Punks with pop appeal

By Pocholo Concepcion
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–On the first of its two-night concert at the Araneta Coliseum, Fall Out Boy (from left: Patrick Stump, Joe Trohman, Pete Wentz and Andy Hurley) played a short but sensational set — sending some 10,000 fans swooning and singing along from start to finish.

This was an audience that would have looked out of place in a rock concert. There were college and high school kids all right, but we weren’t prepared to see grade school children, too.

Surely they didn’t recognize the band’s opening gimmick — a canned recording of The Foundations’ “Build Me Up, Buttercup” blaring on the house speakers — which, we assumed, was FOB’s way of saying, “We’ve got loads of surprises coming your way!”

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