The Hella Mega Tour Review

After a three-year wait, One of the most extraordinary tours in music finally arrived in London.

"It took us 1,000 days to get here, but we made it!" shouts Green Day frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong. This is the amount of time many fans have waiting to see three of the biggest rock bands, Weezer Fall Out Boy and Green Day play at London Stadium. The tour was originally planned for 2020 but due to the global pandemic, the tour was pushed back till 2022. The big question would be was it worth the long wait?

The day opened with Amyl and the Sniffers. I had heard many good things about this punk rock group so I was interested to see what they could do on one of the biggest stages. The band brought all their energy to the show, and I certainly won't forget songs like 'Hertz' and the band's Australian punk style. The only thing I will say is that I think some of the band's sound got lost in the arena and at this current time I think they are more suited to playing in smaller venues, but this doesn't take anything away from their energetic set which certainly got the crowd warmed up.

Weezer

The first out of our three headliners for the day to play would be LA rockers Weezer. Weezer has always been on my radar of bands to see live so I was pretty excited to see what the band could do on a huge stage. The band started off very strong. They were going deep inside their back catalogue with songs such as 'Hash Pipe', 'Beverly Hills' and 'Pork and Beans' to kick off proceedings.

Weezer has recently been well known for their covers as well so it was not a surprise to see lead singer and guitarist River Cuomo shredding his guitar to Metallica's 'Enter Sandman' as well as playing their famous cover of Toto's 'Africa' which got the whole of London signing along while Cuomo would go on drumming duties mid-way through the song. The band's set unfortunately didn't go off without a hitch. While playing 'Island In The Sun', Cuomo's guitar had a technical fault he would ask the crowd to sing the guitar rift which the London crowd did its best but thankfully the Guitar would be fixed just before Cuomo played his solo. Perfect timing to get the issue resolved and an epic moment as the crowd roared in appreciation.

Talking about epic, the band finished their set with the two-punch knockout of 'Say It Ain't So' and 'Buddy Holly'. Both songs got the crowd singing along and the band fired some confetti to bring their set to an end. With a fantastic setlist and a colourful visual show, Weezer reminded people why they are a well-renowned live group and put on a great show. Another band off my bucket list!

Fall Out Boy

It was time to take things up a notch with pop-punk legends Fall Out Boy taking to the stage. It was clear from the start that the band was not messing about. Opening their set with 'The Phoenix' with flames coming out of Pete Wentz's bass and across that stage. This was one of the best ways you can open an arena rock show. One thing you have to say about this tour is that every band's set felt like a headline show. Every band brought their A-game to London and Fall Out Boy was no exception. The band's setlist was packed with massive hits and singalongs such as tracks from their early days such as ''Sugar, We're Going Down and 'Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy' to tracks from their post- hiatus era such as 'Irresistible' and 'Uma Thurman'. There was certainly something for every Fall Out Boy fan this evening.

Lead singer Patrick Stump was incredible with his amazing vocals which he would hit every note without any struggles in the slightest and this was perfectly demonstrated on 'Save Rock And Roll' in which he would cover the vocals of the legendary Elton John who features on the song. With fire surrounding Stump while he sings and plays the piano, it acted as the perfect tribute to the rocket man who was playing his own show down the road in Hyde Park.

Other highlights included the drummer Andy Hurley drumming on top of a cabin which was reminiscent of the 'From Under the Cork Tree' era and the band starting a few circle pits to 'This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race'. The band ended their fantastic set on the classic 'Saturday' with fireworks beginning to go off around the arena and the crowd showing their appreciation to the band with applause and screams. Fall Out Boy put on a show which pleased all of their fan bases and made it feel as if they were the final band of the night, yet we still have one more band left to perform.

Green Day

Everyone singing along to 'Bohemian Rhapsody' by Queen? Check. Drunk Bunny on stage with everyone sings along to 'Blitzkrieg Bop' by the Ramones? Check. This gig just needed one more thing. Green Day to play a set full of their greatest hits and that is what they did. Running out on stage and kicking off the show with 'American Idiot', The band started proceedings with a bang literally and metaphorically with Green Day's pyro going off at the end of the song. The band were in fine form and were displaying why they are one of the best live bands in the world. Every song was just hit after hit. 'Holiday', 'Know Your Enemy' and 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' all followed suit which demonstrated Green Days' fantastic live presents and their sheer ability to create memorable rock songs.

One of my favourite moments from the set was when the band played 'Hitchin' a Ride' where the crowd went as Billie Joe Armstrong would say "fucking crazy" with everyone on the pitch of the London stadium bouncing along to the song while the band played the song with such venom. Add on top a load of fire and pyro being fired off on the stage created one hell of a scene. Another of my personal favourite moments would be when the band played 'Waiting' which was very poetic considering the long wait for the tour because of the pandemic. it was a great addition to the setlist and reminded me of what made me love the band in the first place. The band would also play a collection of covers which spiced up their setlist. Songs such as 'Rock And Roll All Nite by Kiss, Operation Ivys 'Knowledge' and the mix of The Isley Brothers 'Shout' with their own song 'King for a Day' really brought a party feel to the show.

The show also had some tender moments such as '21 Guns' which saw the whole of the stadium lit up by phone lights which looked stunning. To my shock, the band also played 'Wake Me Up When September Ends' which covers the loss of Armstrong's father. It was an emotional moment as the band doesn't play this song often, so it was amazing to see this raw emotion being played out on stage. The band pick things back up to the high obtain sound which was going throughout the set with 'Jesus of Suburbia' which Armstrong would be getting the crowd chanting "wayyy ohhh" back at him while both drummer Tré Cool and bassist Mike Dirnt got to display their talents on their respective instruments.

'Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)' was also a gorgeous moment with Armstrong going solo on his acoustic guitar while I with one of my best friends on my shoulders, it would of be a fantastic way to close out the night, but the band had one more trick up their selves. The rest of the band came back to play David Bowie's 'All the Young Dudes' to cap off an amazing day of live music. If I had to wait another three years for a show like this I certainly would not complain.