My Chemical Romance with Neon Trees and the Architects.

Venue: See previous night’s review of the Aragon. It’s a good venue but desperately needs a few well-placed fans. The sound was better last night.

First Opener: The Architects (NR): Previously I’d seen both Neon Trees and The Architects and they weren’t that good. So I was at the merch booth for most of the set. However, when I went back inside I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of what I heard. They’re still basically 80’s revival (and say as much on their site) but the quality of sound improved dramatically

Second Opener: Neon Trees (4/6): Wow. I was blown away by how much this band has improved. I had to go back in the blog to make sure it was the same band. They went from being one of the worst live shows I’ve seen to being a solid show. Frontman Tyler Glenn both engaged the crowd and fellow band mate while singing surprisingly clearly. Neon Trees had solid sound and recognizable lyrics (I knew Animal from the radio). They are catchy enough to be contagious, but not a manufactured sound. Very good radio potential. Their sound was pop punk and fit the show very well. Too often I see bands that are decent but just don’t fit the sound of the evening. These people had the right feel and sound and were decently talented.


Main Act: My Chemical Romance (5/6): I’d heard that My Chemical Romance didn’t put on the best show live, so, I had my hopes set very low. I loved it. I think the people who didn’t like them live were expecting the wrong thing. My Chemical Romance is punk pop, not rock or mainstream pop. They are not a technical band, however, technical finesse is not something that pop punk is really known for. Punk, and particularly pop punk are meant to have scratchy vocals, rough guitar work and a lot of energy with good lyrics.
Is front man Gerard Way’s voice good? Not especially. But energy and lyrics Way has in spades. His dynamic with is his fans are wonderful and he is incredibly gracious. He is also very humble for someone who’s been performing to large audiences for the better part of 10 years.

My Chemical Romance has surprising depth and breadth of song style. Most pop-punk bands are one trick pony, with only the odd slower number. My Chemical Romance has a balance of slower numbers and traditional thrashy punk songs. They have an underlying energy that makes their sound sing and touch people. Particularly live I noticed “Cancer” was heart wrenching and hearing 
“I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” (the song that put My Chemical Romance on the map) live was a real treat.

I would go back to see them in a heartbeat. And I encourage others to do so as well, but don’t go expecting clear articulation or precision. Go expecting raw energy and you won’t be disappointed.

Album Review: My Chemical Romance—Danger Days: The True Lives of Fabulous Kill Joys.

This is technically a little behind the time, but the album is new to me (November 23d was the release date) I hadn’t heard hide nor hair of My Chemical Romance since about 2005, when their most mainstream album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge hit the stores, debuting the single “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” a bouncy, goofy, slightly bitter number that is still sometimes on the radio. I was never terribly impressed, they were a decent band, but not worth really investing in. Gerard Way sounded a bit like Robby Takac but lower pitched. He looked like a gremlin with pink eyeliner and stringy black hair, which was appealing to me at the time. It seems the gremlin has cleaned up quite a bit and the band’s s sound has coalesced quiet a bit. This revamp started with Black Parade in 2006, from what I’ve seen and heard but black parade was still on the darker side, like their older stuff. Honing into a punk-pop sound, without the immaturity of some of the others in that scene, My Chemical Romance has found a sound that is catchy, deliberately cacophonous, and all around fun; leaving behind their darker roots, while keeping hold of some of their cynicism. This is one of the few albums I’ve seen in this decade that sounds like one cohesive piece and hearkens back to concept albums, but there is not story that I can discern. Way has referred to it as an “anti-concept” album. Fun to listen to but no tracks that really grabbed me With the interspersed radio-like tracks, Danger Days: The True Lives of Fabulous Kill Joys gives the feel of something of a last broadcast—a party at the end of the world. The downside of this cohesiveness is many of the songs sound similar, other than the single “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)” and the radio tracks, none of the songs sick out particularly from the others, while listening I’ve had to check repeatedly which song was which. Fun to listen to but no tracks that really grabbed me. There is almost no distinction track to track, both in its cord progressions, and in the vocal style as well as the tempo of the songs—always upbeat, fast-paced numbers. However, I would almost argue that the indistinct nature of the tracks worked to the album’s benefit. While there are no “single” songs, it also doesn’t sound per se redundant, rather, it plays like one track. Its also a very honest album I don’t hear any tracks that are trying to be radio numbers. Overall a fun, catchy album.
(3.5/5 for technical skill, 4/5 for genuine entertainment)