After a careful circumvention of Reliant Park’s ridiculous parking fees, I began the arduous trek from the far lots to the back of Reliant Arena, where the entrance of the show was. Sure, the parking was fierce and I had to walk about half a mile to get to the box office, but I could have been worse. If I were at Fitzgerald’s I would have had to park halfway down White Oak, next to a washateria and a homeless man named Quincy that vows to “watch” your car for a nickel.

After the trek and weaving in and around anxious fan lines, I finally received my ticket and credential and made it inside just in time to catch the last half of the second band, From First to Last’s set. Much to my surprise these guys were pretty heavy for what I had expected from the show. Although a little too “metal” for me, they seemed to have a fairly large following. I did notice a few strange things during the set. The vocalist had what seemed to be a huge tattoo or marking of an “X” across his face/mouth area, and the bassist was hidden behind a pair of amps for a reason unknown.

Victory Records’ Hawthorne Heights took the stage third, decked out in matching white jump suits reminiscent of a mental ward. This is another one of those guilty pleasures of mine. I never was a fan of the melodic vocals paired with the screamo style and actually preferred the sometimes overly whiney vocals over the screaming. To this end, I enjoyed the band’s performance. I also spotted a few Johnny Beatz tribute tattoos on the members, which I think is a great gesture to the recently fallen Bayside drummer.

The All American Rejects, who was the second to last act of the bill, came out and definitely put on a show. I have to admit, when their debut came out a few years ago, I was in love with the song, “Swing, Swing”, but hey…who wasn’t? During my love affair with the song, my loving girlfriend surprised me with a huge AAR poster as a gag gift for my birthday. Excect for random plays on iTunes, I hadn’t heard from these guys until I flipped on MTV earlier in the week and found them playing a live set on a Spring Break special.  Although I enjoy their debut release a bit more than their most recent, these guys, in my opinion, stole the show. The whole band showed the energy and charisma that should be demanded when paying over $30.00 to see a show. It didn’t hurt that the drummer’s bass drum head sported a graphic rendition of a muscular Chuck Norris.

After AAR finished up an opaque white curtain dropped around the stage. Some time later cued by hundreds of chanting fans, the dark silhouettes of the headliner, Fall Out Boy, could be seen behind the curtain. With a flash of light, the curtain dropped and the band drove into their first tune. The stage was cleared of the previous bands’ gear and had taken on the look of an 80’s hair band’s setup. I was truly unimpressed with the front man’s lack of enthusiasm throughout the set, as he was clearly shadowed by his energetic band mates. Since the guys in Fall Out Boy are a bunch of old hardcore kids, I really just wanted to hear their cover of the Gorilla Biscuits’ “Start Today”; however I did not get to hear it.

Throughout the whole show I was simply taken aback. Taken aback at the magnitude of the shows of this genre has produced. It was but four or five years ago that bands just like these appealed to a small indie crowd, and played at tiny venues in front of a handful of kids. Nowadays the bands are rock stars, with the whole nine yards…major record deals, sold out arena shows, corporate sponsorships, and a slew of underage girls who pine for the “dreamy” lead singer.

All is not lost I guess as the lighting in these larger venues better facilitates my need for good photos. I cannot blame the guys, and I refuse to join the group that is quick to say they are “sellouts” but I hope they all remember where they came from, and don’t forget their roots. – Todd Spoth www.toddspoth.com