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08/21/2009 Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Panic At The Disco, Chester French (Darien, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center)

By Eric | August 25, 2009 2:00 pm

Had it not been for $10 lawn tickets, I don’t think I would have considered attending this show. But for $10 each, how could we not? Tiff and I rolled in and parked up on the hill again, had our own little tailgate, and wandered down the road to the venue. There was a ridiculous line wrapped all around the VIP parking, made up of sheep that didn’t realize there were 10 other lines to get in. I grabbed our will call tickets, we got in, and we set up shop in the same place as for the Nickelback show, that being dead-center, and as far back as you can possibly get on the lawn. Since it slopes up, its a decent vantage point, and while far away, you can see everything.

Chester French was up first, and they were a pop-rock/hip-hop type of band, and apparently have some major hip-hop producers working with them (Pharrell for one). They were pretty decent, but I swear they only got like 15 minutes. It may have been more, I wasn’t really really paying attention, but it seemed really short. Panic at the Disco was next, and I kinda knew what to expect with them, as they were sort-of proteges of Fall Out Boy. The songs came off a little more generic than I thought they would have, considering I only know one song by them (I Write Sins…). Their half-hour was entertaining enough though, and it held everyone over until the first of the two major bands…

Fall Out Boy got a pretty big crowd pop as they came out, and it didn’t subside when they opened with Sugar, We’re Going Down. They sounded pretty tight, the singing was good, the crowd was up for them throughout their whole performance. Towards the end of the set, Panic’s lead singer joined FOB for a cover of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing, which actually came off pretty well. FOB’s setlist was mostly hits, as they were the support and not headliners, but enjoyable nonetheless. FOB Setlist: “Sugar, We’re Going Down”, “Thriller”, “A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More “Touch Me””, “Grand Theft Autumn / Where Is Your Boy”, “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race”, “I Don’t Care”, “Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet”, “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs”, “Don’t Stop Believing”, “Dance, Dance”, Saturday.

Time for the headliners of the night, Blink-182. I’ve never been a huge Blink fan, so I wasn’t dying with anticipation or anything. Having said that, they certainly worked the crowd, the crowd ate it up, and from our far vantage point, everyone seemed to be having a good time. Other than the radio songs, I didn’t know anything else they played, so listening to the set on its own merits, it sounded pretty good for a band that’s taken the last 4 or 5 years off. Apparently they didn’t play anything new, and according to other, more seasoned Blink concert veterans, the jokes and comments were the same as they’ve always been. Since it was all new to me, I was amused enough. I was thankful for the handful of songs I did know, and they were spaced far enough apart to make the rest of the set tolerable. To start the encore, Travis Barker played a drum solo with his kit suspended above the stage, and swinging from side-to-side. The spectacle was impressive (I hope he’s paying royalties to Tommy Lee and Joey Jordison though!), the drum solo itself not so much. No matter. The set closer was Dammit, which the crowd loved, and everyone left on a high note. Through the magic of the intertubes, I have Blink’s setlist as well: Dumpweed, Feeling This, Rock Show, What’s My Age Again?, Obvious, I Miss You, Stay Together For The Kids, Down, Always, Stockholm Syndrome, First Date, Man Overboard, Going Away To College, Not Now, Adam’s Song, All The Small Things, Reckless Abandon, Josie, Anthem Pt. 2. Encore: Drum Solo, Carousel, Dammit.

Overall, not a bad show, but given that none of these bands are really “my bands”, $10 on the lawn was the right price for this. Anything more and I think I would have felt like I paid too much. Which isn’t to say we didn’t have fun, because we certainly did, it was just more of the “being there” vibe than my usual “totally psyched for a concert” vibe.

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