Pop-punk band Fall Out Boy is making their way to South Florida this June. The 7th Annual Honda Civic Tour, which is headlined by FOB, was scheduled to perform in late April. However, lead singer Patrick Stump told the University Press that for “personal reasons” the first half of the tour was rescheduled.
“We delayed it for three weeks, and the show will be better because of it,” Stump said in an interview with the UP in early May. “[But] that wasn’t the reason we postponed it, but it’s a nice side effect from it. We got time to practice and relax. I don’t think we’ve ever really had a break.”
The Chicago quartet has released four CD’s and has had numerous hits on MTV. Dominating the country’s pop station airwaves this very moment is their new single, “Thnks fr th Mmrs,” a wickedly clever break-up song. Previously they had been known for tracks which include “Dance, Dance” and “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down.”
Their catchy tunes, however, aren’t the only thing that energized their success. FOB recently pulled a great promotional stunt after FOB bassist Pete Wentz snapped photos of his genitalia with a cell phone and uploaded them to the internet. The band has since been the hot topic of discussion among many talk shows, magazines, and Web-blogs. Whatever their claim to fame is, doesn’t really matter because it’s working.
The greatest part of this tour is concert-goers get a million-to-one chance to win a new Honda Civic Hybrid, part of a tour designed to promote environmental awareness.
“I don’t think we’re doing as much as we can on this tour- this just step one,” Stump said. “You are an entertainer and you have to entertain- it’s really distasteful when you have to feel as though you are educating people. It may come off as pretentious but at the same time people are expecting you to say something. Given the platform, however, we are going to say a lot about the environment.”
However, this isn’t just a Fall Out Boy concert or an environmental gigåå- it’s a huge event featuring four opening bands… and minor acts they are not.
The names Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker should ring a bell- they only comprise two-thirds of the punk-rock trio, Blink-182. Three years after Blink-182 outgrew each other, Barker and Hoppus formed +44 as a side project and released its freshman album in late 2006 without making much of an impact on the pop world. Now, Hoppus and Barker are one of the supporting acts on this tour- a complete turn-a-round from selling out venues with their previous band.
After Wentz discovered and signed indie-rock band The Academy Is to record label Fueled by Ramen, the quintet recently released their sophomore album, Santi, which incorporated a less pop-driven and more soul-searching sound than their first release. The Academy Is, fresh from changing out a band member, is ready to showcase their new style on the first tour since the album’s release.
Label mates with The Academy Is, Cobra Starship got the chance to do the theme song for the movie Snakes on a Plane with TAI’s lead singer, and other singers from their label, Fueled by Ramen. This was where people first got a glimpse of the funky white boy, Gabe Saporta. They scored another point after opening for pop-electronic band Head Automatica this past fall.
Rap-Hip Hop artist Paul Wall earns the vote for “most unexpected addition to the tour.” Wall seems to be completely out of place on this pop-rock tour, considering he’s a major rap artist. However, Wall is mostly known to the pop world for his contribution toward Nelly’s Grammy-nominated song, “Grillz.”
Whether fans attend just to see a certain artist or just to help the environment, it should surely have an amazing turn out.
It may seem petty that bands try to save the world, Stump said, but every little thing helps.
“As much as I want to help the world, and I really want to do something generally good with my life, I think at the end of the day we are just some dumb band,” Stump said. “You really have to just own up to that- just be a dumb band and play rock music.”
The Honda Civic Tour will kick off this June 16 at the Sound Advice Amphitheatre. For more information on this tour check out http://www.civictour.honda.com/. For ticketing info check out www.ticketmaster.com.
Fall Out Boy’s “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs” Music Video
