My Chemical Romance Oddly Restrained As The Black Parade

Air Canada Centre

Toronto, ON

on May 11 2007

Jodi Goulart (CHARTattack)

05/14/2007 1:00pm

After My Chemical Romance blew up with "Helena" in March 2005 and started playing larger venues, I regretted not seeing them at the Kool Haus six months earlier. And after finally seeing them live at the Air Canada Centre, I can safely say I'm still kicking myself.

Billed as The Black Parade — both the group's alter ego and title of their latest album/rock opera — they started the show with spectacle. The sounds of a beeping heart rate monitor filled the venue and the stage curtains pulled back to reveal frontman Gerard Way wrapped in a white sheet on a hospital stretcher. He launched into The Black Parade's macabre intro, "The End," followed by the album's second track, "Dead!" Dressed in their Sgt. Pepper funeral march finest, My Chem— er, The Black Parade, looked quite dapper.

Playing every song in order off of The Black Parade lent well to the rock opera experience. Standouts were "The Sharpest Lives," "House Of Wolves," "Teenagers" and "Mama," where Way marched around the stage looking like a maniacal, white-faced, wind-up toy while bathed in a bloody red light. Near the end of the song, huge jets of fire shot out at the back of the stage, making me wonder if drummer Bob Bryar would be singed. There were many tricks like this up MCR's dark sleeves. Confetti rained down during "Welcome To The Black Parade," many times it sounded like gunshots were firing, and at several points Way took hold of a spotlight and shone it over the crowd.

Way needs a little work in the showmanship department, though. Yes, he looked the part of devilish ringleader in a Tim Burton movie, but, while singing, he spent most of the time pacing the stage and threw in a couple of hip shakes and marches. If you're trying to put on a rock opera, you need more than just the costumes and pyrotechnics, you need to BE theatre.

That said, the music sounded great live. Guitarist Ray Toro is exceptionally talented, and his frantic solos were a highlight. Way bantered with the audience a bit, mostly just shouting out to Toronto. His message to the crowd to never resort to violence because of anger or depression, however, felt like a cold public service announcement. He dedicated "Cancer" to anyone who's been affected by the disease in any way.

For the encore, MCR came out in Maple Leafs jerseys. They looked like a bunch of goths who raided the jocks' locker room for a joke. Introducing themselves as My Chemical Romance for the first time, they started with "I'm Not OK (I Promise)" from Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge and played tracks exclusively off of that album, including "Cemetery Drive," "It's Not A Fashion Statement It's A Deathwish," "You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison" and "Helena."

Performing as MCR, the band let loose and really enjoyed themselves. Shedding the Black Parade alter ego seemed to remove some rigid constraint. They don't seem quite ready for the arena rock setting, and though the rock opera flourishes were a nice touch, the band didn't quite project to the entire crowd, making me wish, once again, that I'd seen MCR before they put on costumes.