April 8, 2011: A Fabulous Killjoy’s Best Day Ever
By Melissa B.
For My Chemical Romance it was Queen, The Misfits, Iron Maiden, Morrissey, The Smiths and many others that inspired and influenced them; but for me, it is My Chemical Romance that inspires and influences my life, as for many other devoted fans from Salt Lake City, Utah to Tokyo, Japan. And on April 8, 2011 in Salt Lake City, the dedication and endless love was shown by the mass crowd of fans that waited outside the doors of the venue with the experience of wind, rain, snow, and eventually some sun that tapped upon our shivering bodies. Nevertheless, the weather did not stop us from attending the concert, and participating in complete World Contamination.
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When we entered the small and intimate venue, the contamination began with the crowd chanting “M-C-R” and the singing of “Teenagers” as they waited for My Chemical Romance to step onto the stage to lead us into the Zone. At this moment, the out-of-tune voices were united, and it didn’t matter if the person beside or behind you was sweaty, or was surround by a cloud of body odor. Nevertheless, the hope, happiness, and energy that each person felt mattered as we sang to My Chemical Romance’s lyrics. These moments lead us into the realm of “Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys” as My Chemical Romance took the stage singing “NaNaNa” for their opening act. The crowd went outrageously insane with their hands in the air, heads banging to every beat, and mouths matching perfectly with Gerard’s lips. The scenes only lead to complete destruction throughout the night as we revisited “Hang’em High” and “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” from the second album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, and “Welcome to the Black Parade,” “Mama,” “Famous Last Words,” and “House of Wolves” from the third album, The Black Parade. The continual smile on Ray Toro’s face, and his stretching of his arms between guitar changes showed the love, and enjoyment that he has playing his guitar, and singing perfectly with Gerard. On the other side of the stage stood Frank Iero, the guitarist that will always show and leave his heart on the stage due to his performance, and interminable movement with his guitar, which makes it hard for anyone to catch a picture. As for Mikey Way, he was striking unforgivable poses, and his piercing eyes peered out into the crowd along with the strumming of his guitar right into our hearts as he took each song to the next level. Gerard’s hips moved to each individual beat that was synthesized by his band members, and his mesmerizing voice joined the experiment with every word to result in a magical product. He danced, jumped, and sang with immeasurable energy with each person in the room from the front person to the very last person in the back row. I love the feeling, talent, and energy that My Chemical Romance achieves in their concerts because they have the ability to make each person tingle on the inside, and to feel as if you are the only one in the room and they are playing or singing for only you; but in reality, you are amongst hundreds of other people. At a certain point towards the end of the concert, Gerard stated that he loved us; we each individually knew that he was sincere, and the nodding of Mikey’s head, the clapping of Ray’s hands, and the respectful face that appeared on Frank’s face confirmed the agreement with the statement. Gerard continued to state that they will play all the tour’s songs for us because he didn’t want to go out into the cold in fear of his band members, team, or himself catching pneumonia or getting sick; and he noted the crowd’s remarkable energy that lead Gerard to congratulate us, and to bow to us for being an energetic and hardworking crowd; but he continued to tell us not to get lazy, and to continue to rock on. I love them, we love them; and the deep love for them and for their music will not end, even if the concert continued to close with trips to “The Only Hope for Me Is You,” “Bulletproof Heart,” “Vampires Will Never Hurt You,” “Summertime,” “Cancer,” and the most inspiring and emotional “Helena,” lead us into the unforgettable night. Each person left with buckets filled with hope, support, happiness, respect and love from the performance, and an even greater appreciation for our favorite band, My Chemical Romance.
Tonight, I am and always will be honored to have had the opportunity to attend and to experience another My Chemical Romance concert, and the opportunity to fulfill my dream of meeting the band. They are sweet, charming, and the most respectable men that you will ever meet. Although the time was very limited and short with the meeting of the band, Gerard accepted my small birthday gift (a remarkable birthday card with a Barnes and Noble, and Starbucks gift card), and we all received signed posters; but most of all a little memory that stretches to the center of our hearts attached with the smile of each band member. Tonight’s experiences and performance surpassed my expectations that I had imagined in my mind. Thank you, My Chemical Romance, for following your hearts and dreams, for being an example by accepting who you are, and for supporting your fans in their chase after dreams. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY GERARD!