The Hella Mega Tour - London Stadium - 24th of June 2022

If you know me, you know that prolific Chicago rockers Fall Out Boy and pop punk powerhouse Green Day have had a massive impact on my life. I remember when I was an early teen, rocking out in my bedroom to American Idiot on my CD player, before switching to my phone and listening to Infinity on High top to bottom to get my alternative music fix. To this day, I still listen to their music with an immense fondness, so when I heard they were coming to London, I knew I had to be there, in any capacity possible. So I bunkered down in sixth form, waiting for the message from my Dad, the make or break as to whether I'd be making it to London Stadium in June. And, as the more eagle eyed readers will realise (seeming as this is in the Live reviews section) you can imagine the impending happiness which came along with securing two tickets to the show. So I was ready to go and see two of my favourite bands, and Weezer, perform live. Then COVID-19 happened. The show was postponed, and not only was that show on the line, my dream as a kid with that CD was on the line too. But, after two long years of waiting, Hella Mega tour came, and has since gone, and I need to tell you all about it.

I know it's been a while since the tour actually happened, and that's on me being busy and juggling this blog along with my life and other hobbies, but I also wanted to be in the right headspace to write this thing. The tour was an absolute behemoth, and I want to make 120% sure I'm doing it all the justice I can within this post. That means photos and setlists and every little thing I can jam pack into this thing!

(Hella Mega Tour Poster Graphic - 2022)

Let's talk venue first, because London Stadium was a pretty excellent choice. Not only could it fit a shit tonne of people in, but it felt like a real gathering of fans from all across the globe jam packed into the space. What I really enjoyed was that from the get go, the people were friendly, considerate of their fellow fans, and all in all pumped to be at the concert. Although pints were bloody expensive, at around £7, what can you expect in London? As someone who lives practically next to the capital I'm all too familiar with the audible gulp as I pay for yet another overpriced drink on a night out. The fans really made the day what it is, we even got chatting to people in the lines about anything and everything, mainly though whether the door we were waiting for was for E door or F. But when you were in your place, which for me and my mate were a few rows back on the top level of seats, you could really see what this concert was going to be, and hearing that the entire stadium was SOLD OUT, we couldn't wait to see what 80,000 people could make of a night like this.

Merchandise was also pretty good, and catered to fans of both the bands individually and the entire tour as a whole. There were shirts for all the bands respectively that were all designed pretty well, as well as other pieces of memorabilia. Prices once again were a touch steep, clocking in at £35 per t-shirt and £20-£30 for other accessories like hats, it was by no means a cheap outing, but seeming as it was a once in a lifetime experience, I was pretty happy forking out some cash for a tour shirt and a Fall Out Boy trucker cap. I'm actually wearing my Hella Mega shirt as I'm writing this, and can say that unlike some other band shirts that I own, this one is actually made really well, and was well worth the price tag, even after a few washes. Sure it was steep, not the usual £20/25 you would expect at a concert, but hey, we all gotta buy in at some point...

(Picture of the Hella Mega Merch Stand - Courtesy of u/kateehenry on r/FallOutBoy)

Now, onto the music. The support act was an Australian band called Amyl and the Sniffers, who I'd heard very little about before my Hella Mega experience, and I felt kind of bad for them as they came on stage, barricaded from about 2/3rds of it by massive set pieces for the other two bands later on. I know this was by no means their show, but they could hardly fit a drum kit on the stage, let alone the other three members of the four piece. But they came and owned the stage for their short 45 minute set. I really enjoyed their more punk vibe, and their lead singer had a brilliant stage presence, full of dynamic movement and some awesome grungy vocals. The instrumentation was equally hard hitting, with some awesome guitar and bass parts, which left the two of us going 'holy shit, maybe I gotta check these guys out!'. (Long story short I did, they slap!). But that great condensed performance from them really got the crowd going as the barricades fell and on came the opening act.

WEEZER

Now, I wouldn't go as far as saying I'm an avid Weezer enjoyer, and when I first secured tickets to this show I was fully expecting to chuckle my way through their set, as lets be real, before any of this all I knew was Buddy Holly and Say It Aint So. But as soon as they came on stage, I was instantly intrigued. The massive thunderbolts hanging from the ceiling portion of the stage, the huge neon steps and walls of brightly painted amplifiers set the tone for the dad rockers to absolutely shred out their openers with ease and professionalism. I can say now, with my chest that Hash Pipe and Island in the Sun are both on my regular playlist now, and the band seemingly went strength to hilarious strength as they ploughed through their track list. Here's the setlist they played so you can have a peek:

1. Hash Pipe

2. Beverly Hills

3. My Name Is Jonas

4. Pork and Beans

5. A Little Bit of Love

6. Records

7. All My Favourite Songs

8. Undone - The Sweater Song

9. Enter Sandman (Metallica cover)

10. Feels Like Summer

11. Island in the Sun (Crowd sang guitar riff due to technical issue)

12. Africa (Toto cover)

13. California Snow (First verse and chorus only)

14. Say It Ain't So

15. Buddy Holly

Yep, they even covered Enter Sandman. I'll happily say that it was the biggest plot twist ever hearing the riff played by Rivers Cuomo, but hey, every day's a school day! I loved Weezer's set, they played a brilliant range of tracks and really got the party started before the next two bands came on, and I really appreciated what they had to give at London Stadium. Here's a picture I took of the concert during Weezers set:

(Weezer performing at the Hella Mega Tour 2022 - Image courtesy of me)

Not packed to the edges of the pit by any means, but not empty either. So, Weezer's set came to a close, with frontman Rivers Cuomo claiming the band were now off for a 'cheeky Nandos', and the sets were changed, giving me just enough time to go get another beer before the next act.

Fall Out Boy

My beer was full, the set was changed, the pit was slowly filling and filling, it was almost time for Fall Out Boy to take the stage. The atmosphere was electric, the set made to look like what seemed to be some sort of haunted forest, throwing awesome light and shadow across the slowly darkening crowd. Then it started, Andy Hurley appeared at his kit, Joe Trohman, Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump all ran on and it began. This set was a front to back list of all of Fall Out Boy's most successful tracks, and the crowd was absolutely loving every single second of it. They smashed on stage with The Phoenix, and went on to blast through this absolutely insane setlist:

1. The Phoenix

2. Sugar, We're Goin Down

3. Irresistible

4. Uma Thurman

5. Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy

6. Save Rock and Roll

7. The Last of the Real Ones

8. Dance, Dance

9. A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More "Touch Me"

10. This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race

11. My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)

12. I Don't Care

13. Thnks fr th Mmrs

14. Saturday

Although they couldn't play Centuries due to a serious medical issue in the pit (which was handled with brilliant professionalism from the band, telling those down there to be respectful and caring of one another) songs like Irresistible, Last of the Real Ones, and of course Sugar, We're Going Down went off, something about the crowd absolutely screaming out the lyrics bought me perpetual goose bumps. This was little 15/16 year old me's dream, to see Fall Out Boy live, and every second was pure pop punk ecstasy. Saturday was amazing, seeing Pete Wentz lean into the pit and bellow out the screamo undertones to Patrick's flawless vocals, that was a dream come true. You never have a bad performance from these guys, Joe Trohman was absolutely smashing the complex guitar parts, and every shred was perfectly in sync with the other guys. Patrick Stump was as brilliant as always, and is one of the few singers I've seen live who sounds exactly like he does on recordings. All in all, Fall Out Boy's set was a masterclass in knowing what their good at and screaming their way through it, and it's an experience I'm never going to forget. Here's another picture I took from my point of view:

(Fall Out Boy performing live at the Hella Mega Tour - Image courtesy of me)

Yeah it's not good quality, shut up. I was more interested in the music than living on my phone...

Green Day

Now, when I tell you the stage was set for Green Day to absolutely destroy in the latter part of this concert, I'd be underselling them tenfold. As soon as their stage was set, all 80,000 people appeared suddenly, filling the pit front to back, filling their seats, drinks in hand waiting for the main event. Green Day's set was an absolute masterclass in how to play a set that not only gets every single person on their feet but also spans their vast discography with ease. Not only this, but they had their usual dream come true pulling of fans onstage, even if one of them (when invited on to play guitar) is actually a Gibson partner...awkward. From beginning to end, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool played their hearts out, and you could tell, even from up in the gods. Have a peek at the set list below and tell me this isn't a spectacle for the masses:

1. American Idiot

2. Holiday

3. Know Your Enemy

4. Boulevard of Broken Dreams

5. Longview

6. Welcome to Paradise

7. Hitchin' a Ride

8. Rock and Roll All Nite (KISS cover)

9. Brain Stew

10. St. Jimmy

11. When I Come Around

12. Waiting

13. 21 Guns

14. Minority

15. Knowledge (Operation Ivy cover)

16. Basket Case

17. King for a Day

18. Shout (The Isley Brothers cover)

19. Wake Me Up When September Ends

20. Jesus of Suburbia
    

Encore:

1. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

2. All the Young Dudes

There were some really beautiful moments in this set. Namely during Wake me up When September Ends where the crowd all raised their phone torches and swayed in their seats. It bought a tear to my eye as I watched, somehow now connected to every single person in that stadium, both paying our respects to the song, it's heritage, to Billy Joe's father, but also enjoying every second of the bittersweet ballad. Another high point was Good Riddance (Time of your Life) which as a lot of you know has a lot of emotional significance to me. Not only is it a song that stands the test of time as one of if not the greatest acoustic Green Day track, but it's also the first song I learnt to play on guitar. It was a brilliant moment, hearing the chords ring out across London Stadium. Have a look at this picture I took of the electric crowd:

(Green Day performing live at the Hella Mega Tour - Image courtesy of me)

And just like that, Hella Mega was over, and as the red fireworks arched overhead, waving Green Day offstage, and as I ran for a train, I reflected on my amazing afternoon of live music. I am infinitely grateful that I got to experience this historic event, and see some of my favourite bands on stage for the first time ever. I fulfilled many a childhood dream then and there in London Stadium, and I still look back now, even so many months on, and get that same feeling of overwhelming excitement and satisfaction. From start to end, Hella Mega delivered on the almost three years of post COVID build up to create an event that was unmissable, and one I will never forget. If you ever get the opportunity to see nay of these bands live, jump at it immediately, you won't regret it.

Thank you Hella Mega, or should I really say...Thnks fr th Mmrs?

Rating: 10/10