SOMEWHERE IN NEVERLAND

Folie á Deux

One of the first records I ever received was Folie á Deux by Fall Out Boy for my 17th birthday a few years back. Fall Out Boy, as harrowing as this may sound, has been a paramount band in my existence.

When I was 5-years-old, my favorite video game on my stellar PlayStation 2 console was Karaoke Revolution: American Idol where my most frequented karaoke song was “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down” from Fall Out Boy’s From Under the Cork Tree. I’m sure it wasn’t the most appropriate thing for a 5-year-old to be belting lyrics about notches on bedposts and wanting to be the friction in someone’s jeans, but nevertheless, it was my favorite and the game’s Simon Cowell didn’t seem to care either.

Fast forward 10 years from me playing the game in my family’s basement TV room to waiting in line in Salt Lake City to meet the group whose songs I had been blasting for a decade. My meeting with them was probably one of the most awkward things I’ve ever done—and for those of you that know me, I’m pretty awkward—so I’ll spare you the gritty details of the encounter.

Maybe it was the lingering marijuana from Wiz Khalifa’s set, maybe it was the adrenaline from just meeting one of the bands I had idolized for the past 10 years or the underlying embarrassment I felt after that; but this experience felt different than the other shows I’ve been to, and it also brought on a lot of self-reflection.

Pete Wentz cut in between songs to speak to the crowd before introducing the next song with the one quote that’s stuck by me for the last four years, “I’m not sure if you pick where you end up in life, but you do pick if you’re going to be a punching bag or if you’re going to throw a few punches. For the next hour and a half, let’s fight back.” This quote always comes back to me whenever I’m doubting myself about reaching my goals or feeling down on myself—and for that, I’ll always be a fan.

Editor’s Pick: “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down” by Fall Out Boy