TORONTO - Putting on a good stage show is tough. So, when the lights dimmed and a spotlight illuminated a gurney to the strains of "Now come one come all to this tragic affair," the beginning lines of "The End" from "The Black Parade," it was hard to tell if the half-full Air Canada Centre was going to be up for My Chemical Romance's brand of theatre rock. But as singer Gerard Way rose from his spot on the gurney, and a black curtain dropped to reveal his bandmates, the deafening sounds of 11,000 fans was answer enough.
The standing-room-only floor a cresting wave of bouncing heads and fists, the New Jersey emo-rockers segued into "Dead!" with the crowd deliriously singing along as lights rose to reveal a decrepit, haunted house-like backdrop. Frantically working the stage, easily making you forget that "The Black Parade" is a concept record in which a dying person takes stalk of their life, Way interrupted the proceedings for the first of many times.
"Toronto," he announced, "we are The Black Parade and we want to see everyone out of their seats." Letting people know they can't just waltz into a MCR show, Way encouraged the audience to let loose. "Let me hear you f--king scream," he boomed between verses on "This is How I Disappear.
" A sharp orange glow giving his marching band outfit the look of General Bonesapart from Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride," when the piano intro was played for their smash hit, "Welcome to the Black Parade," the backdrop changed to the menacing cityscape painted inside the disc's CD booklet. The audience eagerly chiming in during the "We'll carry on" parts, heavy light bathed fans on the floor as a blizzard of confetti rained down on revelers near the front. Way breaking for a moment to chide someone for directing a laser pointer at the band, as if on cue, sparklers popped up in various sections of the lower bowl when the opening chords of "I Don't Love You" rang through the arena.
Stealing an act from Van Halen's playbook, Bob Bryar's drum-kit spun around during "House of Wolves," as a mosh pit worked the song's lines "You better run like the devil 'cause they're never gonna leave you alone" into a frenzied lather. Preening around the stage, as if this show was being housed inside the Royal Alex, Way jumped behind one of the stage's many spotlights to shine a light on the crowd during "Teenagers." Dedicating "Cancer" to those in the audience whose lives have been affected by the disease, the make-up smeared frontman put the theatrics on hold for a moment, sadly evoking the song's haunting lyrics.
The band's set list coming to an end, Way issued a curt "Merci," before promising that the show wasn't over. As the arena was shrouded in darkness, fans sang along to the "The Black Parade's" hidden track, "Blood." And when MCR made their way back onto the stage, gone were Black Parade's nihilistic Sgt.
Pepper outfits, replaced by full Toronto Maple Leafs regalia. A gun-emblazoned backdrop with the words "Sweet Revenge" scratched across, the band launched into tracks from 2004's "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" including "I'm Not OK (I Promise)," "Cemetery Drive," "The Ghost of You" and "Helena." Way's earlier requests to "let me hear you scream" and "jump" no longer needed, fans cheerily sang the band's gloomy lyrics.
But after running through "The Black Parade's" 13 cuts in just under an hour, the show's remaining 30 minutes seemed a tad rushed. Showing that Black Parade had the show part down pat, My Chemical Romance could have stuck around for another half-an-hour to let their music really poop fans out. But considering the band plans to hit the road with Linkin Park later this summer, maybe it's OK to leave us wanting more.
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