Saturday 29/03/08 My Chemical Romance, Billy Talent, Drive By @ Rialto Theater, Arizona

Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance explains that this is their last tour for a while because they’re taking time off to make another record. They wanted to tour smaller venues instead of being swallowed up by the big arenas. MCR picked the historic Rialto Theater as the first stop on this fan driven thank you tour. The venue, unsurprisingly, is sold out. While we wait to get in we chat up a nervous wide eyed lad who stands near the busses hoping to get the band Billy Talent to ask his gal to the prom for him. People have been in line since 4pm the day before, tensions are high and arguments break out as the crush to get through the door begins.

Indie band Drive By starts the show off playing to an instant, hanging from the rafters, full house. Lead singer/guitarist Tod Price has played with MCR in the past but this is his band. They get the crowd moving with the instantly addictive ‘Boring’ whose soccer hooligan edged chorus punctuates a relationship where familiarity breeds contempt. They get the balcony to do a wave and rile up the audience. Tod’s vocals are tinged with complaint and defiance as he performs a ponderous cover of ‘Web In Front.’ This band is rowdy good fun and their songs aren’t half-assed thrown together nor sound alike rather each one comes across different, well constructed and complete. Their new album 'A Delicate Situation' that's set for release in early April, already has tongues wagging.

The monstrous throng beat their hands in the air as the 6x Platinum album post-hardcore/punk band Billy Talent deliver high pitched screamo during the rough and turbulent ‘Line And Sinker.’ A smattering of crowd surfing starts whilst the mob up front pushes and the whole pack sways. A spot light drops down on the wide eyed lad whom we met earlier and his wish comes true. The band asks his girl if she would accompany him to the prom and she’s accepted. The audience cheers then we’re treated to the beautiful and completely disarming ‘Surrender.’ Switching gears lead vocalist Ben Kowalewicz shouts “This goes out to the ****ing ****, bitch, whore who is my ex-girlfriend!” and the mood changes as he hurls into the angry and vindictive ‘The Ex.’ The mob is on fire along with the band, sweat flows and spontaneous screams erupt as the audience sings the chorus of ‘Try Honesty’ whilst security pulls fainting chicks out of the crush against the rail. Billy Talent will be kicking off a European stint in May with stops in Sheffield and London on the Give It A Name tour.

Adrenaline flows. The barely restrained mob’s excitement is balancing on a razor’s edge and a surreal atmosphere permeates the theater as we wait for My Chemical Romance. They take to a blacken stage setting off the mobs trigger as they finally lets loose producing a sustained thunderous roar that shakes the walls. It’s utter insanity and the photo pit becomes an obstacle course set in a sea of reaching arms, cascading crowd surfers, huge security guards, smoke and light speed strobes whilst ‘I’m Not OK’ completely possesses the crowd.

A crack of thunder is heard, a strobe cuts through the darkness then on a blood red stage Gerard Way smokes a fag and begins ‘I Never Told You What I Did For A Living.’ Flashing colored lights, thick smoke and an ace performance accompany the ‘Black Parade’ during which the band is often drowned out by the jumping squealing horde. Gerard takes the mic in both hands, props his foot up on a speaker and shouts “Let her rip!” whilst the crowd below him rolls forward like a wave as they desperately strain to touch him. Unnerved he hovers above the mob intently singing ‘Vampires Will Never Hurt You.’

The mosh winds to a stop and all face forward. The venue is set aglow by cell phones as the question “But where’s your heart?” rings out and ‘Famous Last Words’ stuns us. The band leaves. The crowd calls them back chanting ‘Helena.’ Gerard sings in the dark, the lights go up and we get what we want. He holds the mic out to the crowd as they sing “So long and goodnight” the piece winds to a close he waves, says goodnight back to us and is gone. An emphatic triumph.

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