The Academy Is… was one of many bands that performed at The House of Blues Cleveland on Saturday. The band is comprised of (from left) guitarist Mike Carden, bassist Adam T. Siska, lead vocalist William Beckett, drummer Andy Mrotek and guitarist/backin

Credit: Erika Kreider

There is one thing college students and rock stars have in common: They both think 12:30 p.m. is early.

The Academy Is…, Punchline and Fall Out Boy made this fact known many times, and still pulled through suspected hangovers and sleepiness to put on an impressive show.

“Attention! Attention! May I have all your eyes and ears to the front of the room, if only, if only for one second,” said an announcement that rang throughout the House of Blues as The Academy Is… started their set.

After realizing the crowd was singing along, the band seemed impressed, and smiled at each other, backing off so the crowd could take over for a while.

Lead singer William Beckett of The Academy Is…, kept saying how much he loves their fans. It showed through the energy the band had for them, and the energy the fans genuinely fed back. After each song, Beckett radiated with a genuine, cute smile while he thanked everyone.

Their sound was impressive; Beckett supplied the poppy-punk vocals, Andy “the butcher” Mrotek, the drummer, mercilessly banged his drums. The bass and guitar added an upbeat tone to the package.

The best part about the band is the fact that they were entertaining. Even if someone did not know them, The Academy Is… would still keep their interest. This band is made to play on a stage.

Punchline was also an exciting band to see. Even though I’ve never heard anything they’ve played before, they were still impressive.

After their first song they kept saying how it was the longest minute of their lives, so I’ll give them a lot more credit for their set since they are so used to playing at night.

A lot of their songs sounded similar to one another, but that is what Punchline’s genre of music is known for.

Most of the skinny girls with black or platinum-blonde hair and their matching boyfriends couldn’t wait to see Fall Out Boy. One fan said this was his show. Another fan said she drove eight hours to see them play. That’s dedication if I’ve ever seen it.

Once the band got on stage they gushed the love right back to the fans, saying how they could never make it without them. It’s great to see bands that appreciate their fans; it makes them seem like real people instead of untouchable rock stars.

Fall Out Boy’s music made tons of fans pour over each other, raining into the bouncers who catch the crowd surfers.

Vocalist/guitarist Patrick Stumph talked about how the world is crazy but having everyone inside singing, swaying and sweating brings them all together to enjoy the music. I thought this was cute and fitting, since above the House of Blues’ stage a message says some about loving diversity and loving everyone.

Guitarist Joseph Trohman was always jumping, completing 180 degree turns. Every time I wondered how his guitar cords weren’t getting tangled.

Fall Out Boy has also won my award for the coolest stunt I’ve ever seen at House of Blues for the one they pulled during their last song.

Bassist Peter Wentz left the stage while The Academy Is…’ Beckett came on to sing.

I noticed the stage crew was tossing a mic wire over the crowd, but no one really had a clue what was going on; no one seemed to care either. Wentz then flipped down from the balcony, upside down holding onto the balcony with his legs and holding the mic, emo-screaming. High-energy music blasted as he dropped into the crowd, and his fans excitedly crowd-surfed him all the way back to the stage.

One fan later assured me Wentz always does crazy stunts like this. If this is the case, I’ll be going back to one of Fall Out Boy’s shows just to see them try and top falling from a balcony into a crowd full of fans.

Contact Pop Arts reporter Erika Kreiderat [email protected].