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Due to late lectures and missing trains, we missed the first support act, British rock band Lost Alone, though Gerard Way later described them as “one of [his] favourite bands”. However, next up was The Blackout, a Welsh post-hardcore band with two singers- or rather, one singer and one screamer. Despite knowing little of this genre and preferring it when songs are actually sung and not shouted, their set was surprisingly accessible, starting the night’s mosh pits on the floor and even getting those of us in the side seats bobbing away to various extents. The set included more well known songs such as ‘I’m A Riot…’, new but infinitely catchy song ‘Higher and Higher’ and even teases of that song we all now know and can’t get away from, ‘Whip my Hair’. Even if it’s not your cup of tea, it’s understandable why The Blackout are getting bigger and bigger, and they certainly managed to warm the crowd up for My Chemical Romance.
Coming onstage to the intro to their latest album, a spoken word rally for revolutionary times and the music to go with it, the band casually strolled onto stage with the curtain falling down just as they began the opening riff to ‘Na Na Na’. They continued in this confident but not arrogant manner throughout the next hour and a half, as they played through new songs from Danger Days, the new album, along with old favourites from the previous two records and even a couple of lesser known songs from their debut album.
Despite not being a huge fan of Gerard Way before this gig, he was undoubtedly the highlight of the band, connecting the most with the crowd, quipping between songs and asking fans on the floor to look out for each other, help each other up and not to feel bad about leaving if they got too hot (there were a lot of fainters out there). Frank and Ray, the well-loved guitarists, provided the balanced and essential backing vocals and, although Mikey on bass had no need to sing, he was always heroically posed at the front of the stage putting the music first. New touring drummer Michael Pedicone exceeded my expectations considering he’s only a recent replacement, and touring keyboardist did a good job, particularly in vocal/piano encore ‘Cancer’ with Gerard.
Highlights of the set included all those songs that are easiest to sing along to, in particular ‘I’m Not Okay (I Promise)’, ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ (both predictably), ‘Famous Last Words’ and ‘Teenagers’. The live debuts of songs from the latest album were well received on the whole, especially ‘Sing’ and encore ‘Bulletproof Heart’, though ‘Summertime’ was undoubtedly the slow, low point of the night. Overall, the gig was an indubitable success from start to finish with just the odd moment that was slightly lacklustre; My Chemical Romance and The Blackout should surely be applauded for their strong efforts.
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