UPDATED: Aug. 1 at 12:56 p.m.

Fall Out Boy’s Sunday night show at the OnCenter War Memorial Arena spanned their entire list of hit jams — and some lesser-known gems.

The night opened with fellow rockers PVRIS, a female-fronted band accompanying Fall Out Boy on the “Wintour is Coming” tour. PVRIS captivated the audience, playing tracks like their recently released “You and I.”

Next, AWOLNATION took the stage. They quickly engaged the audience, especially when they began to play their well-known songs. During the chorus of slower jam, “I Am,” concertgoers pulled out their cell phones to light up the stands as they swayed back and forth.

AWOLNATION also played hit song “Sail,” which got the audience’s heads bobbing with the heavy backbeats. Each hit of the strong, thumping bass was met with abrupt color changes in the onstage lighting.

Together, the two opening acts took up an hour and a half of the show. After about another half an hour of onstage preparation, Fall Out Boy took the stage.

The show was heavy on theatrical elements, starting out with a video of someone climbing a snowy mountain. Fake snow floated down on the audience from above. The entire set was accompanied by video montages on the giant screen behind the band, and pyrotechnics would occasionally light up the stage as well.

This showiness was slightly unexpected from the band who, before and immediately after their return from hiatus in 2013, tended to play smaller venues. But bassist Pete Wentz soon dismissed the showiness.

He said that sure, special effects can add a lot to a performance. But in the end, fans are what make a show happen.

“Every song’s about you,” Wentz shouted, before immediately launching into “Fourth of July,” a song featuring similar line “I’m sorry every song’s about you.”

While many of the concertgoers sang along with the tunes, quite a few didn’t know the lyrics to every song. Instead, they simply fist-pumped and head-bobbed to stay connected with the show.

But these seemingly newer fans didn’t bother the band.

“Who here has seen us before?” Lead singer Patrick Stump questioned the crowd.

After a good number of audience members raised their hands, Stump thanked them for coming back before prompting those fans to help out and sing along. Fall Out Boy then launched into “Grand Theft Autumn/Where is Your Boy,” an older song off their first full-length album.

This was only one example of Fall Out Boy’s varied setlist. It threw in plenty of newer hits like “Irresistable,” a track off of its newest album which has also graced mainstream radio with a version featuring Demi Lovato. But lesser-known numbers that have probably never seen radio waves, like “Disloyal Order of Water Buffalos” and “Hum Hallelujah” also made the cut.

But it was clear which songs were the fan favorites, such as “Thnks fr th Mmrs.”

After a lengthy setlist, Fall Out Boy left the stage. But audience members weren’t fooled, roaring as the arena stayed dark and the band finally returned.

After the show ended, audience members lingered in the seats. They snapped pictures and picked off pieces of confetti that had showered down during the final song “Saturday,” an old track that Fall Out Boy has been known to close shows with.

Concertgoer Sarah Yelle suggested the audience wasn’t quite ready to end the night.

Said Yelle: “As Fall Out Boy said, ‘Thanks for the memories.’”

Published on March 7, 2016 at 4:05 pm

Contact Kathryn: kjkrawcz@syr.edu | @kathrynkrawczyk