Music Photography

TBT: Fall Out Boy performs So Much For (Tour) Dust Leg One in Holmdel, NJ – 8/5/23

Written by mccormacke1 on March 21, 2024

Photos and Review by Emily McCormack –

Let’s start with a confession: When this tour was announced, I fell to the floor outside of our general manager’s office and hyperventilated. I was immediately brought back to middle school – the good part: the music.

Now that we got that embarrassing moment out of the way… onto the show!

Fall Out Boy performed for the first leg of their So Much For (Tour) Dust at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, located just 45 minutes or so away from Montclair State’s campus.

The first act of the night was rock band Games We Play – This happened to be the second time I saw them this summer because they opened for Yungblud the month before! I was so excited to see them perform again, they had such an incredibly fun energy on stage. I love it when artists feel like their authentic selves on stage, and front man Emmyn Calleiro certainly doesn’t shy away from being himself!

My favorite song of the set was “Get A Job,” the title track on their 2022 EP. Covering The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” was of course a great way to get the crowd involved in singing along as well.

The only bummer of the set was that it ended at just four songs – I was hoping they would go on for longer, but this may be because of the large roster and the venue’s curfew. Regardless, this was disappointing (Luckily, Games We Play is joining Fall Out Boy on their second leg of the tour as well. Here’s to hoping they have a bit more time!).

The second act of the night was Royal & The Serpent (RATS) – This was also not the first time I saw this band, so going into it I knew this would be an amazing set. I absolutely adore Ryan Santiago and her vocals, and I loved hearing some new songs – including the then newly released “ONE NATION UNDERDOGS.” She also performed the second cover of the night with Nirvana’s iconic “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

My favorite song of their set was “i can’t get high,” a song I fondly remember blasting throughout my house at the start of my college career.

While RATS set was longer than Games We Play’s, this setlist was capped at nine songs. Again, I long for more!

After this, Bring Me The Horizon took the stage. This is the first time I was able to see the British rock band in person – and it has changed my life forever.

Like many other emo kids (If I said “former emo kid,” I would be lying), I have been listening to BMTH since middle school, and songs like “Can You Feel My Heart” and “Throne” feel like they are part of my DNA.

I was particularly excited that they opened with one of their latest singles “AmEn!,” my favorite of theirs at the time, featuring surprising collaborators Lil Uzi Very and Daryl Palumbo.

Front man Oli Sykes provided some commentary on his thoughts on New Jersey, bringing up what he thinks is a very prominent identifier of the state: the reality TV show Jersey Shore. He went so far as to dedicate his performance of “Drown” to Snooki herself.

One of the funniest parts of the set was when the band admitted that they would usually ask the crowd to “open the pit” and all start moshing – but because the venue was filled with seats rather than an open, general admission, they had to play the instrumental part of the song while staring at the head banding (but otherwise stationary) audience.

BMTH did not disappoint. Luckily, they were able to play a set almost as long as the two openers combined. Of course, I wish their set lasted forever, but I’m glad I was able to hear both the new songs and all their hits in their time on stage!

Finally, for the headliners and stars of the night – Fall Out Boy takes the stage.

The band opened with their then-leading single “Love From The Otherside,” a song that I think was the perfect opener for their album tour. This is perhaps one of the best songs on So Much (For) Stardust (2023).

Before the show, I like many other fans was crossing my fingers that Fall Out Boy would play songs from their earliest projects to the most recent, rather than just from the latest album. I am very glad to report they covered all bases!

The second song was “The Phoenix” from their 2013 album Save Rock and Roll. This immediately set the tone of Fall Out Boy’s setlist and their showcasing of their entire discography. Following this song, they played the iconic “Sugar We’re Goin Down” in From Under The Cork Tree (2005), just after “Uma Thurman” from American Beauty/American Psycho (2015).

Fall Out Boy partakes in the latest trend in keeping audiences on their toes and dedicating a track in their setlist to be their “8 Ball” song, a song picked at random to be performed. Because the last time FOB was in the area, they had to drop out of their NYC Hella Mega Tour date in 2021, the band decided to surprise us with two 8-ball songs that night!

The first was “Bob Dylan” from their 2019 album Greatest Hits: Believers Never Die – Volume II. This song is certainly one of their deeper cuts, as I didn’t see the audience grow too enthusiastic when they performed this one. Most people couldn’t really sing along because they didn’t know this single, as it was buried in their second Greatest Hits album (despite not being… the greatest of hits).

The second surprise song of the night was “I Am My Own Muse” off of So Much (For) Stardust – this definitely had the crowd celebrating! This song happens to be my favorite one on the album, so being heard by the magic 8-ball was amazing!

Some other highlights of the set (if I can manage to limit myself), are certainly long-time favorites “What a Catch, Donnie,” “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)” and “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs” – despite some of these only being performed partially.

A staple in the band’s setlists, they finished the night with “Saturday” from their 2003 album Take This To Your Grave. They even invited Emmyn Calleiro from Games We Play back on stage for this closing song!

The main takeaway – Fall Out Boy never disappoints. They always bring about this fun, real energy to their shows that I’ve missed so much. There is nothing better than hearing some perfectly nostalgic throwback songs alongside the freshest, latest hits. In my eyes, this band can do no wrong.

I hope they switch up their setlist for their next tour, but I don’t have any complaints about their songs from leg one (according to setlist.fm, they covered 28 songs in total)!

Fall Out Boy is embarking on their So Much For (2our) Dust in Spring 2024, bringing alongside Jimmy Eat World on all dates. They will be stopping by in New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Friday, March 22, 2024, with Hot Mulligan and Games We Play!