Concert Review: My Chemical Romance and The Black Parade with Muse
By The Anarchist and Marina Branton
My Chemical Romance have boldly gone where most of their Warped Tour buddies will likely never go. With their latest album The Black Parade, the band has cut it's ties with the dying "scene" trend and become what they were always destined to be...a massive arena rock juggernaut. Amazingly, this shy group of comic book geeks have flawlessly made the trasistion and taken their show on the road, bringing with them enough lights and spectacle to rival any superhero slugfest. To sweeten the deal, they've also brought along label-mates Muse, making this one of the best double bills you are likely to see in years. Thanks to our friends at Reprise, photographer Courtney Sultan and myself saw the show in Atlanta, GA, while our Forum member Marina Branton wanted to chime in from the show in Charlotte, NC. Both nights were incredible, as Courtney's pictures will show, but as the sold out crowds will attest, this is a show that grabs you by the throat and takes you on a journey into the world of The Black Parade. A journey that is not be missed.
Despite what the ticket may have led you to believe, there was no opening act. Sure, Muse went on first, but that was just to let you know that these guys will soon be headlining places like this. When you see them in a big areana you will realize that this is where they belong. Already a smash in the UK (with a headlining stadium tour starting soon with...you guessed it...My Chemical Romance as an opening act) that fame should be crossing the pond any day now. Often recieving comparisons to Radiohead, that nonsense needs to stop. While Radiohead has slipped into an avant garde ego trip, Muse is accessible to mainstream fans and actually appear much closer to being the next U2. Like Bono, Muse vocalist Matt Bellamy doesn't mind sharing his political opinions, and his band is different enough to stand out while still appealing to the masses. In other words, expect great things from them in the future and catch them while you can while they still headline smaller venues in the states. They certainly showcased their blooming star power on this tour, with an impressive light show and a multi-layered wall of sound that was played to absolute perfection. Muse is the real deal, in all their spacey glory! To drive home the point, when the band played their new single "Starlight" the crowd erupted...a mere taste of what's to come.
Accordng to the concert tickets and promotional campaign, the next band up was The Black Parade, who are of course My Chemical Romance in the mindset of their new new album. In true rock opera fashion, they played the entire album from start to finish, including the hidden track "Blood".. I'll let Marina tell you how it went down...
The lights went out and out comes Gerard Way in a hospital gown and on a gurney. After playing "The End" he took off the gown revealing the famous black marching band jacket. Right afterwards, the curtains opened and the rest of the band joined Gerard on stage. As they played the song "Mama" (who's lyrics include "mama, we all go to Hell") they made you feel like you really were in Hell. There was plenty of fire and red lights to assist with the effect. When they were down to their last two songs "Disenchanted" and "Famous Last Words", Gerard made a remark stating "We only have two more songs and then you get the likes of my Chemical Romance". The crowd went crazy. Then he added "I personally think that guy isn't very good looking and can't dress".The curtain closed again and "Blood" started playing. As soon as it was done, My Chemical Romance came out as themselves and started playing "I'm Not Okay (I Promise". The fans went nuts for all 5 songs that were played from Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. "Helena" was the final song and I was sad to see the show end. The band combined tons of pyro and nonstop action into their show, making it the one of best concerts I've ever seen.
Not so famous last words::From the moment Gerard appeared onstage until the very end, the crowd was absolutely on fire. The band gave them everything they had in return and presented an amazing spectacle that showcased the new album and it's importance to the career of the band while also giving fans the hits from the previous cd.. I definitely ant to thank MCR and Reprse for hooking us up, Marina for helping us out, and of course Courtney Sultan for photographing the show for us.