Blake Healy (keyboards and synthesizer) and Anthony Improgo (percussion), the group started out strong on “Wish We Were Older,” keeping a good energy up with the audience. They had a good sound without having the vocals overpowered; however, as the performance went on, there were times when I wished that the vocals were not quite as loud. Musso kept a strong performance, but Cyrus didn’t sound too great—though it could partially be attributed to the fact that he was running and jumping around the stage like he had taken a liter’s worth of energy drinks prior to the performance. I was originally excited to see them, but as the songs went on, it was a let-down. I didn’t care for the live version of “Shake It” (the group’s second-to-last song of the set) since the vocals were again not the strongest, though the crowd was jumping along to the music and seemed to be enjoying themselves.
To close out the night, Chicago’s Fall Out Boy started off its set to the sound of screaming fans with a video of mayhem; this set the stage for the group to enter with a couple of SWAT guards, decked out in full uniforms and shields. The concept and details were phenomenal, down to the makeup on band members to make them look as if they had been in a brawl, though lead singer and guitarist Patrick Stump’s wig made him look kind of like a grandfather (the plus is that with a vocal range like his, you can get away with anything). It was a very simple idea, but the band’s “alter-egos” highlighted some things very pertinent to today’s world.
Comprised of Stump, Wentz (bass/lyrics), Andrew Hurley (drums), and Joe Trohman (guitar), Fall Out Boy played a mix from their four albums—starting off with “Disloyal Order of Water Buffalos” from their newest album, Folie à Deux. Yes, they are known for having some interesting song titles. I’ve been a fan of theirs since their first well-known album, Take This to Your Grave, in 2003, and the albums have just gotten better since then—each with a different but still amazing and unique sound.
After their fourth song in the set, during which Pope from Hey Monday accompanied the group (a personal favorite, “Sugar, We’re Goin Down”), there was another video break and outfit change into more typical FOB attire. Afterwards, the group continued with a mixed selection from their albums. Though I was a little disappointed with the pitchiness on the chorus to “I Don’t Care,” they made up for it with a great performance on another of my favorite songs, “Grand Theft Autumn/Where is your Boy” (joined on stage by Gaskarth from ATL). The connection that FOB had with the audience was fantastic, with Wentz emceeing to the audience in between songs. The group had great vocals on “What a Catch, Donnie,” though it seemed like there was a problem with the microphones or sound during the number; if you haven’t heard the version on the album, I would highly recommend it (listen closely nearer to the end for background lyrics from other hit songs). I was singing along during most of FOB’s set, but was particularly ecstatic when they broke into “Hum Hallelujah;” although they haven’t played it in a while, I love the lyrics and thought the group did a fantastic job on it.
After their cover of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” Wentz decided to pick on me for a while since I was taking notes, and asked if I was reviewing the show. He told me to say that their following song was “the best [expletive] song on the planet by the best [expletive] band ever.”
And I have to say I definitely agree with him after that performance, especially since the next song was easily my favorite of the night—“America’s Suitehearts.” Wentz ended the number within arm’s reach behind me on the railing, managing to play his bass with several crazy fans clinging to his legs and trying to hug him; meanwhile, I was pushed up against the barrier by a group of more screaming girls. It was certainly an experience I will never forget, to say the least.
Fall Out Boy left the stage and, after some screaming, returned for an encore with “Thnks fr th Mmrs” (“Thanks for the Memories” minus the vowels, for those confused by the title), on which the vocals and instrumentation were spot on. After I was called out again from Wentz, the group broke into “Dance, Dance,” which is sure to get anyone on their feet with its catchy rhythm (and as I was singing along and dancing on the side, I got a smile and laugh from Wentz). They closed the show with “Saturday” from Take This to Your Grave, finishing up a great performance and particularly strong encore.
I went into the show unsure of how strong the bands would be live in terms of vocals (we all know the experience of seeing a band you loved on the radio, but who is horrible without the studio work); however, I was proven far off-base with this worry. The Believers Never Die performance was definitely the best concert I’ve been to (and I’ve been to my fair share), mainly because of the amazing sound of each band, but, even more so, because of the personality each demonstrated. You could see the genuine fun they were each having on stage and it just made you smile. As Wentz told me, FOB “plays with heart,” and you can see that much is obvious just from watching them.
I was disappointed not to see more members of the RPI community at the show, and say to those who weren’t there: you really missed out. I really hope we can continue this tradition of end-of-the-year concerts at RPI, because it’s the most fun I’ve had in a while!
