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My Chemical Romance is arguably one of the most influential bands of the early 2000s, garnering a gigantic loyal fanbase over the years who do everything from following their tours to supporting their causes in public demonstrations.
When the native New Jersey band disbanded back in 2013, followers believed it was the end of an era, but that proved untrue with a powerhouse reunion in 2019. And now, the long wait for more dates is over as Way, along with his brother Mikey and bandmates Ray Toro and Frank Iero are back with a vengeance.
My Chemical Romance started as the brainchild of lead singer Gerard Way. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attack, the vocalist was inspired to write about the event and start a band with guitarist Toro, his brother Mikey on bass, Iero on rhythm guitar, and original drummer Matt Pelissier.
My Chemical Romance released its first album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, in 2002. While it wasn’t a major hit, it used the music to cultivate a fan base following via MySpace. These efforts plus solid touring performances led the band to sign with Reprise Records in 2003.
In 2004, MCR’s second studio album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, climbed to a respectable position on the Billboard charts, peaking at #28, and went platinum within the year. Pelissier departed soon after the record’s release, so Bob Bryar took over behind the drum kit.
Over the next two years, My Chemical Romance opened for bands like Green Day on the American Idiot Tour and Fall Out Boy on the Warped Tour. With a robust following, the band was ready to amp things up.
In 2007, the band released its magnum opus concept album, The Black Parade. This rock opera centers around a central character dying of cancer. The band staged powerful events like a hosting live gig using a pseudonym that almost resulted in the audience revolting and a releasing faux parade of black-robed marchers.
Not only did The Black Parade solidify My Chemical Romance’s burgeoning cult following, it was a huge commercial success. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts and went on to go triple platinum in both the US and UK.
Mistreated and misunderstood by some media outlets, Gerard Way and his band had to overcome controversies generated by misinterpretation of MCR’s lyrics. After releasing their fourth album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, in 2010, the band would release a series of singles over the next two years compiled as the Conventional Weapons album.
Then, almost without warning, My Chemical Romance amicably broke up. But by 2019, a surprise show in LA signaled a reunion tour. COVID-19 postponed it in 2020, but now the boys are back and ready to take the world by storm.
The band takes their name from a Virginia Woolf quote. Truth be told this is quite a fitting lineage as, like Woolf herself, fewer artists give quite as convincing a portrayal of someone on the verge of a mental or nervous breakdown as Modest Mouse.
Isaac Brock’s is the man responsible for that. His voice could convincingly stand up with the likes of Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Morrissey and David Bowie as one of the acquired tastes that you’ll eventually wonder how you ever did without it.
However, it’s when his guttural howl delivers his lyrics that things get truly worrying. The evocative images of everything from the endless dust bowl deserts of the American West, to the sheer expanse of space and the cold, unfeeling ocean posit how we as individual people can possibly mean anything compared to the vast canvas of existence itself. Don’t worry, there’s also some damn catchy choruses in their as well!
Catchy enough to have arguably lead the charge of indie rock into the mainstream after The Strokes and The White Stripes kicked the doors down. They have sold 1.5 million copies of April 2004’s “Good News for People Who Love Bad News”, the album which gave the world their deathless Billboard Hot 100 hit “Float On”. The follow up album 2007’s “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank”, which featured the aforementioned Johnny Marr as a member of the band for the album’s creation and subsequent tour, was certified Gold as well.
On the surface, it would seem that they are an odd band to have Gold and Platinum albums to their name, but look closer and they always temper their experimental and haunting tendencies with solid gold hooks. If R.E.M are no more, they can be satisfied in the knowledge that there are still alternative rock bands bringing literate, profound and edgy rock and roll to arenas and concert halls the world over.
Concerts are usually full of talent and fun. From my experience they have been amazing and a night you'll always remember. But after seeing My Chemical Romance, I finally realised how mind-blowing and inspiring festivals can really be. From the music to the laser show, the big screens to the loud speakers, everything was perfect.
MCR have always been true performers they either perform epically or not at all. And trust me they really knew how to entertain. I have always turned to music as a way out of reality, a tool used to set me free and it felt like they knew how to make me forget about the struggles and just have an amazing time. I was in complete awe, just watching my idols perform and seeing how powerful their words and music could be. They owned the stage. They owned the crowd.
I won't ever forget Gerad Way's hilarious dance moves to 'I Don't Love You' or when 'Frank Iero' guitar string came off mid song. I have some great memories due to that concert and I'm sure no matter how many other performers I see or concerts I attend, nothing will compare to the perfection of MCR.
I remember hearing about Modest Mouse back in the early 2000s, so I was surprised to see them come to my town and play a sold-out show at a local concert hall. Their live sound is a lot more raw and intense than their singles, such as Float On, which I came to love them for. Instead, they have many songs where they sound more like a garage band than a polished indie force - but that's a good thing! I was impressed by the experimentation the guitarists tried in almost every song.
Even though some of it was very noisy, the majority of the songs were all based on a powerful beat and melody so nothing was really lost. I was actually really appreciative of their live skills, especially how they changed up parts of The Good Times Are Killing Me for a live performance.
The crowd was very respectful during their less-intense songs, especially when the entire band was performing together to make a really awesome folk sound.