Live Review: Fall Out Boy, others in Glendale, AZ

The "Black Clouds and Underdogs Tour"--featuring Fall Out Boy, All-American Rejects, Hawthorne Heights, From First to Last and The Hush Sound--is meant to bolster the careers of some of punk-pop's hottest new bands.

But it serves an alternate purpose: it's an excuse for 10,000 teenage girls to scream like it was a Backstreet Boys show.

Fall Out Boy, All-American Rejects and Hawthorne Heights are clearly the heirs apparent of the heartthrob throne, if the crowd's reaction Wednesday (3/29) at Arizona's Glendale Arena is any indication.

Fans on the side of the stage wailed and snapped photos of the all-white-clad members of Hawthorne Heights as the group prepared to hit the stage, just after strong efforts by The Hush Sound and From First to Last.

Hawthorne Heights vocalist/guitarist J.T. Woodruff could not make a move without girls going rabid. Woodruff, backed by resident screamer Casey Calvert, delivered his smooth vocals on songs from "If Only You Were Lonely," an album that debuted at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 album chart.

Tyson Ritter, vocalist/bassist for All-American Rejects, utilized the spacious stage to its fullest with a stage persona that was somewhere between Mick Jagger and Chuck Berry. Ritter's vocals were tight during the band's one-hour set, which included a hat trick of hits toward the end: "Dirty Little Secret," "Swing, Swing" and "Move Along."

As Fall Out Boy arrived on stage to a video of the band mocking a recent sex tape of bassist Pete Wentz that hit the Internet, the screams were deafening. The band--which also includes singer Patrick Stump, guitarist Joe Trohman and drummer Andy Hurley--kicked off the set with "Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued," the opening track from their CD "From Under the Cork Tree." The song allowed Stump the opportunity to show off his tenor abilities. However, it didn't last for long. He was pitchy, as Simon Cowell would say, on and off throughout the rest of the show, which ran for 90 minutes. He especially seemed to struggle through "Of All the Gin Joints in the World." during which he had a hard time hitting the high notes.

The Chicago band has become known, apparently, for its prolific swearing on stage. Wentz explained he received a complaint from a parent once, and he agreed to cut it down. However, he's not ashamed of it.

"I think it's OK if we still swear a little bit. After all, Jack Nicholson swears. So does Harrison Ford. It's safer than smoking or having sex," he said to massive applause.

Instead of having a swearing tip jar, the band threw one T-shirt into a box for each time a member swore, and gave the shirts out at the end of the show. The number topped 30.

The group wrapped up the show by asking if any of the fans wanted to dance--an obvious segue to the hit "Dance Dance." Fans once again screamed, validating Fall Out Boy's graduation to the arena circuit.