The sold-out Hella Mega Tour brought live music back to the Friendly Confines for the first show there since 2019, and what a show it was!
For many, this was the first live music show since Covid lockdown. It was also the first concert to take place at Wrigley Field in two years. The extra cherry on the top was that there were not one, but three headlining acts. Weezer, Fall Out Boy, and Green Day have joined forces for the rescheduled Hella Mega Tour. Originally slated for last summer, this one was definitely more than worth the wait.
It was an early start for the tour’s special guest, The Interrupters. Wrigley Field had a decent early turnout for the ska-punk band from LA. There were clearly a good number of their fans in the crowd as they took to their feet, dancing and singing along for their brief set. They might have only been performing for 30 minutes, but their set certainly had the desired impact and kicked the party off nicely.
The first of the co-headliners to take to the stage was Weezer. The aesthetics of their stage setup was impressive and unexpected given it was an hour-long set. Rivers Cuomo looked every bit the rock star as he donned a studded leather jacket, a rather impressive mullet, and a flying V guitar. They kicked off the nostalgic trip down memory lane with songs such as “Undone – The Sweater Song,” “Beverly Hills,” and “Buddy Holly.” Their rendition of Toto’s “Africa” invoked quite the reaction from the crowd who sang along to the iconic number. The song that really kicked up those 90s memories, and garnered the loudest singing from the crowd was “Say It Ain’t So.” Next up were Wilmette locals, Fall Out Boy. Time for another impressive stage set up which came to life with a massive screen in the center. A video with actor Ron Livingston entertained the crowd as they waited for the band to take to the stage.After missing some earlier shows on the tour due to Covid within their team, Fall Out Boy is back in the lineup. They were clearly excited and somewhat emotional to be performing their hometown show at such an iconic venue. Patrick Stump took to the stage wearing his Cubs’ shirt, and Pete Wentz often looked overcome as he looked out across the expansive crowd. Wentz told the crowd that he had grown up with Weezer and Green Day, and now he was on the same billing as them, at Wrigley Field, as he encouraged the audience to “dream big!”
By this point the crowd had well and truly warmed up their singing voices and whole-heartedly sang along to “Sugar, We’re Goin Down,” “Dance, Dance,” and “Thanks Fr Th Mmrs.” As loud as they sang along, they didn’t quite drown out Stump, who, it has to be said, actually sounds better live than recorded. The range and power of his voice were impressive, to say the least.
Last, but certainly not least, was Green Day with the longest set of the night. They did not mess around as they came out swinging. If you’ve ever seen Green Day perform before, you know the score the moment you hear Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” piped through the sound system. That’s the queue that it’s almost time! The excitement was clearly growing in the crowd as they screamed the lengthy song, swaying their arms back and forth as they sang into the cameras that projected their images onto the screens. Next, The Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop” plays as someone in a pink bunny costume runs around the stage before being wrestled by one of the crew. At that point, the crowd goes absolutely crazy as Green Day burst onto the stage, opening their set with the rambunctious hit “American Idiot.”Their set didn’t include any songs from their latest album, “Father Of All…” but instead was in keeping with the rest of the night’s nostalgic journey across their hits of yesteryear, including “Welcome To Paradise,” “Hitchin A Ride,” and “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams,” to name just a few. With songs spanning most of their lengthy career, there was something in there for fans old and new.
Having been treated to an extensive display of pyro and fireworks during Fall Out Boy’s set, you would think anything following would pale in comparison. But that was not the case at all. Green Day also had their fair share of fireworks along with the magnetism of frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong, who had the audience in the palm of his hand throughout the set. After counting them in, he commanded the crowd to go crazy, and go crazy they did! All the way to the very back rows.
Throughout the night, there were several declarations at various points of “this song reminds me of when I was in High School.” Everyone there looked like they were there to have a great time, and that’s exactly what they got. Even if you were there for one band in particular, you couldn’t help but enjoy the other bands and sing along. The songs were too catchy not to!The Hella Mega Tour continues until September 6. If you’ve managed to secure your tickets, you’re sure to have a fun time.
GREEN DAY
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FALL OUT BOY
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