Fall Out Boy's live CD/DVD comes out today, though it's their bonus studio version of "Beat It" with the ever-introspective John Mayer that's making real headway on charts so far. (Their take on the second-best MJ song ever -- "Billie Jean" is the best, duh! -- is weirdly right on key, a version that pays plenty of serious homage to the original while adding a nice, heavy weight to the track.)
Live in Phoenix (actually and cryptically named **** -- perhaps a reference to the 25-hour Warhol film of the same name?) was filmed during the make-up for a show canceled when their headlining gig on the 2007 Honda Civic Tour was delayed for "personal reasons." Whatever break it was the boys needed, they were in exuberant, prime stage-as-jungle-gym form for this gig.
"We wanted to deliver a show that was all marshmallows and no cereal," bassist/lyricist/frontman Pete Wentz writes in the liner notes. "I learned more about myself on this tour than I had since the days when we lived in a van." (See, for example, his neat slide to play at the feet of singer Patrick Stump, above.)
The crowd shots feature the obligatory teenage girls in tank tops and jocks moshing their brains out against the bodies of their best buds -- gay! But, even better and sort of surprising though I've witnessed this first-hand myself: There are a lot of total dudes who love this band. Like, they love it. They love it with this glassy look in their eyes like they might die if Pete growled in their direction. They're beautifully uninhibited even when singing along to lines like, "He tastes like you, only sweeter." It's not even (necessarily) all that gay. It's just pretty awesome.
Also included on the DVD: Every music video the band has ever made (truly) and behind the scenes clips originally posted to the Honda website from the road -- plus a couple of new ones, including Patrick talking about producing the Cobra Starship album.
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Speaking of DVDs and bands headlining Honda's spring fling, a quick trip through the disc bundled with Panic at the Disco's deluxe edition release of Pretty. Odd. demonstrates exactly why Ryan Ross' decorator thought he was gay. Panic's guitar player and lyricist-in-chief has the apartment of a 65-year-old showmo queen. That and the other making-of clips are fabulous, even if there is nowhere near enough behind the scenes footage included given how long it took the band to make this album. Here's hoping they follow the lead of FOB and post a zillion videos while zig-zagging cross-country.
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