My Chemical RomanceRomancing Their Fans

My Chemical Romance. Or as hard-core fans refer to them, MCR. They were the band that epitomized emo and their followers loved them for it. From their heart-wrenching wails of anger and hurt, their lyrics touched the lives of their listeners and their music gave hope to their troubled souls. Finally, there was a band that can relate to people whom were considered outcasts and nerds - or as MCR describes in their massively hit single Welcome to the Black Parade, "the broken, the beaten, and the damned."

Perhaps, it is appropriate that the band touches these damaged people and gives them hope. After all, this band was formed in New Jersey in 2001, partly as a result of the 9/11 attack, as it provoked front man and lead singer Gerard Way to do something about his life and satisfy his hunger and desire to be powerful and popular - something more meaningful than being viewed as an outsider. That something was to form a band, as it gave Gerard and his band mates hope and purpose, and gave Gerard a venue to vent his frustrations and anger. Considered a geek and a nerd without many friends, during his childhood, Gerard has found the means to be accepted and express himself without any inhibitions. MCR has become the heroes of those who lived like Gerard did and became a symbol for overcoming people who were outcasts, whether that was the band's intention or not. As many fans can attest, MCR's music has helped them get through difficult periods of their lives and some say that their music even "saved their lives."

Ironically, the band may have been what saved Gerard's own life, as well as his brother Mikey Way's (bassist) life. Gerard was on a downward spiral with his drug addiction and Mikey suffered from mental illness, but what brought them through was being a part of a successful band and having the motivation and aspirations to make a musical masterpiece. In fact, these experiences of overcoming their adversities is what made their new album The Black Parade an epic and critically acclaimed album and took the band to the next level. This album is far removed from their 2004 double-platinum Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, which more or less was full of dark and depressing songs. However, The Black Parade offers songs of various types, from Queen-like rock anthems, to ballads, to their signature dark emo rock. It transcends genres enough that it has become almost a staple on pop/top 40 radio stations as well. As a result, it has brought in new fans, who may have not even thought twice of buying a MCR album, let alone go to their concert.

I admit that I am one of them. I was surprised when MCR first released Welcome to the Black Parade, since it was much more upbeat and hopeful than what I am used to hearing from My Chemical Romance. It reminded my of Green Day's (my favorite band of all time) Jesus of Suburbia, in that it was almost like a rock-opera, with different melodies and segments in a single song. It was very catchy and enjoyable. Then, I heard their second single, Famous Last Words and that is what sold me. I have become an official MCR fan. Without thinking twice, I bought tickets to their show at The Forum 3 months earlier, while it was on pre-sale. And when the day finally arrived when I got to see them live at their sold-out show, MCR blew me away with their performance. You could have sworn they were a bigger band than they are. Gerard Way had vocals that carried across the arena, with antics worthy of veteran front men. The band played their hearts out and played a longer set than expected. After playing The Black Parade album from beginning to end, in the same order the tracks appear on the album, they came out without their black parade costumes and played at least 5 songs from their previous albums. They definitely made their fans happy and satisfied.

Which leads to another surprise that I came across when I attended their show - the eclectic mix of the crowd. I would have thought most of the people would be dressed in black, with their gothic gear on, following the stereotypes of fans of emo bands. But I was wrong. The fans ranged from mid 50's adults to punk kids to conservative-looking young adults to moms and dads bringing their pre-teens. It was shocking to see how much MCR fan base has grown. And most likely, this is a result of their new album. After all, that is what turned me, someone who is the furthest thing from a dark gothic emo follower, into a MCR fan.