After years of wating, My Chemical Romance have finally returned. From their debut album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, to their mainstream breakthrough, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, to their last album to date, the theatrical hit, The Black Parade, they have had a wild ten years. Fans have been waiting for four years to hear a new sound from My Chemical Romance, and then they hit us with the fun, fast-paced rainbow album that is Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. Now they've returned to the UK on 12th February 2011 on their World Contamination tour, and the atmosphere is electric.
Fans are queuing from early afternoon, dressed up to the nines in brand new Killjoy outfits, and several of the males have dyed their hair red, like a crowd of mini-Gerard Way's. The doors open to Wembley Arena, and the crowds flood in. Listening to the girls and boys singing along to MCR's hits and babbling with excitment foreshadows exactly how the night's show will go down.
As the standing area of the arena fills rapidly, the sweat is pouring before any music even begins. The first support act, homegrown British band LostAlone, do their best to captivate the large venue and, for a widely unknown band, they don't do a bad job. There is the slight feeling of awkwardness as they don't quite manage to reach the crowd as well as they could, but all in all, songs like Elysium and Unleash the Sands of Time hit the spot for now.
When the second support come on, it is clear that Welsh rockers The BlackOut have had more experience and a larger fan base than LostAlone, and they fill the remaining empty spaces with their bounds of energy and enthusiam. The crowd seem to welcome The BlackOut as a support act with open arms, and they do a fantastic job of warming everyone up- literally! Before the main act are even out, there are people passing out and being thrust towards the bodyguards, but everyone takes it in their stride and get increasingly pumped for My Chemical Romance with songs like Children of the Night, Save Ourselves (The Warning) and new single, Higher & Higher.
After what seems like an eternity of staring at a mysterious black curtain, the lights go down. Hearts start pumping. Screams echo the arena, and the tension builds. A familiar voice booms Look Alive, Sunshine out of the speakers, and thousands of voices recite it back. Suddenly, the curtain drops, and the band are exposed. One by one they are spotted, and last of all, Gerard Way struts confidently to the front and centre stage and Na Na Na blows everyone away. The show has truly begun.
There is no shortage of volume all throughout the night, from song to song, right until the end. My Chemical Romance are back on form, with a new outlook and a new sound. Hits from Danger Days such as Vampire Money and SING really get the crowd going, especially new fans, who look a bit lost whenever any tracks from old albums are played. Planatary (GO!) seems to be a particular favourite, and I don't think there was one static person in the arena throughout this song. Not forgetting their old fans, My Chemical Romance deliver a truly varied set, including known-by-heart hits from The Black Parade, such as Mama, Famous Last Words and Welcome to the Black Parade. Songs from Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge seem to bring back a hint of nostalgia for the band, but this just adds to their charm. I'm Not Okay (I Promise) still speaks to every outcast in the crowd who finally feel that they belong here, tonight, and Helena touches the heart of everyone who knows the story behind it. They even throw in Our Lady of Sorrows for good measure, which gains a fantastic reception. They came back for a traditional finale, and ended the show on the note of Vampires Will Never Hurt You from their first album, which seems to be the perfect way to end such a whirlwind night.
The silence rings out deafeningly once the band leave the stage and lights come back on. It's almost like the crowd misses their presence already. Everyone leaves the arena with the same feeling; fulfillment. After waiting for a considerable amount of time for such an inspiration band, My Chemical Romance did not disappoint. In fact, they exceeded expectations and are truly back on top form.
Fans are queuing from early afternoon, dressed up to the nines in brand new Killjoy outfits, and several of the males have dyed their hair red, like a crowd of mini-Gerard Way's. The doors open to Wembley Arena, and the crowds flood in. Listening to the girls and boys singing along to MCR's hits and babbling with excitment foreshadows exactly how the night's show will go down.
As the standing area of the arena fills rapidly, the sweat is pouring before any music even begins. The first support act, homegrown British band LostAlone, do their best to captivate the large venue and, for a widely unknown band, they don't do a bad job. There is the slight feeling of awkwardness as they don't quite manage to reach the crowd as well as they could, but all in all, songs like Elysium and Unleash the Sands of Time hit the spot for now.
When the second support come on, it is clear that Welsh rockers The BlackOut have had more experience and a larger fan base than LostAlone, and they fill the remaining empty spaces with their bounds of energy and enthusiam. The crowd seem to welcome The BlackOut as a support act with open arms, and they do a fantastic job of warming everyone up- literally! Before the main act are even out, there are people passing out and being thrust towards the bodyguards, but everyone takes it in their stride and get increasingly pumped for My Chemical Romance with songs like Children of the Night, Save Ourselves (The Warning) and new single, Higher & Higher.
After what seems like an eternity of staring at a mysterious black curtain, the lights go down. Hearts start pumping. Screams echo the arena, and the tension builds. A familiar voice booms Look Alive, Sunshine out of the speakers, and thousands of voices recite it back. Suddenly, the curtain drops, and the band are exposed. One by one they are spotted, and last of all, Gerard Way struts confidently to the front and centre stage and Na Na Na blows everyone away. The show has truly begun.
There is no shortage of volume all throughout the night, from song to song, right until the end. My Chemical Romance are back on form, with a new outlook and a new sound. Hits from Danger Days such as Vampire Money and SING really get the crowd going, especially new fans, who look a bit lost whenever any tracks from old albums are played. Planatary (GO!) seems to be a particular favourite, and I don't think there was one static person in the arena throughout this song. Not forgetting their old fans, My Chemical Romance deliver a truly varied set, including known-by-heart hits from The Black Parade, such as Mama, Famous Last Words and Welcome to the Black Parade. Songs from Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge seem to bring back a hint of nostalgia for the band, but this just adds to their charm. I'm Not Okay (I Promise) still speaks to every outcast in the crowd who finally feel that they belong here, tonight, and Helena touches the heart of everyone who knows the story behind it. They even throw in Our Lady of Sorrows for good measure, which gains a fantastic reception. They came back for a traditional finale, and ended the show on the note of Vampires Will Never Hurt You from their first album, which seems to be the perfect way to end such a whirlwind night.
The silence rings out deafeningly once the band leave the stage and lights come back on. It's almost like the crowd misses their presence already. Everyone leaves the arena with the same feeling; fulfillment. After waiting for a considerable amount of time for such an inspiration band, My Chemical Romance did not disappoint. In fact, they exceeded expectations and are truly back on top form.
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