The band can deliver a conventional mix of punk energy and pop melody reasonably well, as they showed during their sold-out Friday night performance at the Aragon Ballroom, but the best moments in their 90-minute set came when they were musically and emotionally overwrought.
That kind of self-indulgence is rarely a virtue, but My Chemical Romance does extravagance better than most bands. Formed in New Jersey as an angst-ridden response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the group's mix of punk, goth, glam and theatrical rock reached a creative and commercial peak with their 2006 platinum record, "The Black Parade," a rock opera about a dying cancer patient.
The tour for the record found lead singer Way wearing his tortured soul on the sleeve of his black marching uniform for two years. Understandably and commendably, the band tried a different direction on last year's follow-up record, "Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys," trading goth darkness for pop sunshine.
My Chemical Romance's new approach was evident in the title and chorus of their opening salvo, "Na Na Na (Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na)," which Way sang over his brother Mikey Way's chugging bass, the buzzsaw guitars of Frank Iero and Ray Toro and Bob Bryar's thundering drums. With the help of a keyboard player, other "Danger Days" selections nodded to synth-pop, as "Planetary (Go!)" rode a disco beat and the pretty "Summertime" recalled A Flock of Seagulls.
A few new songs, including "Bulletproof Heart," displayed Way's knack for Broadway-style melodies, but even they didn't make as deep an impression as the huge choruses and Queen-indebted guitar breaks of older material such as "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" or rival the Eastern European-flavored descent into hell, "Mama," in its fever-dream inventiveness.
Way and other members of the band now are in their 30s and married with children, and no one should begrudge them peace of mind, but in getting rid of some of their demons, My Chemical Romance also have lost some of their music's obsessive power.
CREDIT: KEVIN MCKEOUGH - CHICAGO TRIBUNE
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