Fall Out Boy

AT The Aragon ballroom

It's amazing when punk bands get signed to a large label and explode out of their local scene. Once misfits and outsiders to the mainstream, the music they play suddenly becomes acceptable and even OK to like without the fear of getting strange looks from your classmates or beaten up by jocks. Local pop-punkers Fall Out Boy sold out the Aragon this past Friday night, and with their new record "From Under the Cork Tree" certified gold, it was reminiscent of the now mega-huge Green Day's first major headlining tour.

With the line stretched around the side of the building an hour before the doors were open, it became evident that punk is certainly not dead. Though the band's style is a far cry from the leather jacket and Mohawk that your stereotypical punk would wear, studded belts and wallet chains are still an outlet of rebellion for the mostly teenage audience that packed the venue.

A handful of popular pop-punk or indie-rock bands are starting to look like one-hit wonders, but it's obvious Fall Out Boy's music has a great sense of urgency and depth, not to mention more than one or two memorable songs per record. Take crowd favorite "Dead on Arrival," for example: it's structured like a hard-core punk song, but contains an insistent and contagious pop pulse that can't be had when one sets out to write the best pop tune you've ever heard. Also, the lyrics (all penned by bassist Pete Wentz) metaphorically describe a relationship as a record on a turntable -- a little extra depth you don't usually get with cookie-cutter pop bands.

Fall Out Boy's wild stage presence is also a breath of fresh air in an era of Kraftwerk-like bands that seem lost on a large stage. Even their incredible drummer Andy Hurley managed to go bonkers while sitting behind his kit. Guitarists Joe Trohman and Patrick Stump didn't seem to mind trading a few missed notes in songs like "Dance, Dance" for a better show.

In the end, one can only hope Fall Out Boy's many sold-out shows on this tour lead to larger than life possibilities. Seeing a band of dedicated musicians who can really play, write a great song, and one that has paid more dues than imaginable, find success would be amazing not only for the Chicago music scene, but the national one as well.

Dave Hofer is a local free-lance writer.

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