At long last, the much-delayed Hella Mega Tour – a seismic touring event spearheaded by Green Day, Weezer and Fall Out Boy – finally resumed on July 24, after being put on hold for over 12 months by the Covid pandemic.
Despite the promising start, having played to crowds in Arlington, Atlanta and Houston, the three bands were met with yet another uncontrollable curveball after a member of Fall Out Boy tested positive for Covid, forcing the group to pull out of upcoming dates last minute.
In an effort to ensure that the eager crowd at Citi Field, New York, received their expected fix of Fall Out Boy, and as a show of solidarity to his tourmate, Rivers Cuomo took to the stage for a solo rendition of the band’s track, Sugar We’re Goin Down.
Armed with nothing but a purple crackle-finished Jackson Rhoads electric guitar and the voices of thousands of thankful fans, Cuomo launched into a stripped-back take on the track, calling upon the crowd on more than one occasion to help him out with the vocals.
“So they can hear you!” encourages Cuomo at one point while the crowd sings the chorus unaccompanied – clearly in an effort to send support to Fall Out Boy – with the Weezer man’s nonchalant, bite-y strumming offering up a fresh take on the decade-and-a-half old track.
The untimely test result meant that Fall Out Boy were forced to miss two successive show dates – the August 4 show at Citi Field, New York, and the August 5 one at Fenway Park, Boston – though the shows managed to survive with full sets from both Green Day and Weezer.
“Out of an abundance of caution, Fall Out Boy will not perform at the New York or Boston shows of the Hella Mega Tour due to an individual on the band’s team testing positive for COVID,” a statement posted to the tour’s official Instagram account read.
“It’s important to note that everyone on the entire tour, both band and crew, are fully vaccinated,” it continued. “Each band and their crew have operated in a bubble independently to safeguard everyone as much as possible.”
As well as performing his take on Sugar We’re Goin Down on both of the above dates, Rivers Cuomo also led Weezer through a number of their seminal hits, including El Scorcho, Hash Pipe, My Name Is Jonas, and Buddy Holly.
The next Hella Mega Tour, scheduled for August 7 at Grand Theater at Foxwoods, Mashantucket, will see Fall Out Boy return to the lineup.
For a full list of dates, head over to the official Hella Mega Tour website.
