Fall Out Boy: The Boys of Zummer Tour: Live in Chicago Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Fall Out Boy: The Boys of Zummer Tour: Live in Chicago Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 2, 2016

It’s maybe just a little funny to think of Fall Out Boy as having had its genesis in punk, since the band is pretty relentlessly melodic and hook driven, though there’s at least a “punk-ish” aspect to the band, as evidenced by their cheeky use of Jack Marshall’s surf rock-esque “Theme to The Munsters” as part of their single “Uma Thurman”. The band has a kind of accessibly amiable quality that makes them a bit easier to take on a surface level than other punk or pop punk outfits, but that comes at a cost of innovation sometimes. Some of Fall Out Boy’s more by the numbers offerings could almost be reboots of eighties’ big hair band efforts like Night Ranger or Loverboy (and, no, I’m not kidding), but they just as often surprise with such nice (if kind of eighties arena anthem-ish) pieces as “Centuries”. There’s an undeniable intelligence running through the band’s music in any case, though, and that’s well on display in this appealing 2015 concert from Chicago, the band’s hometown.

While most of the concert sticks to “arena rock” standards, with huge projections and high energy, the trio (minus drummer Andy Hurley) takes the stage for an “unplugged” segment in the middle. The band’s set list for the concert is:

Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down
Irresistible
The Phoenix
A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More “Touch Me”
Thriller
Alone Together
This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race
Immortals
Young Volcanoes
Dance, Dance
American Beauty / American Psycho
Uma Thurman
Thanks Fr Th Mmrs
I Don’t Care
Centuries
My SOngs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)
Saturday

Fall Out Boy: The Boys of Zummer Tour: Live in Chicago Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Fall Out Boy: The Boys of Zummer Tour Live in Chicago is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Vision, an imprint of Eagle Rock Entertainment, and Universal Music Group with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1:78:1. An absence of odd tones in the stage lighting keeps detail levels generally very high throughout this presentation, to the point that it's easy to see Patrick Stump become increasingly sweaty as the concert proceeds. Occasional banding intrudes when huge lighting effects are aimed directly at the cameras, and there's a dusting of noise at times, especially in shots of the audience (see screenshot 3), but otherwise this is a sharp and well defined looking presentation.

Fall Out Boy: The Boys of Zummer Tour: Live in Chicago Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Fall Out Boy: The Boys of Zummer Tour Live in Chicago features nice sounding LPCM 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks. There's a pretty significant uptick in midrange and low end on the 5.1 track, to the point that occasional Patrick Stump's vocals can sound a little diffused, especially when he's down in his growly lower ranges. The band's rhythm section sounds clear and forceful, with Andy Hurley's drumming especially propulsive. Fidelity is excellent and (especially considering the quasi-unplugged segment) dynamic range rather wide on these problem free tracks.

Fall Out Boy: The Boys of Zummer Tour: Live in Chicago Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Bonus Videos (1080p; 13:03) include Centuries, Uma Thurman and Irresistible.

Fall Out Boy: The Boys of Zummer Tour: Live in Chicago Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fall Out Boy can seem like they're playing it relatively safe at times, but even then there's such an undeniable affability to their music that it's hard not to give in to their energy. This concert finds the boys in fine form, offering a nice array of tunes spanning their still developing career. Technical merits are generally strong, and Fall Out Boy: The Boys of Zummer Tour Live in Chicago comes Recommended.