Tuesday night I had the pleasure of seeing My Chemical Romance for the second time. There isn't much more I can say about the set that I didn't the last time , except "Mama" went uninterrupted, which I was thankful for. I LOVE this song. If you were to roll up beside me at a red light while I was listening to it and happened to look over, you would see me rocking out like nobody's business 2 minutes and 57 seconds in. It's hard to enjoy this monstrosity of a tune when it suddenly grinds to a halt right in the middle of the best part. Granted, the pause was to make sure kids weren't stomping each other to death in the pit. But if you can't take the heat, get your ass out of the kitchen I always say!
My seat was 6th row on the side, but I was at an angle where the actual front of the stage was diagonally to my left. So a lot of the time I was looking at Gerard's back. Which is ok by me, because he's definitely on my inner 12 yr old's Rockstar Crush list, and she always appreciates a nice rear view.
One thing that was cool about this vantage point is I got an idea of what it's like for the band to look out and see a crowd of adoring fans. Interestingly though, the arena wasn't nearly as full as the Long Island show was. In fact it was probably about 2/3 full, which surprised me since they're one of the biggest acts right now and Worcester is a pretty populated area.
In front of me was a family consisting of a Mother, four teenagers and a boy about the age of nine. They ALWAYS had something going on. First she had to rescue half her kids off the floor and have them overcrowd the row until the usher found two of the kids available seats. Then Mom had to walk up and down the aisle talking on her cell phone. Then she had to bring back a soda for everyone. All things that distracted me throughout the show. I would be more upset if it weren't for the fact that I realize she's just being a good Mom, but also that the 9 yr old was so FREAKING CUTE. Everything Gerard commanded the crowd to do he did: side-to-side handwaving, clapping, fist-thrusting; this kid did it all. He gets a gold star for Outstanding Audience Participation.
The only other thing I have to report is that if you happen to find yourself making the drive up north to see a show at the Palladium or DCU Center, be prepared to shell out the bucks to park your car. The lots that I saw were charging anywhere from $10 (a hidden lot I didn't know about till it was too late) to $20. However you do get the benefit of parking right outside of the venue and it's super easy to get back on the highway.
I seriously wish I had a wittier ending to this blog. But it's dinner time and Carolyn just alerted me that they're going to Friday's, so I need to get the hell off the computer and meet my favorite summertime pal-Ultimate Frozen Margarita-as soon as possible.
Showing posts with label My Chemical Romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label My Chemical Romance. Show all posts
Friday, May 11, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
My Romance with My Chemical Romance
What motivated me to drive out to the labyrinth of highways that is Long Island were the Brothers Way and their band My Chemical Romance. I have liked this band for about 2 years now, and this is the first time I have seen them live. Like a Johnny-Come-Lately, I bought the album around the time "Ghost of You" came out. Normally I jump right up a band on tour's ass upon the realization I am a big fan, but I was reluctant to go see them live back then. Every time I saw them on TV, Gerard pretty much...sucked. He was always screaming off-key rather than singing and basically failing to re-produce the quality of vocals that were on the CD. But after seeing them play on the webcast of KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas 2006, I decided to give them a chance. I am so glad I did.
I got to Nassau Coliseum a little bit after showtime. I wanted to see openers Rise Against, but didn't feel the need to be present for their entire set. I ended up getting there in time to see the last 3 or 4 songs. I don't know the titles, but they were your typical edgy pop-punk band. They were pretty decent. Most of the audience showed up for their set and gave them a great response, so I guess they were a good choice for an opener.
MCR took the stage at about 9:15. As they began playing opening song "The End" from behind the giant black curtain, a roadie wheeled out a hospital bed with a body covered from head to foot in a white blanket. Surprise everybody! The body turns out to be Gerard, who popped up to sing while the screams of the mostly teenage audience deafen the parents that brought them.
They played the entire album from front to back which was pretty cool. What I never picked up on through the few interviews I read or saw on TV was that the Black Parade is really an alter ego they go by for this album. So when Gerard made some comment about how the last time they toured was in 1812 (or some such year), I had no idea what he was talking about.
For me, the highlights of the set were "Sleep" and "Mama." The only complaint I have was that they stopped "Mama" in the middle of the song to lecture the pit about picking people up when they fall down. While I'm glad MCR is concerned for their fans' well being, I was annoyed that they interrupted the momentum of my favorite song. The band also broke character to take time out to sing "Happy Birthday" to the Ways' Father who was in the audience that night.
After they finished "Famous Last Words", they had a small intermission and came back as My Chemical Romance. Now dressed in rock star street clothes instead of their Black Parade gear, they belted out a bunch of songs off their last CD "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" that I've played to death. I was particularly psyched to hear "You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us In Prison" and "Helena."
As far as Gerard's voice, I was satisfied with what I heard. Of course I've been duped before- Angels and Airwaves always sounds perfect to me live and then the minute I see them on TV, I marvel at just how far off key Tom Delonge really can sing. But no matter. I had a great time and couldn't tell if Gerard was blowing the vocals or not.
The only thing that freaked me out about this show was that the parents seemed to know the music well enough to sing along. I didn't really know what to make of that. I guess MCR has mass appeal and I will just leave it at that.
EDIT:
People posted video of Mama where he stops the song in case you're interested:
http://www.buzznet.com/tags/mama/video/188915/
I got to Nassau Coliseum a little bit after showtime. I wanted to see openers Rise Against, but didn't feel the need to be present for their entire set. I ended up getting there in time to see the last 3 or 4 songs. I don't know the titles, but they were your typical edgy pop-punk band. They were pretty decent. Most of the audience showed up for their set and gave them a great response, so I guess they were a good choice for an opener.
MCR took the stage at about 9:15. As they began playing opening song "The End" from behind the giant black curtain, a roadie wheeled out a hospital bed with a body covered from head to foot in a white blanket. Surprise everybody! The body turns out to be Gerard, who popped up to sing while the screams of the mostly teenage audience deafen the parents that brought them.
They played the entire album from front to back which was pretty cool. What I never picked up on through the few interviews I read or saw on TV was that the Black Parade is really an alter ego they go by for this album. So when Gerard made some comment about how the last time they toured was in 1812 (or some such year), I had no idea what he was talking about.
For me, the highlights of the set were "Sleep" and "Mama." The only complaint I have was that they stopped "Mama" in the middle of the song to lecture the pit about picking people up when they fall down. While I'm glad MCR is concerned for their fans' well being, I was annoyed that they interrupted the momentum of my favorite song. The band also broke character to take time out to sing "Happy Birthday" to the Ways' Father who was in the audience that night.
After they finished "Famous Last Words", they had a small intermission and came back as My Chemical Romance. Now dressed in rock star street clothes instead of their Black Parade gear, they belted out a bunch of songs off their last CD "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" that I've played to death. I was particularly psyched to hear "You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us In Prison" and "Helena."
As far as Gerard's voice, I was satisfied with what I heard. Of course I've been duped before- Angels and Airwaves always sounds perfect to me live and then the minute I see them on TV, I marvel at just how far off key Tom Delonge really can sing. But no matter. I had a great time and couldn't tell if Gerard was blowing the vocals or not.
The only thing that freaked me out about this show was that the parents seemed to know the music well enough to sing along. I didn't really know what to make of that. I guess MCR has mass appeal and I will just leave it at that.
EDIT:
People posted video of Mama where he stops the song in case you're interested:
http://www.buzznet.com/tags/mama/video/188915/
