Gerard Way
- vocals
Ray Toro
- lead guitar, vocals
Frank
Iero - rhythm guitar, vocals
Mikey Way - bass guitar
Bob Bryar
- drums, percussion
Back in 2006 when the original The
Black Parade hit stores there was a huge buzz throughout the industry and worldwide for the band. For MCR it was there
third studio album after debut I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love
in 2002 and Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge in 2004. With them supporting Green
Day and co-headlining the first Taste of Chaos tour the band was gaining fans and gathering steam to hit the big time. For
them The Black Parade was and still is them getting to that mountain and clearing
it. They then went on tour to support the album release. The tour lasted around a year before they declared that the Black
Parade is going to die. What do I mean? Well I marched up to Cleveland
on February night in 2007 and caught the show. The first set was them playing as the black parade while the second, after
intermission, they played old time favorites as MCR. At the time I did not like the idea at all and although I’m still
not fond of it, it was a good marketing idea. Speeding forward to October 7th of 2007, MCR played as the Black
Parade for the final time in Mexico City in front of a sold out arena show. This is show one on the CD/DVD release The Black Parade is Dead!. It is an amazing piece of work as you get to see the energy of the band, soaring vocals
that hit places that you can’t hear on the original album, and the crowd presents of the band. They play The Black Parade track-by-track (and the CD of this set is that just that, a track-by-track play list of the show).
At times it’s hard to hear Gerard, because of the amount of sound the rest of the band is streaming as well as the screaming
fans. There is only one more downside with the CD/DVD for me and it is the low quality of the backing vocals, as they are
really hard to hear in spots. The camera work is excellent as they have many different angles including an overhead drum angle
that is sweet. The also have straight ahead, side and on stage angles that capture the bands canny ability to get the crowd
into the show and feed off that energy. Songs such as “Teenagers,” “Welcome,” and “Mama”
all display that. The second show from an intimate setting in New Jersey.
This lets the fans get a closer feel to the band as well as hear new and old tracks. The stage is a little cramped, but it
is a great chance to see a band from close up. The show is not as big and robust as the Mexico
City show because of the size of the stage. There is less lighting effects as well as area to move.
The energy is also not as great, but the intensity is. Each show is great in there own right. Being that they are two different
types of show MCR delivers a brilliant performance. If you were able to go to a Black Parade show or one during the intimate
tour the DVD is great enough for you to relive your experience with the band. It’s a must have for all MCR fans and
rock fans alike.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Website (s): www.theblackparade.com, www.mychemicalromance.com
