A fan from the beginning, my middle school self recently got to do something I only ever dreamed of — see Fall Out Boy live in concert. Their recent show at CFG Arena left little to be desired, with amazing openers and a magical mix of hits from across their discography that left everyone in the building exhilarated and sated with the amazing night.

Featuring an impressive pyrotechnics show, a quick magic act and a 20-foot puppet, I can’t think of anything that Fall Out Boy didn’t include in their expansive Baltimore set and show. 

Before the main act, top-billed opener Jimmy Eat World, along with smaller openers Games We Play and Hot Mulligan got the audience warmed up and ready for anything as Games We Play included a small tease of trying to auction of the lead singer’s brother to find a girlfriend, and Jimmy Eat World took us all on a trip down memory lane with fan favorite songs. 

At CFG Bank Arena on March 20, Fall Out Boy started their show with a bang with expansive pyrotechnics and launched into their set with “Love from the Other Side”, along with songs from each of their eight albums, including “Uma Thurman”, “A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More Touch Me,” and “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s An Arms Race,” keeping both veteran fans and newcomers alike signing and dancing along throughout the entire set. I don’t think I saw anyone on the floor seated throughout the show as the energy buzzed through the audience. 

While the lighting, pyrotechnics, and amazing set list are all deserving of immense praise, what really captured the audience’s attention was the sets used throughout the show, inclusive of larger-than-life cacti, a dancing snail and an anthropomorphic tree with a door to what could only contain a secret world.

The Doberman snapping at bubbles featured on the “So Much (For) Stardust” album cover even made an appearance as a giant puppet who helped the audience sing along in time to “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race.”

Check out Fall Out Boy’s “Love From the Other Side” on Spotify!

Using a Magic 8 Ball to decide on a song before the encore, fans got the tour debut of “Miss Missing You” and the band decided to just stay on stage to close out the night rather than doing a traditional encore, ending the night with fan favorites “Thnks fr th Mmrs” and “Centuries”. 

Overall, middle school me is screaming “Thanks for the Memories” as an incredible night will forever go down as a reality from my wildest dreams. And if you have a chance to see Fall Out Boy Live, 20/10 would recommend as it’s an experience you’ll never forget. 

Here are some more shows of Fall Out Boy performing at CFG Bank Arena on March 20, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Carol Lowe.