Two of the most iconic punk-rock bands of the decade, Paramore and Fall Out Boy, joined forces to put together the highly anticipated Monumentour, which brought thousands of fans to the Cruzan Amphitheater in West Palm Beach on July 25.

Danish band New Politics opened the concert and energized the crowd with their catchy and dance-friendly set. Their set included a cover of Panic! At the Disco’s “Miss Jackson” with guest vocals from Lolo, who sings in the original track. Lolo has been touring with Monumentour and also appeared later during Fall Out Boy’s “Just One Yesterday” to sing female vocalist Foxes’ part.

Once Paramore took the stage, the crowd was on its feet and screaming the lyrics to their single “Still Into You.” Paramore vocalist Hayley Williams’ stage presence maintained a high-energy atmosphere throughout the set. Wearing a colorful sports top, athletic shorts and kneepads, Williams looked as if she was ready to enter the boxing ring. Her sporty attire allowed her to run around the stage with ease, her vibrant blue hair visible from hundreds of feet away.

Williams told the audience how the members of Paramore and Fall Out Boy have known each other for several years and Monumentour was bound to happen eventually. She revealed that some of Paramore’s earliest shows were in Florida, opening for Fall Out Boy. She discussed how the bands’ styles and personalities “fit” and that fans have been asking for Paramore and Fall Out Boy to reunite on tour for a long time. Last year, both bands released hit albums after several years of waiting between records, and they found that this summer was the time to finally make the co-headlining tour a reality.

Paramore’s set list had a mix of songs from all four of their albums. As per Paramore tradition, they brought a fan on stage to sing the bridge of one of their most popular songs, “Misery Business.” During their love ballad “The Only Exception,” a twinkling display of lighters and cell phone camera lights waved in rhythm. Toward the end of the set, Paramore played “Let the Flames Begin,” “Oh Father” and “Part II” in succession. “Oh Father” is an outro of “Let the Flames Begin” that the band only plays at live shows. “Part II” was released last year on Paramore’s self-titled album, but it is actually the second part of “Let the Flames Begin,” which is featured on the album “Riot!” from 2007. The songs, brimming with emotion from the entire band and featuring impressive guitar solos, flowed together. Paramore closed with “Ain’t It Fun,” complete with confetti and streamers that showered over the audience.

Fall Out Boy opened with a bang. Near the top of the curtain, several miniature explosions went off, signaling the start of the show. The pyrotechnics continued for the rest of the concert. The heat of the tall waves of flame could be felt far back into the crowd.

Fall Out Boy’s set focused on songs from their newest album, “Save Rock and Roll.” The album followed the band’s hiatus, which lasted about three years.

They also played their more popular older songs such as “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” and “Grand Theft Autumn/Where is Your Boy.” During the fan favorite “Dance, Dance,” bassist Pete Wentz and guitarist Joe Trohman went to the middle of the amphitheater, in between the lower and upper sections, and played the entire song surrounded by their fans.

Wentz did most of the talking in between songs despite Patrick Stump being the lead singer. Before their song “Miss Missing You” Wentz gave a moving speech about overcoming hardship.
“Nothing just gets better,” Wentz said. “We’re talking about a real ‘Transformation Tuesday,’ like one where you got to crash through the…pavement and blossom.”

He closed the speech with quotes from the song, “Before it gets better, the darkness gets bigger.”
Fall Out Boy gave heartfelt performances of all of their songs, genuine emotion evident in Stump’s voice. Their talent continued to shine when singing Queen’s “We are the Champions” to thank all of the parents for joining their children at a rock concert.

The pyrotechnics reached their peak during the aptly named track “My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark (Light Em Up),” Fall Out Boy’s first released song after their hiatus. After this performance, the band closed with an encore performance of “Thnks fr th Mmrs” and a fan favorite, “Saturday.”

The combination of Paramore and Fall Out Boy’s unique styles merged into a fast-paced and satisfying show. It could be said that it was “monumental.”