REVIEW: The World Contamination Tour 04/22/11 - TERMINAL 5 - New York, NY

My Chemical Romance - Fri April 22 - Terminal 5 - NY

i knew terminal 5 would be a zoo when I'd arrive there after work, but i was still a little shocked when i saw the line snaking to the end of the block and doubled-back in triple-file across the street. an ocean of x-ed hands confirmed this crowd was mostly under-age, which was not a huge surprise given the cute-silly bows and amusingly inappropriate attire (like waiting outside in tank tops without a coat in the freezing weather). i also spotted "cool moms" in MCR t-shirts accompanying their kids, and even a few scattered jersey rockers.

the architects (from Kansas City) are the quintessential warm-up act: super-energetic, no-frills rockers who make up what they lack in good looks with a perfect blend of heavy and confident. i dug them, though not a lot of people beside me seemed to.
I'd never heard of the second opener, neon trees, either. they had the styling and energy and seemed pretty likable but their disposable pop songs left me mostly unmoved, though not for lack of trying. the increasingly shove-y crowd sang along to some of their songs, so I'm guessing they're "on the radio".

By the time My Chemical Romance came onstage I was in the 5th row, a mere 12 feet from that adorable cherub Gerard Way, though the pit actually almost broke me: the shoving got so insane people were falling down, stepping on each others hands, and getting piled up on top of each other, the floor was littered with phones, shoes and bags, and the security staff was having trouble keeping up with pulling all the exhausted, beet-faced girls out of the steaming pit. right around neon trees a bunch of flannel-shirted boys had infiltrated the front, ready to dominate anyone in their way, which led to a few altercations between the tiny, lovesick tween-princesses who’d gotten their spot by camping out for 12 hours, and the testy newcomers. my survival up front came at the price of exhaustion, so after twenty minutes i let myself fall back to the tenth row or so to catch my breath and move a little on my own volition, and later i actually went get some water, which is extremely unusual for me. i love mosh-pits that have room to move around, where the shoving is done by a certain code (like not stepping on people who have fallen), and i can dance and hop around. i also love tightly packed crowds i can relax into and "ride". what i like less is having to be ever-vigilant to avoid injuring myself though i should stress this show was, in the end, extremely fun.

the music was, not surprisingly, awesome. mcr play a very high energy mix of all the stuff that makes the hives, emf, green day, queen, duran duran and about fifty others really yummy, and mixes it into a hooky, rock-anthem bliss, that you can easily love if you are not a snob. since their show last november i'd played their new album (which had come with the ticket) more than any other album on my ipod (which explains why i bought a ticket for their second show). in addition to his angelic good looks gerard way has a joyful charm, which, paired with un-selfconsciously sexy dancing, high energy level, and some of the catchiest rock tunes i’ve ever heard, created a super-delicious live performance. he mentioned his family was here (it being a local show and all) and cited the roseland show where i’d discovered them, as in his all-time top 5. ever. and tonight once again the excitement was, without a doubt, mutual.

CREDIT: muskati's blogspot