03/28/2008 tempe music festival tempe beach park tempe az photos and article from azcentral.com saved on mychemicalfreak.com 2008
“azcentral.com has a new article about MCR’s Performance at the Tempe Music Festival…
By Kellie Hwang
The last time I saw My Chemical Romance perform was in 2005, at a secret show in an underground venue in London.There were only 200 people and the band put on a stellar show, but it got so intense that three kids were sent to the hospital mid-concert.
The fans at the My Chem show on Friday night at Tempe Beach Park were just as energetic but not nearly as brutal, and the band again, did not disappoint.
My Chemical Romance’s success has skyrocketed since its formation in 2001, and the release of 2006’s The Black Parade put the band on a whole new level. The rock quintet has been touring nonstop ever since, becoming pros at live concerts.
Way stepped out to hundreds of screaming girls on the beautiful spring night, his jet black hair perfectly mussed up. He might be one of the few people that can pull off a denim jacket, denim vest and denim skinny jeans together.
My Chem tore into a blazing performance of I’m Not Okay, Way immediately dominating the crowd’s attention with his wailing vocals and charismatic stage presence.
The energy didn’t quit, and the band immediately threw out This Is How I Disappear. Guitarist Ray Toro scorched in his corner throughout the show, looking like a mix of Slash and Claudio Sanchez with his blanket of curly hair.
Way’s effeminate yet powerful gestures were a highlight, and his theatrical side came out during Mama when he slumped over his mic and started to pseudo cry.
One thing that always makes a My Chem show so successful is Way’s ability to have a routine in mind but appear completely spontaneous.
During Welcome To The Black Parade, Way shamelessly requested the crowd to sing and the thousands of fans happily obliged. Way’s voice sounded strained and forced him to lower an octave and share the mic.
Way quickly recovered with Kill All Your Friends, a track that didn’t make the cut on The Black Parade, and sent the crowd into a frenzy. Another memorable track was Teenagers and the band was joined by a bandana-wearing crew member who played the harmonica. Way closed the show with an emotional solo performance of Cancer. Standing beneath a deep red light, his voice quivered through the lyrics, and aside from the occasional scream, the audience was silent.
Puddle of Mudd’s performance before My Chem was mediocre. The sound quality was great, and the band powered through each track straying little from the album versions. Which is a good and a bad thing.
There wasn’t much spark or movement from the band members, and singer Wes Scantlin stayed planted in front of the mic strumming his guitar and showing off his pearly whites for the majority of the set.
His corny jokes didn’t help the performance, and his frequent attempts to be Kurt Cobain were distracting. But She Hates Me and Psycho got the audience reciting the lyrics and were delivered with an energy that lacked otherwise.
Unplanned, My Chem came out quickly after its last song for an encore number before the midnight curfew. Ending with the very appropriate song, Helena, the band said so long and goodnight to the very blissful crowd.
Photos and article from azcentral.com”
