"Pete Wentz is a wonder all to himself as the standout bassist overwhelming the lead singer, who, as tradition dictates, should normally serve as the band's heartthrob," Dos Santos says.
As Wentz extracts his personal trials from FOB's new songs, he says the creative process has become less laborious.
"It became very easy for me when I realized that Fall Out Boy was being reviewed based on my life," he says. "I think that became a setback for the band. I felt the best thing I could do was remove my life from the record. I think there's just too much Pete Wentz out there. I was really excited to talk about other things. From my point of view, it was exciting to write about other people's stories."
But his verbosity and gnarly puns still pepper the songs on Folie a Deux, as the production folds in slick elements of metal and R&B. For instance, the lyrical tales of "America's Suitehearts" and "Headfirst Slide into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet" don't really reveal themselves on the first listen.
"I never want to be the kind of band where you go out and [get the album] and right away people are like, 'OK. I get the meaning behind this song,' " Wentz says. "I want it to be a treasure map, but I think people can find their own way to the treasure."
But fans attending the new string of Fall Out Boy shows needn't worry about deciphering Wentz's lyrics. In concert, it's about surrendering to the music, he says.
"We understand that we're in a recession, so the show that we brought out is one that we can still put an affordable ticket on. But at the same time, it's big enough that we want people to have an experience," Wentz says. "We want it to be legendary for people."
if you go
See Fall Out Boy and 50 Cent at 5 p.m. Saturday at Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia. Tickets are $36 and are available through Ticketmaster. Call 410-547-7328 or go to ticketmaster.com.
