Upon first arriving at the Bank United Center around 3:30 p.m., there was already a massive line stretching all the way to the entrance full of teenage girls from all over South Florida. As soon as those doors were opened, the pit was immediately flooded with the anxious fans who would eventually wait almost four hours for their highly anticipated dose of pop-punk glory at the Black Clouds and Underdogs Tour.

       The opening band, October Fall, performed a surprisingly good set and had the crowd jamming along to "Hey Hey," their debut single, in no time at all.
      But the show really took off when From First to Last trampled their way onto the stage. Though initially I didn't really take to the band's messy, bloody makeup, I later realized how much it made them stand out--the bloody paint was just too visually captivating to ignore and fit their aggressive music.

      While rocking through songs from their album Heroine, lead singer Sonny Moore had great chemistry with the audience; he really knew how to get them stoked. He would build enthusiasm by shoving a microphone into the hands of an eager fan and letting them shout out their favorite lines.

      Hawthorne Heights was up next and sadly, their performance failed to blow me away. Perhaps this can be attributed to the transition from a fast-paced, slamming band like From First to Last to a mellower, slower-paced band. Still, vocalist Matt Ridenour did a great job making the band's stage performance sound identical to how they sound on their new album, The Silence In Black And White.


      Later, a monumental surge of energy was beginning to manifest within the auditorium as The All American Rejects began tuning their instruments on stage. The crowd's energy burst into cheers as the band ripped into its raucous fun pop-punk set list, which included "Swing, Swing" and "My Paper Heart." Guitarist Nick Wheeler was generously giving away picks to the crowd during every song, and some adoring fans even chose to return the favor by throwing their bras up on stage!

      I really enjoyed watching the connection vocalist Tyson Ritter shared with the audience. He seemed to try and get intimate with his fans during every single chorus, especially on "Move Along." It was easy to see that the All American Rejects were totally enjoying themselves just as much as the spellbound crowd. The already restless fans were becoming agitated and impatient as we all continued to wait for Fall Out Boy to take the stage. Eventually, the lights dimmed to show a short movie from the band, which immediately fired up the crowd and drove them into a wild chant, "Fall Out Boy! FALL OUT BOY!"

      The curtains dropped, music started and everyone was ready to party. The band's mega hits "Sugar We're Going Down" and "Dance, Dance" sounded spectacular live and really got the crowd involved and worked up. When bassist Pete Wentz spotted a former interviewer from The American Cross crowd surfing, he helped her on to the platform and allowed her to stage dive. Throughout what seemed like a perfect show FOB treated the audience to phenomenal pyrotechnics display. They ended the evening with "Saturday" from their old album Take This To Your Grave.


      Overall I'd have to say the show was a great success and the performances were astounding. South Florida rewarded the bands with a warm and enthusiastic reception. I'm sure the next time they come back they'll provide performances equally enthralling!

      Email Neyda your thoughts: outloud@outloud.com