GA_092018

16 | September 20, 2018 | The glencoe anchor school
glencoeanchor.com
Fall Out Boy makes a play for home
Band plays Wrigley
Field for first time
Heather Warthen
Contributing Editor
With a bit of wide-eyed
wonder, Fall Out Boy took
to the largest headlining
stage in the band’s nearly
20 year history — playing
Wrigley Field.
North Shore natives Patrick
Stump, Joe Trohman
and Pete Wentz, along
with Wisconsin native
Andy Hurley, took their
place on center stage in
centerfield Sept. 8 at the
Friendly Confines.
Wentz, a North Shore
Country Day graduate, reminded
the audience that it
is possible for dreams like
playing at Wrigley Field
do come true.
“There is somebody
Wednesday, October3
5pmto6pm
Whitehall of Deerfield
300WaukeganRoad
Deerfield, Illinois
Patrick Stump (left), a native of Glenview, and Pete
Wentz, a NSCDS graduate, of Fall Out Boy play Sept. 8
during the band’s MANIA Tour stop at Wrigley Field in
Chicago. Heather Warthen/22nd Century Media
in this crowd right now
who’s in a band ... who
will be playing on a stage
like this,” he said.
In late August, the band
released what they call
their “love letter to Chicago”
in the form of an
EP called Lake Effect Kid.
The show, however, highlighted
a mix of the old
and the new across their
seven full-length albums
during the hour-and-a-half
set.
Openers for the MANIA
Tour included Chicagobased
punk band Rise
Against and rapper Machine
Gun Kelly.
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‘Everyone was behind him:’ New Trier
grad shines during national anthem
Hilary Anderson
Freelance Reporter
New Trier graduate Stefan
Xidas’ dream came
true.
The Wilmette resident
sang the national anthem
at a Chicago Cubs baseball
game Sept. 10 at Wrigley
Field in front of a crowd of
about 38,400 fans.
There were only superlatives
to describe the evening
according to Xidas,
who has Down syndrome.
“It was an awesome experience
doing it,” he said
told The Glencoe Anchor.
“It was such a great night
for me.”
Xidas’ father describes
the scene as ridiculously
amazing.
“There must have been
10 TV cameras and 20
microphones around Stefan,”
Stan Xidas said. “You
could tell Stefan was embracing
the moment when
he put his hand over his
heart while singing. The
people in the stands were
singing in unison with him.
Stefan’s disability did not
stop him. He was singing
for a great cause, Special
Olympics, and sang well.
Everyone was behind him.
It was unbelievable.”
Stan Xidas said there
was no rehearsal before the
game.
“The sound of Stefan’s
singing bounced back but
he carried on,” Stan Xidas
said. “A real trooper.”
“I got to go into the
clubhouse and meet some
of the Cubs’ players including
Kris Bryant, Kyle
Schwarber and Willson
Contreras,” Stefan Xidas
said. “Anthony Rizzo
signed my shirt. A couple
(former) Bears players —
Lance Briggs and Matt
Forte — were there, too.
New Trier graduate Stefan Xidas sings the national
anthem prior to the start of the Sept. 10 Chicago Cubs
game at Wrigley Field. Photo submitted
When I was walking off the
field Coach Joe Maddon
shook my hand and talked
with me.”
Family and friends of the
Xidas filled one section of
the stands.
Rick Malnati, from Lou
Malnati’s Pizza where Stefan
Xidas works, had 100
T-shirts made for the occasion.
The front of the shirt
said Chicago and on the
back was Xidas No. 1.
“We gave out the shirts at
the ballpark but they were
gone quickly,” Stan Xidas
said.
Stefan’s Aunt Demetra
Xidas flew in from San Antonio
for the event.
New Trier High School
friends even came in from
out-of-state to see Stefan
sing. One was Zack Holfeld,
who came in from
Minnesota. John Rosinski,
now a special education
teacher, was also there. He
along with Tom Molitar
have been friends of Stefan’s
since kindergarten at
McKenzie School.
It was Molitar who organized
the GoFundMe
campaign that started the
process of raising money
for Special Olympics and
challenged Tom Ricketts to
allow Stefan to sing the national
anthem at a Chicago
Cubs game if donations
reached a $5,000 limit.
“As of today, Sept. 11,
donations are still coming
in nearing around
$20,000,” Stan Xidas said.
“We are getting posts
around the country who
saw this (Stefan singing the
National Anthem) on their
local news programs. There
has not been one negative
comment.”
Stefan Xidas received
an oversized check for
$18,000 matching the donations
on behalf of the
Chicago Cubs Charities for
Special Olympics prior to
the start of the game.
“This is a great story
about the human spirit and
people getting behind a
great cause,” Stan said. “It
is a beautiful thing to see
people cheering on someone
with a disability and
raising money for Special
Olympics in the process.”
Stefan Xidas admits
he would like to sing the
national anthem at other
sporting events.
“I hope I will always be
a role model for people like
me who have a disability.
Mine is Down syndrome.
We might have a disability
but that should never stop
us from doing activities we
would like to do even ones
some think might be impossible
to achieve.”