My Chemical Freak: My Chemical Romance All The Time

Wednesday, May 7th

MCR will be on The Sauce, on Fuse at 6pm.

Also appearing on The Sauce the same day… Christina Ricci!

Tune In, Turn On, and Explode!

By Jamille
From LJ

I just had one of the most memorable nights of my life.

But before we got all the awesomeness of this show, we had to deal with the people from the line. Because, of course, there’s always someone cutting it. And after the whole situation, we still were smashed against the entrance barer. I must say that I really regret not trying to sneak with my camera in my bra or something, because I could totally have gotten great pictures from the place were I was.

Jenny and I were on the forth row on the centre, and xneverxbreakxme on the barricade. Somehow, I ended separated of Jenny, since everybody was shoving even before the show started.
I’m going to try to list the highlights, but I’m probably forgetting something that I might add later (any help provided is welcome, lol).
• Drive By
The bassist, hehehe. Don’t get me wrong, but I don’t know that much about them. They put a up a good show and their songs sound good at least live. I bought the cd afterwards, so I’m gonna check it soon.
• Billy Talent
Benjamin saying, after seeing that everybody was being pushed all the fucking time, before Surrender that “This is not a fucking Limp Bizkit show. This is a My Chemical Romance show and you’re supposed to take care of each other”. Aw, I found that cute, srsly. So people actually calmed down… for the following two songs, and then it started all over again.

Benjamin saying “I love My Chem. But there is a member that I hate. His name is Bob Bryar and I am going to get two guys to kill him.” (?) or something about those lines. Then he called Bob to play Fallen Leaves (do I love this music) with them and it was fantastic. When Bob was done, he was halfway through the stage when BK continued and told him to use the minutes he was giving to Bob, so that he could ran.
• My Chemical Romance
EVERYTHING q.

Frank entered the stage with a cigarette between his lips and I was like “Damn, stop making it look sexy :[“. They started Disappear right away and continued with Dead! before introducing themselves and saying hi to Saint Louis. Gerard messing Frank’s hair was cute, rs.

In between songs, that now I don’t remember which, Gerard said hi to the moms on the audience, and really, they were a lot. I met a few of them on the line and all them were amazing. Then he said something about his pants, I think because they were supposedly too tight and he “wanted to share the feeling.” Lol. “It feels like I have a flower here *points to the crotch, pretends it’s going to open the fly*. I am a man, I ain’t got no flower”. And everybody laughed. Frank came from the other side of the stage and said something while giggling and Gerard restarted. “He saw it and he said it looks like a flower” and it was the mega LOLs.
Before House of Wolves, Gerard started to make wolf noises and the audience went along. It was funny.

Before Mama, he started saying random things in French and then he goes “I don’t know much about French. *insert common French words here*… What about ‘kiss my ass’? Is that French?” and the music started. Even in the end, he still insisted on the French words, lmao. I just understood he saying “Au revoir”.

Before I’m Not Okay, Gerard rambled again. “Karate. I love Karate. I looove Karate movies, but I don’t know karate.”

During I’m Not Okay, Frank came to Ray’s side and motioned like he wasn’t going to let Ray play. It was the cutest thing to see Ray grinning and saying something that, in my mind, meant that there was going to be a payback. I guess it was, because Frank also chuckled and went to his right spot.

During the part “you better run like the devil (…)” of House of Wolves, Frank turned to Mikey and just pushed him with one hand. Omg, he really looked like a kid by his expressiong. Totally priceless.
Gerard made everybody say hi to James Dewee’s parents, because apparently they were there.

Playing Desert Song, and according to Gerard, was Ray’s request <3 After (I don’t remember the music) all them – except for James, who kept playing – went behind the drum set and really seemed discuss something. Gerard came and sang Cancer – that made me burst in tears, but also laugh when between the verses “’cause I’m awful just to see” someone shouted “Hell yeah!” in a really funny way. You could feel the ‘tension’ of the music being broken in those two seconds or less; even Gerard laughed – and finally Ray brought an acoustic guitar. I must admit that I didn’t expect. Gerard talked about how they planned to put it on Revenge but it ended up on LOTMS and also said that LOTMS was about how they wanted people to express themselves; being in a band, drawing a comic book or making a movie. It was beautiful. I’d probably have cried a bit more if I didn’t feel so drained.

Gerard talked about their break – he told us they’d come back in St. Louis in three years or so and everybody went “NOOOOOOO!”, hahaha. Then he continued “I am fucking old, man. You get tired of shaking your ass and partying till 6am in the morning. I am getting old, but you make me feel so young, you know?”

“We’re gonna play a Bullets’ song” was enough to make me go crazy – and looking for my cell phone to call bunchofliars <3 – and I must say that for a brief moment I wanted them to play at least a bit of Vampires again, but Gerard said they wouldn’t do it and that “they also couldn’t play the whole song” :{ But headfirst is just a great, powerful song and all that I wanted to do was pull my friend from the cell phone and make her listen to it with me, there.

Gerard made everybody point their middle fingers to the ceiling during “you’re never take me alive” verses.

I didn’t see much of Mikey or Frank action, since I was on Ray’s side of the stage, unless I’d be on stretching my legs as much as I could. But Mikey was unstoppable, shaking his long hair and making a pose when Gerard introduced him before Give ‘Em Hell, Kid.
After the show, the guys from Drive Buy were signing stuff (they had said before they wanted “to meet and hug Saint Louis”) and that was probably the only time I used my camera (when my mom heard they weren’t allowed, she took it back to the hotel, lol):
http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/9653/hpim1392nl3.jpg

And Frank was the only one to came out after. I passed him three or four times, but the line to have something (“just one thing and no cameras!”) signed was huge. I went to the end after I bought my merch and the Drive By’s cd, but when he was halfway done he had to go. I was kind of sad at first, because I was this close and then… But you know what, nothing about this night will make me feel less happy and satisfied. The sensation of the first My Chem show is just indescribable. Too good to put in words.

Sorry if I forgot something. I’m writing this at 2 am, on the road and the lack of sleep/food/lights is making me dizzy. I just have to say thanks to Jenny, xneverxbreakxme and her mom, for buying my extra ticket, hahaha. And for the entertaining people on the line.

That’s what I remember of them playing:
Disappear
Dead
Cemetery
Way Home
Black Parade
Jetset
I Don’t Love You
House of Wolves
Mama
Prison
Headfirst
KAYF
Not OK
Teenagers
Famous
Cancer
Desert
Give em Hell
Helena

Also, if someone – anyone – has any pictures of the show and/or the one we got with the S//C street team, please contact me? I’d really love to print them to make my personal scrapbook, so don’t worry about me reposting and claiming they’re mine. If I post somewhere, of couse I’ll give you the credits or whatever you want. I’m just desperate for pics, guys, from the best night of my year so far. (Ahahaha to my friends that wanted me to go to the prom instead, k?)

Late last night I got the email, as I am sure many of you did too.  The DVD/CD combo was up for presale at 1am central time this morning.  Well, being the obsessive person I am, I ran right over to theblackparadeisdead.com and nearly had a heart attack before I finished checking out in the online WB store!  My heart was jolted back into rhythm when I saw the final price… $70 and some change.  This was with shipping and all.  You might say, “well you didn’t have to order the limited edition.”  Oh but I did!  I mean they know how to get ya.  They know what to do to make you want it all, and they know we love that band so much, we are willing to spend our lunch money or grocery money to get it!

I have poked around a few online bulletin boards and fan sites.  The concensus is general… “The limited edition is way to high!”  This is what is being screamed (written in all capital letters) around the internet.  And don’t get me wrong for a second, it stung a little when I mashed the “complete order” button this morning. 

So here is my question.  Did you buy the limited edition?  Are you happy with what you are getting?  Did you say “eff that” and buy the regular CD/DVD combo instead of the limited edition?

Just wondering what all the MyChemicalFreak readers have to say!

Your friend in brokeness,
Brandi  

By: Sheena Barnett

The Memphis in May Beale St. Music Festival didn’t earn the nickname “Memphis in Mud” for nothing.Of course, it wouldn’t really be Memphis in May without a ton of mud and rain.

My best friend, Hannah, and I went to Memphis Friday to celebrate our birthdays (hers was in March; mine’s tomorrow). I can’t give you guys a full recap of what happened this weekend, but I can tell you what we experienced – and it was quite an adventure. And since it’s long – more after the jump!

Hannah and I went to see one of our favorite bands, My Chemical Romance. We had planned to see other acts, like Joan Jett and Ben Folds, but the My Chem stage was already getting full so we decided to stay there so we could get close to the stage for My Chem.

We got there just in time to watch Flyleaf. I’ve listened to this Christian rock band a little bit here and there, but never seen the group live. Flyleaf was pretty good – very energetic.

Then, after Flyleaf, a good rain set in. The stage guys set up the next band’s equipment, but then they had to come back and cover up the instruments because the rain was washing up on to the stage.

Hellogoodbye was next. The rain was so heavy they couldn’t perform for a while – and, actually, from what I hear, other acts at this time had to cancel, like Ben Folds.

The rain finally slowed down enough so that Hellogoodbye could take the stage (and the lead singer was in yellow gym shorts, which were a little scary, but I digress). I never really liked the group’s single, “Here (In Your Arms),” but I really enjoyed the rest of the songs the band performed. Pretty awesome set – especially considering it started pouring again during the set.

After Hellogoodbye, the stage guys started setting up My Chem’s equipment – but, of course, it started raining and the equipment had to be covered again.

Finally the rain let up, and My Chemical Romance took the stage. I think the band realized we’d been standing outside for about five hours in the on-and-off pouring rain, so the guys in the band really let loose. Lead singer Gerard Way said he couldn’t remember the last time guitarist Ray Toro played so hard he broke strings.

I couldn’t give you a set list but here’s a list of songs they played: “Give ‘Em Hell, Kid,” “Headfirst for Halos,” “Welcome to the Black Parade,” “Teenagers,” “I’m Not Okay,” “I Don’t Love You,” “My Way Home is Through You,” “Kill All Your Friends,” “Famous Last Words,” “Cemetery Drive,” “House of Wolves,” “The Sharpest Lives,” “This is How I Disappear,” “Mama,” “You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison,” “Dead!”

I think the band had planned to finish with “Helena,” but it was raining pretty hard and lightning, so I think they just barely cut the set short. Still, I’ve seen MCR three times and this was hands down the best show. Only the hardcore fans stayed through all the rain, so it felt like an intimate club gig (but with lots of rain and lightning, of course). I was happy to finally hear “Kill All Your Friends” live, and I love love love “Headfirst for Halos.”

By the end of the night, the rain had soaked through our ponchos, our makeup had been clear washed away, we were soaked to the bone and my shoes may in fact be ruined. It was still the best show ever.

As Hannah and I were leaving the park, a guy asked us if the MCR show as worth it to stand in the rain that long, and we said in unison, “YES.” He turned to somebody else and said, “That My Chemical Romance show must’ve been something – people are still leaving from it and they look rough.” lol.

And, another awesome adventure – before heading down to the park for the festival, Hannah and I went to the Peabody Place to meander a bit. We were upstairs when Hannah whacked me on the arm. I looked up and there were two of My Chemical Romance’s guitarists, Ray Toro and Frank Iero. They were headed to the movies with an absolutely massive bodyguard.

I’ve interviewed, oh, about everybody, actually met Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest, accidentally ran into AFI, but this was the first time I really got starstruck. I just couldn’t say anything. So we let them go on into the movies. But still, it was awesome to see them out.

A lot of the videos from the festival are obviously pretty bad due to the rain but I just found this video that has clips from several of the songs MCR performed. We were about at this same place, only on the other side of the stage.

Video by:  fairysister

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Special Edition

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Photos above property of Kathleen (My+Chemical+Romance)

By: Anna Genoese

At the beginning of My Chemical Romance’s DVD Life on the Murder Scene, guitarist Frank Iero says his group “is definitely a band that wants to save your life.” Let’s all take a moment to be grateful that the punk-influenced New Jersey rock quintet only uses its powers for good. At Saturday night’s sold-out Pageant show, campy frontman Gerard Way exhorted the crowd to jump (they jumped), put their hands in the air (they put their hands in the air), scream (they screamed), clap (they clapped, although not always in time with the music) and, during, “Give ‘Em Hell, Kid,” do their best jazz hands. O, the jazz hands!

The crowd also sang-nay, chanted!-along with every song, swayed to “Desert Song” (My Chem’s version of a torch song), jumped up and down to teen angst anthem “I’m Not Okay (I Promise),” and, yes, cried during “Cancer” as Way crooned, “The hardest part of this is leaving you.”

The show lacked a little luster and was uncharacteristically low-key – but then again, My Chemical Romance has been on tour supporting its third album, The Black Parade, since early 2007, so it’s no wonder the band is exhausted.

While drummer Bob Bryar shared a cigarette with Iero between songs, Gerard explained that they’re going on a two year hiatus to relax and record a new album, saying, “Our bodies gotta take a break! You get old… you get tired,” and when he told the crowd, “I’m 31 now!” the grandmother behind me, there with her daughter and her daughter’s daughter, laughed. (Several close by teenagers, though, looked horrified. 31-that’s so old!)

The fans, however, are indefatigable. More than a few had been waiting in line for the show since 7 a.m., dressed head to toe in My Chemical Romance gear: hoodies, fingerless gloves, T-shirts and messenger bags. Several fans there were also dressed up as members of the band. (An uncountable number of kids wore an X over each eye like guitarist Frank Iero used to, although I only counted two fans dedicated enough to paint a stripe of makeup horizontally over their eyes, in a nod to Gerard Way.)

Not to diss the band, but the crowd was definitely the highlight of the evening. More MILFs than a Van Halen show! More little kids than a Cobra Starship show! The audience boasted everyone from toddlers in Avenged Sevenfold T-shirts to grandmothers in MIKEY FUCKIN WAY T-shirts. The kid to my left couldn’t have been older than six years old; sitting on his father’s shoulders, he sang his heart out to every single song. (Which makes me wonder: What exactly does a six-year-old get out of the lyrics “And without you is how I disappear”?)

Set list highlights included a rendition of the b-side “Kill All Your Friends” (with the commentary: “We can play whatever the fuck we want on this tour!”), one of the guitar techs playing harmonica during “Teenagers” and a lovely, soulful piano solo from new keyboardist James Dewees (formerly of Reggie and the Full Effect, the Get Up Kids, and Coalesce).

Guitarist Ray Toro, hands down one of the most amazing guitar players of his generation, requested a set change during the beginning of “Vampires Will Never Hurt You” so that he could play one of his favorites, “Desert Song,” an unreleased track from the Life on the Murder Scene DVD. That DVD, Gerard told us, was made to encourage people to not waste their lives. “Go out!” he yelled at the crowd. “Start a band, do something productive! Do something creative! Start a band, make movies, draw comics!”

They closed the show with “Helena,” a song that’s a tribute to Gerard and Mikey Way’s late grandmother. “Jump!” shouted Gerard — and everyone jumped.

Direct from Reprise Press Release

BURBANK, CA — 05/01/08 — For those who missed the opportunity to see My Chemical Romance live at one of the more than 250+ shows touring in support of their highly acclaimed MULTI-MILLION-selling 2006 album “The Black Parade,” or for those who want to relive soaring concert moments, let the celebration begin. My Chemical Romance will release a live CD/DVD called “The Black Parade Is Dead!” on June 24th on Reprise Records.

The package captures different sides of My Chemical Romance by spotlighting two very different shows. The CD and DVD feature concert highlights from the huge Palacio de los Deportes sports arena in Mexico City on October 7th, 2007 and the intimate Maxwell’s club in Hoboken, NJ, on October 24th, 2007. Both shows demonstrate why critics have raved about The Black Parade World Tour, which began on February 22nd, 2007, and will conclude with a triumphant sold out hometown headlining show at New York City’s fabled Madison Square Garden on May 9th, 2008.

The discs include live tracks from the Mexico City and Hoboken shows, including the band’s smash singles “Welcome to the Black Parade,” “Famous Last Words,” and “Teenagers,” as well as tracks from their 2004 album “Three Cheers For Revenge.” The DVD was directed by Adam Rothlein, whose previous long-form credits include DVDs for Green Day, Disturbed, System of a Down and All-American Rejects.

Beginning on May 5th when the website goes live, fans will be able to pre-order “The Black Parade is Dead!” by visiting www.theblackparadeisdead.com, where they can also view a trailer for the DVD. Anyone who pre-orders the album from this special website will also gain access to downloads of three DRM-free tracks from the Mexico City show: “Welcome to the Black Parade,” “Mama,” and “Dead!”.

“The Black Parade is Dead!” will also be released in a collectible, limited-edition version, which will feature the CD and DVD, plus a mask designed by one of the band members, in a pine box coffin. (Each band member has designed one mask, which has been selected for inclusion in each box at random.) Another CD/DVD bundle also includes an exclusively designed t-shirt. All special editions are available only online at www.theblackparadeisdead.com.

At 15 months, the Black Parade World Tour is the longest and most internationally comprehensive headlining tour that My Chemical Romance has played to date, featuring multiple legs around the world.

www.mychemicalromance.com

Thanks Zntrip for the tip!

By Mary Colurso
For al.com

Where and when: Inside the shed at Sloss Furnaces, with a start time shortly after 9 p.m. Openers were Billy Talent and Drive By.
Influences on display: Queen, certainly. Like that 1970s rock group, My Chemical Romance goes for concept albums (such as 2006 “The Black Parade”) and likes to make “ta-da!” statements with keyboard flourishes, heavy guitars and flamboyant vocals. On the punk side, Green Day comes to mind. At the Birmingham show, lead singer Gerard Way was a confident, charismatic and — he’d hate this description — sharply cute presence on stage.
Set list: Many tracks from “The Black Parade,” including “Cancer,” “Mama,” “I Don’t Love You,” “Teenagers” and “Welcome to the Black Parade.” The band also played “Kill All Your Friends” and “Desert Song.”

Fashion statement: Basic black, with jeans and T-shirts and lots of hair falling in the eyes. In the past, My Chemical Romance wore matching outfits that made them look a Goth version of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Audience: An all-ages crowd that ranged from grade-school kids to gray-haired rockers. Ticketholders just about filled the sloping confines of the shed, with a tighter pack in the front and more room to breathe at the back. Many fans present sang along with Way, reciting the lyrics like personal anthems.

Atmosphere: My Chemical Romance was well-suited to the atmosphere at Sloss, with its rusted metal and rumors of ghost sightings. (Way even mentioned the haunting legends, saying the bass player might pull out a Ouija board.) Fine weather on this spring evening, a dramatic light show and decent sound quality were happy bonuses.

Quibbles: Way seemed to lose the audience on some of the softer and slower ballads. The tight, thrashing rock songs went over better, and so did the spooky carnival numbers.

Verdict: A good band, if not a positively great one. It’ll be interesting to see what My Chemical Romance does on its next CD — something simpler, maybe? — after touring for two years on the elaborate “Black Parade.”

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