By Rachel Holly

For Weekender

Wiz Khalifia proformed at Montage Mountain on July 4.

A fan records the proformance of Wiz Khalifia on July 4 at Montage Mountain.

Concert goers get ready for Fall Out Boy on July 4 at Montage Mountain.

Concert goers get ready for Fall Out Boy to take stage on July 4 at Montage Mountain.

Concert goers ————Fred Adams|for Times Leader 7-4-15

While some folks around NEPA chose to celebrate their Fourth of July holiday with fireworks displays, others gathered at The Pavilion at Montage Mountain to watch the Boys of Zummer Tour 2015. The tour, with Wiz Khalifa, Hoodie Allen, DJ Drama and Fall Out Boy, didn’t need pyrotechnics to put on an explosive performance– it ignited all on its own.

The tour featured co-headliners superstar rapper Wiz Khalifa and rock music sensations Fall Out Boy and it was a genuine toss up as to who was more hotly anticipated.

“We came up here for Wiz,” said Leah Gelman of Pittsburgh. “We’re here for Pittsburgh. I even went to Taylor Allderdice High School, a few years after Wiz graduated though. I did go with Mac Miller though!”

“I’m so excited for Fall Out Boy,” said Nikole Vilardi of Old Forge. “I’ve been a fan of theirs since I was in high school, so 10 years almost. First time seeing them, though.”

Another fun fact about The Boys of Zummer lineup is that, save for Fall Out Boy, all featured artists (even artist cameos) have strong ties to Pennsylvania.

The evening began with Long Island’s Hoodie Allen, the up and coming indie hip hop artist who got his start in 2009 while a student at UPenn.

Despite being new to the scene, Hoodie Allen has a lot of musical clout, having released tracks with both Chiddy (of Chiddy Bang fame) as well as pop music sensation Ed Sheeran.

“I love Hoodie Allen,” said Danny Wentland of Moscow. “He’s for real my favorite rapper right now, well, besides Wiz.”

He jumpstarted the crowd with his hits, “No Faith in Brooklyn,” “Fame is for Assholes,” and his hit single “No Interruptions.”

Allen also graced the stage alongside Philadelphia-based newcomer rapper MAX to perform the hit single, “Gibberish” with the assistance of part hype man/part beat technician DJ Drama.

DJ Drama served as the glue that held the show together and kept the party flow going between sets. Philadelphia-based DJ Drama, known best as the official DJ for Atlanta rapper T.I., worked the Scranton crowd into a tizzy during his sets.

“I was backstage with Wiz, and you girls know he’s single now– I told him Scranton has some of the best looking girls around, if you know what I mean,” quipped DJ Drama.

Drama’s sets also featured cameos from other newcomer hip hop artists, such as MAX and another Philadelphia native, Lil Uzi Vert.

Wiz Khalifa didn’t need any assistance in bringing the packed Pavilion to a boil. From the pit to the overflowing lawn, Khalifa focused on the fan favorites and really underlined the reason for the Boys of Zummer tour.

“I love summer so much,” said Khalifa. “It’s all about havin’ fun, smokin’ up, being outside…that’s why we did this tour, Scranton. We love summer!”

His commanding stage presence coupled with his disarming charm and charisma made for a kinetic performance. During hits like “Black and Yellow,” “No Sleep,” “Roll Up,” and “We Dem Boyz,” he had the crowd on their feet and in his zone.

During “Young, Wild & Free,” Pittsburgh’s Khalifa even threw nearly 18-foot long inflatable marijuana blunts, sponsored by Raw Rolling Papers, into the pit section.

Wiz had various artists perform cameos during his set– both Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz and fellow Taylor Gang artist Chevy Wood appeared to help Wiz close out his dynamic set.

Not to be upstaged, fan-favorites Fall Out Boy made their return to the Toyota Pavilion to a packed house of loyal fans.

Opening with their classic hit “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down,” Fall Out Boy electrified the crowd.

Touring on their latest record, American Beauty/American Psycho, they chose a set of crowd-pleasers for new and old fans alike.

With a light show filled with lasers, fire cannons, pyrotechnics and Emojis, every single song had a completely different feel, reminiscent to the various evolutionary changes the band itself has gone through.

“I’ve been a Fall Out Boy fan for at least 6 or 7 years,” said Jen Forbes of Mayfield. “It’s my first time seeing them!”

The band even capitalized on the holiday, going over the top during their performance of their song, the aptly titled “Fourth of July.”

During their hits “Immortals” and “Young Volcanoes,” the band made their way out to the middle of the Pavilion and performed acoustically, dedicating the tracks to the loyal fans in the lawn seats.

The Boys of Zummer tour ignited the crowd and left everyone in awe of their explosive nature.

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