Editor's Note: Over the recent break, The Eagle was able to travel to Chicago for a little field reporting.
The Twisted 12 show is an annual Chicagoland favorite, and this year was no exception. Hosted by the Chicago alternative music radio station Q101, Coheed & Cambria and Fall Out Boy played to a sold-out crowd at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom on Dec. 18. Sadly, All American Rejects did not perform due to the death of their keyboardist Tim Jordan on Dec. 14.
The show, now in its 12th year, is said to have had its heyday in the mid-'90s, yet this year's show was the fastest to sell out in its history.
The all-ages show started early on a Sunday night and drew a diverse crowd to the large venue. Some attendees donned black fingerless gloves that were given out upon arrival, so even the least punkish concertgoer could get in touch with his or her darker side. The median age of the audience hovered around 20, given the fact that there were approximately three 13-year-old girls for every 40-year-old chaperone intermixed with the 20-something longtime devotees. The divisiveness in the crowd reached fever pitch during a futile attempt to rile up a mosh pit.
Coheed & Cambria opened the show to its followers, but most were too interested in sending text messages that appeared on two large screens on either side of the stage with communiqu?s such as "pete u r hot fob rox <3 rachel" in hopes of getting the attention of Fall Out Boy's guitarist Peter Wentz.
Fall Out Boy was the obvious belle of the ballroom, and shrieking ensued upon their entrance. It was a coming home for the Chicago-based band, and they repeatedly paid their respects to their hometown fans and families in attendance. They played songs from their most recent album, "From Under the Cork Tree," including "Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year," "I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me," "Sugar, We're Going Down" and "Dance, Dance." They played an older song called "Yule Shoot Your Eye Out" and closed with the crowd-pleaser "Saturday," from their 2003 album "Take This to Your Grave."
Fall Out Boy has had a good year. Following the very successful release of the video for "Dance, Dance," they were nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist, have been featured on two magazine covers, been "Punk'd" by Ashton Kutcher and have played on MTV's New Year's Eve show immediately after the ball dropped.
But the fans at Twisted 12 were only interested in Patrick Stump's cool vocals, Joseph Trohman's hot spinning moves, Andrew Hurley's impressive drumming and Peter Wentz's words of gratitude.
Following the New Year's performance, Fall Out Boy went across the pond to begin a European tour but will be back soon for their massive Black Clouds and Underdogs American tour, which will feature bands All American Rejects, Hawthorne Heights, From First To Last, Hush Sound and October Falls. They will appear on May 4 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md.
