On a luscious sunny Saturday, after wading our way through Rugby goers and Richard Madden (!!!), feasting on copious amounts of Italian food and crashing my brother's work to "sample" the new Blackcurrant sorbet we made our way to the Motorpoint arena for one of the best nights of our lives.
By the time we got in the venue first support act New Politics were just starting what was to be their last song and from what I heard of it I was kinda disappointed I had missed the rest of their set. The crowd seemed impressed and I would say it's a fair bet that their energetic performance gained them new fans.
Second up was The Pretty Reckless opening with the initially explosive 'Follow Me Down' which tapers off into beautiful acoustic parts truly showing off Taylor Momsen's extensive range. Their set was mostly songs from their fantastic new album Going To Hell but included their bigger hits from debut Light Me Up. 'Heaven Knows' had the crowd belting 'Oh Lord, Heaven knows we belong way down below' just as enthusiastically has the widely popular 'Make Me Wanna Die.' Whilst Taylor's performance is a shy one her vocals are flawless and as for the rest of the band their talent appeared to be endless with solo's here and there that raised the hairs on my arms. There's no question as to whether these guys can play.
The fact I was about to see Fall Out Boy again hit me. Barely breathing and shaking all over the lights dropped and the music to 'The Phoenix' came on. 5000 people screamed 'put on your warpaint' as Fall Out Boy tore up and down the stage in balaclavas. The chorus kicked in and the room was a wild tangle of bodies and shrieking voices that didn't let up at any point in the night. Mosh pits opened for 'I slept with someone...' and 'This Ain't A Scene...' before Pete gave his speech before 'Alone Together.'
They opened with 'Thriller' at Reading but this time it was in the middle of their set and just like the festival crowd, Cardiff belted the opening whilst I tried my hardest not to break down sobbing. Somehow the band managed to make 'Young Volcanoes' seem as though you were just jamming in your room with them despite being in an arena. The dance party from 'Death Valley' returned except this time with inflatable balls flying about the room and everyone's grin audible in their singing. Distracting us with one of their video's playing on the big screen Patrick, Pete and Joe ran round the back to play an acoustic set that felt as intimate as 'Young Volcanoes.' 'I'm Like A Lawyer...' and 'Grand Theft Autumn' sounded amazing with the hush of acoustic guitars. Andy let rip an almighty drum solo whilst the others returned to the stage to play 'Dance, Dance,' mellow us back out with 'Just One Yesterday' before yells of 'I Don't Care' filled the room. No song was written better for a live show than that of 'My Songs Know...' with the oh whoa's so loud i'm surprised I didn't lose my hearing.
A roar of 'FALL OUT BOY! FALL OUT BOY!' and they were back with a piano set up on the platform. I don't think anyone was prepared to experience 'Save Rock And Roll' live. Everything about it was perfection and the level of emotion swallowing the room it was impossible not to cry, particularly during the 'oh no we won't go' parts. 'Thnks Fr Th Mmrs' and a golden oldie but extremely relevant 'Saturday' finished off what was a stunning night.
Fall Out Boy were gone for nearly four years and more than ever i'm questioning how we managed to survive that. From their raw talent to the exceptional production it was an outstanding show that I wish more than anything didn't have to end.
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