RULES & REGS

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Aug 31, 2011

PHOTOS: Honda Civic Tour - Rogers Arena - Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada)

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GERARD'S BLOG: Once more unto the breach, dear friends...

“Your past doesn’t matter- what happened five years ago doesn’t matter- the only thing that matters is your friends on stage- and what you do tonight. That will last forever.”
Reading and Leeds-

Frank said this seconds before we killed the house-lights on stage at Reading- in a group hug, and in near darkness. And not to misquote him but this is what I heard in my head- maybe he said it more poetically, but he has a talent for being direct- which is what I love about him.

And we were very direct.

Our past with the festival is often misconstrued, seen through the lens of “revisionist history” depending on who writes about it. “2006 was a triumph!”. “2006 was a bloodbath!”. It is surely sensational but to me it was simply boring to talk about- or was my boredom masking fear?

No matter what it was- it was the exact recipe for a life-or-death rock and roll show- and that happens to be our specialty.

You see, the thing about My Chemical Romance is that we never wanted to be cool. We never wanted anything dropped in our palms- we wanted to take it. We wanted to be US- and we wanted the same thing for the fans. And because of that- we faced adversity- and started to get really good at it.

PHOTOS: Leeds Festival - Bramham Park - Leeds, United Kingdom - 08/27/11

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PHOTOS: Rock en Seine - Domaine National de Saint-Cloud - Paris, France - 08/28/11

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PHOTOS: New Candids - Gerard


VIDEO: My Chemical Romance love the Reading Festival

My Chemical Romance reveal why they love the Reading Festival, and why the Brits have a special place in their heart.

PHOTOS: My Chemical Romance headline Reading and Leeds 2011

My Chemical Romance ruled Reading and Leeds this year as headliners after being bottled in 2006. The band played a ferocious set scoring a triumphant opening with 'Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)' and took to the stage alongside fireworks, lasers and a multi-screen video wall.

View the NME photo gallery here

FRANK'S BLOG: 9 years and a day...

hell (oh) friends,

It's been a little while...I'm having a good yet sappy night off in the land they call Vancouver and I'm feeling compelled to drop you all a public love note. Nine years ago tomorrow our band played its biggest show of our young yet saucy career. It was the proverbial "big break" moment that every kid in a band, in a movie, in a sitcom, in a real-ass life waits and drools for.

A band (Coheed and Cambria in our story) can't make it to the hugest most awesomest show (which will be played by The Allentown Fair , Allentown Pennsylvania 8/31/02, possible attendance approx 10k - 12k... feels like a million) opening up for a band you love, listen to, have every record by (in our story, Jimmy Eat World)....and goddamn it you and your best friends get a magical phone call asking you to fill in. The sky opens up, Angels start to sing, women swoon (just kidding there were absolutely no women) and somehow with little time to prepare you rent a van with no money and shitty credit, and show up to a dream sequence.
Now for reality's sake i must say this wasn't "IT". There was a lot of hard work leading up to the 'dream show' opportunity, and god knows a ton more of hard work after it, but it was a glimpse. A little sliver of what could be...and sometimes that is all your lucky enough to get.

Aug 30, 2011

REVIEW [excerpt]: Reading Festival, Reading

"...After a slow start, My Chemical Romance eventually got the crowd going as the main-stage headliner. With their violent, angst-driven sound, the band may be better suited to teenage bedrooms than the broader Reading audience, despite the onstage energy of lead singer Gerard Way. Returning for their encore, the band were joined by Queen guitarist Brian May for a cover of "We Will Rock You" and "Welcome to the Black Parade". Way is clearly no Freddie Mercury but Friday was rounded off with enormous enthusiasm from the audience nonetheless."

REVIEW: Leeds Festival hailed 'best yet'

This year's Leeds and Reading festivals have been the best yet despite challenging weather conditions, the festival director has said.

Speaking at the Leeds site on Sunday afternoon, Melvin Benn said bands and fans had coped admirably with the torrential rain that hit the Bramham Park site on Friday, as well as its sister festival in Reading this weekend.

"Here in Leeds we've had probably the worst weather we've ever had on a show day thrown at us on Friday," he said. "Nobody batted an eyelid, the bands didn't care, the festival didn't care, the fans didn't care, we just carried on really."

But 70,000 fans at the festival for the weekend, as well as the extra 3,000 to 4,000 day ticket holders, did not seem to mind the weather.

Mr Benn said: "It has been a challenge...but we're able to respond to just about any challenge that's thrown at us and the resilience of the audience really is just heartening for anybody and everybody.They want to enjoy the festival - a bit of a rain is not going to spoil it."

Despite the damp days, Mr Benn said this festival had been his best yet. "Without doubt this is my favourite year," he said. "Without doubt next year will be my favourite year - that is how I work."

Clean up of the West Yorkshire site will begin in the next few days and go on into September, he said, when workers would start turning the soil.

Staff will revisit the park in December when all the leaves have gone from trees and bushes to get the final pieces of litter, and extensive reseeding would take place to try to replenish the fields that have been churned up with so many people walking over them.

On Saturday night large crowds were drawn to the main stage by headline act My Chemical Romance, while Noah and the Whale had a tent full of fans and the Radio 1 NME stage singing along in unison to many of their songs.

Pulp headlined the festival on Sunday with The Strokes taking to the stage just before them, having headlined Reading the night before.

 CREDIT: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk

NEWS: Brian May's 'Soapbox', and what he has to say about My Chemical Romance

**Sun 28 Aug 11**
 

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE AND BRI AT READING FESTIVAL 




How did it happen?


Well, I met Gerard a few years ago at an awards dinner, and he told me they had grown up with Queen music, and the band were very inspired by what we had done. At the time I wasn't familiar with MCR, but a while later I heard their great version of "Under Pressure", which was enough to make me go out and buy their current CD. The next thing I remember was catching a great video on TV ... "Welcome to the Black Parade". I think that was the moment when I really started to understand the connection - the fact that we shared a lot of the same spirit and attitude to our art ... 

PHOTOS: MCR - Make-A-Wish Foundation Top 20 Contenders

My Chemical Romance chose from your 20 Top-Voted designs, and here they are (in no particular order). Congrats to all these artists who got their designs seen by the band – unfortunately they could only pick 5, but let’s hear it for these awesome runners up!
See full sized images at MASScanvas' facebook page

ARTICLE: Queen’s Brian May Joins My Chemical Romance at Reading Festival

Suddenly Brian May is the classic rock guitarist pop bands can’t get enough of. The Queen guitarist not only appeared with Lady Gaga at the MTV VMA awards recently, he showed up at the Reading Festival in England to rock out with My Chemical Romance. May jammed along to MCR’s rendition of ‘We Will Rock You’ before coming back for their song ‘Welcome to the Black Parade.’

In and interview with NME, My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way explained how the performance came together. “I wrote an email to Brian after getting his email off (producer) Rob Cavallo. There was this story that (Queen) played a show in Paris and got booed off and Freddie (Mercury) said, ‘We’re gonna come back and be the biggest band in the world’. And after what happened to us at Reading in 2006 (when they were bottled), people would ask us, ‘Are you gonna do that again?’ and I’d go, ‘Not unless we’re headlining it.’”

“So I told him this whole story and how we were gonna go back and could he give me some advice. So we just got talking and I went to his house – I got off a plane, went to his house, went to his jam room, jammed out, did a soundcheck. I had a feeling that morning, it flipped in my brain, not, ‘Are we ready for this’, I almost felt like ‘Is the crowd ready for us?’”

On his website, May had nothing but nice things to say about the New Jersey alt-rock band. “The nicest bunch of guys you could possibly meet … dedicated, inspired, modest, appreciative, considerate, and with all the crackling electricity of a touring unit just reaching a peak of perfection.” He goes on to add that he’s felt a strong connection to MCR since he heard their version of Queen’s ‘Under Pressure.’

CREDIT: ultimateclassicrock.com

REVIEW [excerpt]: Friday 26/08/11 Reading Festival @ Richfield Avenue, Reading

A fixture of the summer since the 1970s, Reading festival is one of the heavyweights of the UK festival scene. With a sister site now also in Leeds the weekend's line-up featured headline acts My Chemical Romance, The Strokes, Pulp and Muse.

".... On the main stage 30 Seconds to Mars and My Chemical Romance brought the day to a close, while a characteristically dour Liam Gallagher closed the NME/Radio One stage with band Beady Eye."

"... The response of the audience to this years' line-up demonstrated how much live music has moved into the mainstream; while My Chemical Romance were bottled from the stage in 2006, and I can't imagine 30 Seconds to Mars would have been particularly well tolerated, these bands have now become the main attraction."

read full article here 

REVIEW [excerpt]: The highs and lows of a muddy marvellous Leeds Festival

"...This stage ended with Liam Gallagher in relaxed and great form with his new Beady Eye band, but again the timing could have been better with a clash with My Chemical Romance on the main stage and fans forced to make a difficult choice.

It was a big moment for MCR as they have been building to this headline slot for some time. They’ve changed their style these days too to be much more a stadium band and less of an emo band and while still a bit of a Green Day wannabe act they did go down a storm with a set that fully justified the decision to move them up to the top of the bill."

read full article here

PHOTOS: Leeds Festival - Bramham Park - Leeds, United Kingdom - 08/27/11

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PHOTOS: Reading Festival - Little John's Farm - Reading, England - 08/26./11

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PHOTOS: Rock en Seine - Domaine National de Saint-Cloud - Paris, France - 08/28/11

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PHOTOS: Reading Festival - Little John's Farm - Reading, England - 08/26./11

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PHOTOS: Leeds Festival - Bramham Park - Leeds, United Kingdom - 08/27/11

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PHOTOS: Rock en Seine - Domaine National de Saint-Cloud - Paris, France - 08/28/11

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PHOTOS: New Candids





AUDIO: BBC 1 Interview with Gerard & Mikey Way at Reading 2011

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NEWS: My Chemical Romance: 'We're Writing New Music Everyday'

In an exclusive interview with Gigwise, the band's frontman Gerard Way said they will return to the studio later this year to work on the follow-up to 2010's 'Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys'.

Asked whether he felt it would take a while to record, Way replied: “No I don’t think it will. The thing is that the band was in a really unhealthy place when ‘Black Parade’ ended and now the band is in such a healthy place that there’s no more ‘I want to run away’ or ‘It’s about me’.

“Now it’s like this is what I do and I want to do this for the rest of my life. Everybody’s so happy.”

He added: “We’re writing music every day at the moment, which was something that wasn’t happening on ‘Black Parade’.”


Way's brother Mikey agreed that the band were in a good place at the moment.

“If anyone in the band has an issue or if somebody has an idea for a song it can now become a song in five or ten minutes,” he said.

“Stuff like that is happening at the moment which is really exciting to see what It turns into for the next album.”

My Chemical Romance played their last UK shows this year when they headlined Reading and Leeds festivals at the weekend.



CREDIT: gigwise.com

REVIEW: Fan recap - rock en seine 08/28/11

Back from the third and last day of Rock en Seine.

I’m tired but overall happy.

I wish MCR could have played more though. The show was great, Gerard told us they wondered how to manage to play again because Reading and Leeds were exhausting but because the crowd was awesome they gave them the energy to go on.

They didn’t wore their Killjoys outfit either. Frank was awesome, jumping around everywhere… Mikey and Ray were smiling a lot. Gerard was making hearts all around and telling us he loved it here, he loved nature (the festival was in park surrounded by trees) and that he liked us because we loved his wife as well. Well yeah we love her. Who doesn’t?? I kinda wish she were around.

After them was Deftones. At some point I saw this guy next to the stage with his red raincut… it was Frank. Gerard was then next to him then Ray. Ray didn’t stayed long though, but Gerard and Frank did. It was nice to see them sing along and enjoy the show as well. It was kinda cute to just see them as fans of a band. And I like that Gerard is awkward omg.

I don’t know… that was just so great. But so short.

I love them.

credit: wonderfulcaricatureof-intimacy - tumblr

PHOTOS: Rock en Seine - Domaine National de Saint-Cloud - Paris, France - 08/28/11

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VIDEOS: Rock en Seine - Domaine National de Saint-Cloud - Paris, France - 08/28/11

INTRO/"NA NA NA (NA NA NA NA NA NA)"


"DESTROYA"


"MAMA"


"PLANETARY (GO!)"


"HELENA"


"TEENAGERS"


"S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W"


"WELCOME TO THE BLACK PARADE"


GERARD TALKING

Aug 29, 2011

REVIEW: My Chemical Romance Bring 'Danger Days' To Leeds Festival 2011

As the band headline second night... 

My Chemical Romance brought 'Danger Days' to Leeds festival as they closed the second night at Bramham park (August 27).

The New Jersey band, fronted Gerard Way, played a hit-packed set with tracks from from their latest album 'Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys'.

Opening their set with 'Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)'; followed by 'I'm Not Okay (I Promise)' 'Planetary (Go!)', My Chemical Romance seemed delighted to be back in front of the UK festival audience.

Speaking to Gigwise, earlier in the day, Gerard Way called the Reading and Leeds festival headline slots: ''the greatest of our lives''.

He added: It's great to be back now after what happened in 2006. We said we would never play again unless we were headlining in style. And it's so amazing''.

The band's stage set brought 'Danger Days' to life with fire displays and characters from the album theme.
Other tracks in the set included hits from their 2006 album 'The Black Parade'; 'Mother', 'Cancer' and 'Teenagers'.

My Chemical Romance came back on stage for encore 'Welcome To The Black Parade'.


For more information about the Reading and Leeds Festival and all this summer’s festivals, check out the Gigwise Festival Guide.

CREDIT: gigwise.com

REVIEW: Fan recaps - Leeds Festival 08/27/11

by khaospad

leeds festival 2011.
"...Me and the BFF's tried to worm our way in a little closer as some of the people watching 30STM cleared out, so we ended up pretty close. And then as we were watching the techs come out to take away the triad and such, STAR WARS STARTED PLAYING! I just turned to my BFF and was shared the geeky-ist grins ever because this BAND GUYS, ONLY THIS FUCKING BAND! ♥ We started rocking out to Queen and Green Day and Blink when they got played, (as well as Indiana Jones, fucking INDIANA JONES) and got so excited and felt so dorky, we were having an amazing time already and the band hadn't even stepped out onstage.

And then of course they did. And fireworks went off and the BLind woman came up on the big screens and Dewees came out in the Mousekat costume and then THE BOYS CAME OUT IN THEIR KILLJOY COSTUMES and everything was right in the world.

In all honesty, I can't tell you much of what happened on stage in the first half of the set because I couldn't see the stage AT ALL, thanks to being stuck behind a really tall guy. All I know is that at some point Gerard said something along the lines of 'all over my face' when he was standing next to Frank, and that I got the occasional peek at Gerard's REALLY VERY NICE ASS in those REALLY VERY NICE, FUCKING TIGHT AS HELL, LEATHER PANTS. *_____________* It was glorious guys, fucking GLORIOUS.

I managed to get my foot well and truly stamped on at one point and it hurt like hell (and when I took my welly off when I got back to the car I could see why, as my whole foot and toenail were BLUE), I tried to stick it out for a while but my foot kept getting knocked or trod on like it was a MAGNET FOR PAIN, so my friends decided that maybe we should get out of the front and hang around just out of the main crowd like we'd done for Deftones. Which was, tbh, the best thing we could have done.

Because now instead of the back of someone's head I could now see the entire FREAKING STAGE and all the wondrous production, and sure the guys weren't right in front of my eyes anymore but it didn't matter because the view was just amazing, you could see right over the tops of everyone's heads and see the band clearly and the crowd all moving in silhouette, it was just stunning.

REVIEW: Fan recaps - Leeds Festival 08/27/11

by mistresscurvy

Leeds, Day Two: My Chemical Romance
Okay, so I am hoping to go back eventually and actually write about what happened yesterday that wasn't just MCR-related, because I saw Patrick Wolf and he was fucking great, and The Offspring were tons of fun and made me feel like I was fifteen again but in a good way (and also gave an ADORABLE fucking shout-out to “our friends in My Chemical Romance who are going to KICK YOUR ASSES” and it was just like the sweetest thing in the world. It makes my fucking DAY to hear bands like The Offspring and Blink, bands they grew up listening to, say shit like that about them. UGH BEST), and 30 Seconds to Mars was really entertaining and interesting to observe, and holy shit, Jared Leto is like the prettiest person alive, I was more than happy to stare at his profile and EYELASHES on the big screens.

BUT let's face it, yesterday was all about My Chem for me, they're the reason I came to fucking Leeds in the first place. So if a ridiculously tl;dr post about ninety minutes of a show sounds like a good time to you, feel free to click through.

I spent most of Friday and early on Saturday studying the layout of the big field and trying to figure out how to get a good spot for the show. The lawn for the main stage is divided roughly into three sections, with a full barrier dividing the front two thirds and then there's a massive big tower and screen in front of the back third. So our plan of attack was to get into the crowd right behind the second barrier during The Offspring and then move up so that we could get that barrier for MCR, and that way we would have something to lean against and also would avoid getting stuck behind anyone super tall, since there was a five foot gap between the pit and where we were. (It's actually incredibly well-designed in terms of crowd control, because it means there's actual SPACE in the middle of the crowd, not just the front, so there's a means of funneling people out if something were to ever happen. I mean, obviously the people running these things have been doing this for a long time and know how to plan it out, but the part of me that always checks for the fire exits at concerts was very happy about that fact.)

PHOTOS: Leeds Festival - Bramham Park - Leeds, United Kingdom - 08/27/11

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VIDEOS: Leeds Festival - Bramham Park - Leeds, United Kingdom - 08/27/11

"CANCER" ALT ALT#2 ALT#3


"DEAD" ALT  ALT#2


"DESTROYA"  ALT  ALT#2


"FAMOUS LAST WORDS" ALT  ALT#2  ALT#3 


"HELENA" ALT


"HOUSE OF WOLVES"  ALT


"I'M NOT OKAY (I PROMISE)" ALT  ALT#2  ALT#3 


"MAMA" ALT  ALT#2  ALT#3 


"NA NA NA (NA NA NA NA NA NA)" ALT  ALT#2  ALT#3  ALT#4


"OUR LADY OF SORROWS" ALT


"PLANETARY (GO!)" ALT  ALT#2  ALT#3


"S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W"


"SING" ALT


"TEENAGERS" ALT  ALT#2


"THE ONLY HOPE FOR ME IS YOU" ALT  ALT#2


"WELCOME TO THE BLACK PARADE"


GERARD TALKING


FINALE

VIDEO: My Chemical Romance At Reading 2011 - Fans React

"It was the best night of my life". Fans give us their reaction to My Chemical Romance's Reading headline spot, which featured a star turn from Queen's Brian May.

CREDIT: NME.COM

VIDEO: My Chemical Romance - 'Reading Was The Best Show Of Our Lives' video

Backstage at Leeds Festival 2011, Gerard and Mikey talk about "the greatest show of their lives", their sixth month preparations for their headline slot, their love for Queen and how they got Brian May to join them onstage.

CREDIT: NME.COM

Aug 27, 2011

REVIEW: My Chemical Romance - Leeds Festival 2011 Review - 'A fitting retort to cynics with an impressive lights and stage show'

My Chemical Romance at Leeds Festival 2011 - review. We want your reviews too!


8/10

Since their train crash of a top-billing Download suffered many moons ago, you’d think My Chemical Romance wouldn't fill a tent in your neighbour's back garden, never mind headline a festival. They even made The Darkness closing stages almost acceptable.

However, a red haired Gerard Way and his troops provide a fitting retort with an impressive lights and stage show, that even a song called 'Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)’ bloody can't ruin.

Dressed in leather, the Americans hold their own with a steady stream of Kerrang! approved emo hits including 'I'm Not Okay' and 'Helena'.

Emotional stuff and as an ever increasing crowd lap it up, any cynicism surely has to be discarded.

CREDIT: virtualfestivals

PHOTOS: Leeds Festival - Bramham Park - Leeds, United Kingdom - 08/27/11

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PHOTOS: Leeds Festival - Bramham Park - Leeds, United Kingdom - 08/27/11

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NEWS: My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way reveals how he met Brian May

The Reading Festival hook-up started with an email… 

My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way has told NME how he first hooked up with Queen’s Brian May - who joined them onstage at Reading Festival last night. 

Guitarist May played Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ and MCR’s ’Welcome To The Black Parade’ at the headline show, with Way explaining that they first met after he emailed May out of the blue.


The singer explained:

"I wrote an email to Brian after getting his email off [producer] Rob Cavallo. There was this story that you [Queen] played a show in Paris and got booed off and Freddie [Mercury] said, ‘We’re gonna come back and be the biggest band in the world’. And after what happened to us at Reading in 2006 [when they were bottled], people would ask us, ‘Are you gonna do that again? [play the festival]’ and I’d go, ‘Not unless we’re headlining it

So I told him this whole story and how we were gonna go back and could he give me some advice. So we just got talking and I went to his house – I got off a plane, went to his house, went to his jam room, jammed out, did a soundcheck. I had a feeling that morning, it flipped in my brain, not, ‘Are we ready for this’, I almost felt like ‘Is the crowd ready for us?"

 
CREDIT: nme.com

REVIEW: Brian May appears with My Chemical Romance at Reading

Queen's Brian May joined My Chemical Romance on stage as they headlined this year's Reading festival.
Singer Gerard Way welcomed the guitarist for the band's encore as they topped the opening night of the three-day event.

Together they led the crowd in a mass sing and clapalong for the Queen classic We Will Rock You, complete with fireworks synchronised to the music.
Brian May then stayed on for the final song of the night, The Black Parade.

Earlier in the day, Gerard Way told Newsbeat they'd been planning the event for most of this year, admitting:
 "We've been thinking about this show for eight months, every single day.We've got a lot of production that we've never used before so it's going to be a lot of fun."

The band had much to prove with the Reading crowd.

They last appeared five years ago when they were pelted with plastic bottles during their performance after having to follow thrash band Slayer on stage.

CREDIT: bbc.co.uk

REVIEW: Fans give thumbs up to My Chemical Romance's Reading Festival show

A few aren’t so keen on Brian May stepping out with the band, though
 
My Chemical Romance's headline set on the Main Stage at Reading Festival last night (August 26) has proved a hit with most festivalgoers giving their opinions on NME.COM.

Queen guitarist Brian May made a guest appearance at the show for an encore of his band's 'We Will Rock You' and My Chemical Romance's 'Welcome To The Black Parade'

NME.COM user Martyn Heraty praised the show and May's guest spot, writing: "Great performance, they've spoken before of being inspired majorly by Queen, with the theatrics and it's no bad thing to bring one of their heroes onstage at their biggest show."

Rhian Westbury agreed, writing: "Their set was amazing and Brian May being there just made it even better!" Chris Powney felt the same, writing: "Can bringing Brian May out ever be a bad thing?"

There were a few dissenting voices, however, with some users believing that May was punching below his weight by appearing with the band. Lean Velez certainly thought so, writing: "Brian has lost his mind, My Chemical Romance really sucks." And Jamie Rockwell went even further, writing: "His [singer Gerard Way's] band sucks and he only dishonours Queen citing them as an influence."


CREDIT: www.nme.com

REVIEW [excerpt]: My Chemical Romance bring the theatrics to Reading festival 2011

It got off to a damp start, but the enthusiasm of Pulled Apart By Horses and Metronomy got the crowd in the mood for MCR's sensational but silly headline slot

 "...Less confusing is the excitement building up for My Chemical Romance or MCR or My Chem's set. The band have undoubtedly come a long way since being bottled here in 2006 (seriously upsetting lead singer Gerad Way in the process) and are now part of The Big League, boasting a whopping four studio albums. Way, currently resembling an excitable manga character with his red hair and leather romper suit, seems to enjoy being bathed in adoration rather than bottles of wee (funny that, isn't it?). It could be that their ADD emo pop packs plenty of tunes – or it could be the smoke, fireworks, balloons and hi tech video show – but tonight they look like a band who belong on top of the bill. At least they do until the end, when they veer from sensational to just plain silly, inviting Brian May onstage for a cover of We Will Rock You followed by the weighty MCR classic Welcome To The Black Parade.


It's a suitably theatric climax, perhaps, but in some ways disappointing that a band have resorted to pulling in "star" names. Because if Reading's opening day proves anything, it's that the younger bands – not the established names – know how to really rock you."

read full article here

REVIEW: Reading 2011: My Chemical Romance, Main Stage

Loud, proud and anthemic. This is where My Chemical Romance belong.

It's approaching the witching hour, and admittedly, we're a bit tipsy, but isn't that Brain bloody May on stage with My Chemical Romance? And aren't they playing 'We Will Rock You?'



 There's a trend amongst festival headliners - a need to bring the big guns if they're given top billing. From Muse rolling out The Edge at Glastonbury to everyone expecting Jay-Z a year later for Beyonce's set, if you can pull in a name for the encore, it will keep the crowd happy.

MCR's headline slot is an odd one - a return to the site where they met the traditional Reading bottling in 2006. Like the majority of the festival's top acts, they're a band who appeared lower down the bill elsewhere earlier this summer. If that's down to contract issues or just a general feeling they're not actually ready for the headline set is open to debate, but it's one Gerard Way, clad in leather and sporting his bright red barnet, seems to want settled on the stage. With an opening salvo of 'Na Na Na' and 'I'm Not Okay', there's no shortage of hits in their back pocket to do so.

Indeed, it seems like every trick in the book has been loaded up, ready to dazzle. Fireworks, balloons and the afore mentioned man with the curly hair all add to a set largely taken from most recent album 'Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys'. 'Planetary (Go!)' may not have quite the elastic bounce-back-ability it has on record, but still more than holds it's own, while 'Famous Last Words', 'S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W' and 'Sing' possess all the theatrics needed to fill a big stage.

It's closer 'Welcome To The Black Parade' that really proves beyond any doubt that this is where My Chemical Romance belong. Loud, proud and anthemic, with or without a Queen guitarist added for good measure, a band with this much bravado demand to sit at the top of the pile. There'll be no bottles thrown in 2011.

VIDEO: Reading Festival - Little John's Farm - Reading, England - 08/26./11

"NA NA NA (NA NA NA NA NA NA)"

PHOTOS: Reading Festival - Little John's Farm - Reading, England - 08/26./11

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VIDEOS: Reading Festival - Little John's Farm - Reading, England - 08/26./11

"DEAD"


"PLANETARY (GO!)"


"THE ONLY HOPE FOR ME IS YOU"


"DESTROYA"


"FAMOUS LAST WORDS"


VIDEO: Kerrang! Podcast: My Chemical Romance

We join Reading festival headliners My Chemical Romance backstage and discuss pre-show nerves, jetpacks and what's next for the band.

REVIEW: My Chemical Romance joined by Queen's Brian May at Reading Festival 2011

My Chemical Romance were joined by Queen guitarist Brian May for their headline slot at Reading Festival 2011.

The band kicked off their set on the main stage at around 10pm, drawing huge crowds.

The set began with a lady appearing on the two screens, prompting a countdown from the crowd. As soon as they roared 'one', frontman Gerard Way shouted: "Reading, lets f**king do this."

They then played their 2010 hit 'Na Na Na' and followed it with 2004 track 'I'm Not Okay (I Promise)'.

Way then asked the audience whether they could "out-dance" him and burst into a rendition of their Danger Days single 'Planetary (Go!)'.

The band then continued to play a collection of their hits, including 'Sing', 'Famous Last Words' and 'Teenagers'.

The US rockers also commented on the recent UK riots during their 90 minute set.

Way addressed the audience, saying he was aware of other artists who had spoken out against the recent troubles.

He added: "It's amazing to be here with people who love music in a non-violent way. If you're mad, don't throw a punch, don't start a fire about it, don't shout about it. Sing, that's the most powerful weapon you have."

The group's penultimate performance included a cover of Queen's 'We Will Rock You', where they were joined by guitarist Brian May.

They then capped off the set with their number one hit 'Welcome To The Black Parade'.

My Chemical Romance's Reading Festival setlist was as follows:

'Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)'
'I'm Not Okay (I Promise)'
'Planetary (Go!)'
'The Only Hope For Me Is You'
'DESTROYA'
'Mama'
'Sing'
'Vampire Money'
'The Kids From Yesterday'
'Famous Last Words'
'Teenagers'
'Dead!'
'S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W'
'Helena'
'We Will Rock You'
'Welcome To The Black Parade'

CREDIT: digitalspy.com

REVIEW: My Chemical Romance joined by Brian May at Reading Festival 2011

Review: Brian May joins My Chemical Romance at the end of their sexiest set yet as Reading Festival 2011 day one draws to a wet, but triumphant close.

Initially, Gerard Way (resplendent in tight Top Gun-esque leather) has no excuse for his blatantly sexy gasps, wiggles and gyrations that would put Beyonce to shame. Striding seductively through a set comprised mainly of material from recent album Danger Days and more than a few crafty crotch shots, the message is simple and rather R rated: girls, eat your hearts out.

This message is relayed through rather tiresome renditions of Sing, Famous Last Words and Dead as the simplistic lyrics give off a boy band for the disaffected feel, but all is to be forgiven by the encore as the first chords of ‘We Will Rock You’ ring out. An awed crowd watch a rather taciturn Brian May take the stage alongside Gerard-Way-Cum-Freddie-Mercury for the hit tune, and for closer ‘Welcome To The Black Parade’.

REVIEW: Friday festival fever

BRIAN MAY added the star factor to an otherwise underwhelming My Chemical Romance headline performance as Reading Festival kicked off with an eclectic mix of bands.

The Queen legend joined the New Jersey band on-stage for their encore which began with a rendition of We Will Rock You before closing on crowd pleaser Welcome To The Black Parade.

Between spitting, swearing and licking the microphone My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way shared his wisdom on the England Riots by telling the crowd to sing if they're angry rather than set things on fire.
Set opener Na Na Na and I'm Not Okay went down particularly well amid a flurry of large balloons and fireworks in a set that otherwise lacked genuine character.

CREDIT: readingchronicle.co.uk

Aug 26, 2011

DOWNLOAD: Video - Reading Festival - 08/26/11 - Entire Performance

REVIEW: My Chemical Romance joined by Queen's Brian May at Reading Festival

Band bring guitar legend out for a version of 'We Will Rock You' 

My Chemical Romance were joined onstage by Queen guitarist Brian May as they headlined Reading Festival for the first time tonight (August 26).

May joined the New Jersey band at the start of their encore to play on a version of Queen's 'We Will Rock You' then stayed for set closer 'Welcome To The Black Parade'.

Before the guitarist''s arrival the band had played a set drawing largely on tunes from their fourth album 'Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys'. They produced a spectacular stage show, with fireworks, lasers, a multi screen video wall and confetti wowing the Reading crowd.

Way alluded to the recent riots in the UK during the show. He told the crowd:
"I know a few people have spoken about the recent events over here, but I just want to say this. It's amazing to be here with people who love music in a non violent way. If you're mad, don't throw a punch, don't start a fire about it, don't shout about it. Sing, that's the most powerful weapon you have."
When they played the festival in 2006 the band were victims of bottle throwing from the crowd. But this year the response seemed rather more positive, with audience member Pete Smith stating: "That was so good, I wasn't expecting loads, but they surprised me with how good they were."

Another crowd member, Andy Lilleshall, agreed, saying: "I was surprised by how many of their songs I knew, it was really good." Emma Grant also spoke highly of the set and the band's special guest, saying: "I loved it and I can't believe I've seen one of Queen play live. Best night ever."

My Chemical Romance's set ended a day that had seen performances from 30 Seconds To Mars, who drew a huge crowd for their second headline slot, Deftones, who covered Katy Perry's 'Firework' during their set and Rise Against, who made a surprise appearance on the tiny BBC Introducing Stage for a short acoustic set.

My Chemical Romance played:

'Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)'
'I'm Not Okay (I Promise)'
'Planetary (Go!)'
'The Only Hope For Me Is You'
'DESTROYA'
'Mama'
'Sing'
'Vampire Money'
'The Kids From Yesterday'
'Famous Last Words'
'Teenagers'
'Dead!'
'S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W'
'Helena'
'We Will Rock You'
'Welcome To The Black Parade'


CREDIT:  www.nme.com

PHOTOS: Reading Festival - Little John's Farm - Reading, England - 08/26./11

MORE PICS BELOW:

VIDEO: Frank gets his new guitar



Frank sees his green Epiphone Phant-o-matic for the first time and talks to us about it.

VIDEOS: Reading Festival - Little John's Farm - Reading, England - 08/26./11

"WE WILL ROCK YOU"/"WELCOME TO THE BLACK PARADE"

VIDEOS: Reading Festival - Little John's Farm - Reading, England - 08/26./11

"S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W"


"HELENA"


"THE KIDS FROM YESTERDAY"&"HELENA"&"S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W"


"THE KIDS FROM YESTERDAY"

PHOTOS: New Candids: MCR w/fans


CREDIT: clairemarievogel - tumblr

VIDEOS: Reading Festival - Little John's Farm - Reading, England - 08/26./11

"NA NA NA (NA NA NA NA NA NA)"


"TEENAGERS"


"THE ONLY HOPE FOR ME IS YOU"

REVIEW: My Chemical Romance at Reading Festival

High points: Well, set openers don't come much more high octane than 'Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)' followed by 'I'm Not OK (I Promise)' - complete with short, sharp power snare breakdown. Oh, and then 'Planetary (Go!)', accompanied by a battalion of balloons. Makes you wonder if they've got enough in the tank to sustain a full set. Seems they do, as they finish the set with an encore that features Brian May, the bulk of 'We Will Rock You', 'Welcome To The Black Parade', fireworks, and glitter canons. A hard act to follow that Muse will no doubt step to, but The Strokes? We shall see.

Low Points: Not really; MCR are close to the top of their game, a finely tuned machine that veer between frenetic and anthemic and frequently combine both, giving the MCRmy exactly what they want. And is it just us, or is the sound on the Main Stage up to par this year?

Banter: "Reading - you look ravishing, you look beautiful. You look different. This is the first night of the tour. Think you can out dance me? I want to see you try." Gerard gave a shout out to most of the Main Stage from The Blackout to New Found Glory, Bring Me The Horizon, the motherfucking Offspring, and the motherfucking Deftones. He forgot about Dry The River, strangely.

CREDIT: www.nme.com

VIDEO: Watch Live Stream of Reading + Leeds




PHOTOS: New Candids