‘Young Wild Things’ Capture Four Top Acts For Recent Showcase

By John Voket

BRIDGEPORT — Presumably after sending off a big fat check to author and illustrator Maurice Sendak for parodying his mildly scary Where the Wild Things Are on posters, shirts and other paraphernalia supporting their latest tour, pop-rock phenom Fall Out Boy went to work deciding which wild young bands they would call on for opening support.

And whether it was a wild coincidence, lucky timing, or some ultra-crafty and coordinated marketing through their respective labels, the three other acts co-headlining the Young Wild Things Tour all seemed to be hitting stride just in time for the Connecticut stop on November 10 at Bridgeport’s Arena at Harbor Yard.

Cute is What We Aim For took the stage by storm despite a scant crowd there to greet them as the showcase opened just after 7 pm. Lanky vocalist Shaant Hacikyan stalked the stage while bandmates Jeff Czum, Fred Cimato and Tom Falcone hit all the right buttons during a 40-minute set which included Cute’s popular tunes “The Curse of Curves” and “There’s A Class for This.”

Plain White T’s arrived next, buoyed by their monster single “Hey There Delilah,” which came late in a high powered set that also featured a rocking “Our Time Now” and the harmony-drenched “Hate (I Really Don’t Like You).”

Singer Tom Higgenson worked the expanding crowd, bringing it on every number as the tag-team of Dave Tirio and Tim Lopez pumped out powerful leads and hooky guitar melodies complimented by bassist Mike Retondo and De’Mar Hamilton on drums.

Gym Class Heroes brought along their filling the stage with movement and their own unique brand of alternative hip-hop turning heads among the many parents in attendance as they sampled Van Halen and Supertramp.

But it was the kids in attendance who crowded up to the front checking out Travis McCoy as he dished out “Cupid’s Chokehold,” “Clothes Off,” and a daringly funky cover of Arctic Monkeys “Leave Before the Lights Go On.”

After a more lengthy intermission, Fall Out Boy entered the room with exploding confetti cannons, blistering pyro and some seriously notched-up volume driving the band’s many familiar hits. Over their 90-minute set, they only rolled back the energy briefly with an equally entertaining acoustic set that clustered band members together for a trio of tunes, including “Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner.”

The remainder of Fall Out Boy’s visit wavered between creatively-titled album cuts like “Carpal Tunnel of Love,” “I’m Like A Lawyer With The Way I’m Always Trying To Get You Off (Me & You),” “Hum Hallelujah” and “Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of This Song So We Wouldn’t Get Sued.”

The thousands of screaming teens popped cameraphone pics or crowd surfed up a storm to Fall Out Boy’s familiar chart busting singles, “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down,” “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race,” “Dance, Dance,” and the appropriate main show closer, “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs.” The appearances of Higgenson and McCoy during the set also helped spice up the vocal mix while giving hard-working frontman Patrick Stump a couple of well-earned breathers.

With the encore of “Saturday” ringing in their ears, chatty waves of teens, many with grateful parents in tow, headed out into the brisk Saturday evening apparently satisfied by a show that even this chronologically mature reviewer considered a huge bargain at the $40 ticket price. Hopefully Fall Out Boy will have enough juice to sustain an annual Young Wild Things showcase much like their counterparts in Linkin Park have done with their Projekt Revolution franchise.