Live Review: Fall Out Boy, WAAX

It's a balmy Wednesday night in Brisbane as the sun begins to set and a breeze blows slowly through Botanic Gardens. We're on our way to see Chicago teen-hearthrobs Fall Out Boy supported by local punk aficionados WAAX.

The traffic is creeping along at snail's pace and many people abandon their Ubers early and walk due to the sheer number of people thronging towards Brisbane's Riverstage. It's a pleasant walk through the gardens, however, pierced occasionally by laughter or birdsong, before suddenly (and uproariously) we hear an amplified shriek fill the air as we draw close, which signals that WAAX frontwoman Marie De Vita has taken the stage and is ready to melt faces. As we all file into the arena, the line for the merch tent dominates the entire pathway and we're forced to walk for a while down the hill to avoid it. There's a large crowd up and jammed towards the front of stage, jumping and screaming along with De Vita as her incredible band smash out hits like I For An Eye, You Wouldn't Believe and many new songs.

It seems like they're not on stage for nearly long enough and, after a short 40 minutes, they disappear and the crowd is left either screaming for them to come back or already screaming for the the next artist, American heartthrobs Fall Out Boy. During the changeover we go grab some food from the selections available inside the arena, which are surprisingly diet-requirement friendly and cheap, and then settle down on a nice spot on the hill. Ten minutes before the band is due to come on, the fans start screaming at everything the onstage sound crew do so high is the energy and anticipation in the audience.

Shortly before the band arrives on stage, there's like a universal signal through the audience and nearly everybody sitting on the hill stands up, making it impossible for those seated to view the stage. Nobody moves any further forward or moves around excitedly, instead they choose to stand metres apart from each other - seems like a waste of a perfectly good hill.

Moments later, the screen lights up with a countdown and everyone shouts along with it until, at zero, Fall Out Boy arrive on stage and smash straight into opening track The Phoenix off their 2013 album Save Rock And Roll as flames shoot up  either side of the stage. They play Hum Hallelujah shortly after, as streamers rain from the sky like ribbons and everyone sings along. To back up one singalong with another, the opening chords of 2005 fan-favourite Sugar, We're Goin Down see us bursting out screams accompanied by a series of loud firecrackers. It's 13 years on and still nobody seems to know the end of that infamous chorus. Fall Out Boy nail banger after nostalgic banger and, within the crowd, you can really tell who's been on board this journey for 15 years and who's just jumped on. Either way, both groups give all they can with every song and our singing nearly overwhelms the band at times.

There's a beautiful moment during Save Rock And Roll, which is spurred on by bassist Pete Wentz when he asks for the lights to be dimmed and for everyone to get their phone torches out to make the hill look light starlight as frontman Patrick Stump sings his heart out from behind a piano. After a couple more songs, most of the band leave the stage for drummer Andy Hurley to smash out a few incredible minutes of drum solo as the stage crew wheel out a piano. The band appear back on stage, but where is Wentz? They start the next song, Dance Dance, and we suddenly spot him, behind us, in a hi-vis vest, playing from the sound desk. Fall Out Boy play the next song positioned this way as well and then suddenly they're all off backstage again.

After another short intermission featuring merch-wearing mascots, the band return, launching straight into I Don't Care, featuring a backdrop of many videos and clips of people flipping the bird. The next few songs whip the crowd into a frenzy: This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race; Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy; and Thnks Fr Th Mmrs, which reinvigorates the crowd for final song Champion.

As the last note fades away and the stage fades to black, there's chants and screams for more. After what seems like an absolute age, the band run back out on stage and Wentz whips out a camera to take a photo with the crowd behind them. They play a three-song encore: Uma Thurman, My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark and, finally, Saturday. The stage goes to black again, music starts to pump through the venue sound system speakers and thousands of people make their way towards the gatem slowly. This is not a night we'll forget anytime soon.