Life on the MCR Scene: Review, Maxwell’s - Hoboken, NJ

Last night, I was one of the “lucky 200″ who got to see My Chemical Romance at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, NJ. The show was a no frills affair — it was announced just eight days prior with little fanfare, and tickets were $100 each, as it was a benefit for cancer charities. Somehow, the planets aligned and I managed to beat the clock — narrowly beating the “sold out” message on the ticket sales Web site.

So here’s some news: last night’s show was recorded for a DVD release. According to the video’s producer, it is due in stores on February 9th, 2008. And trust me, you want this DVD.

The show started around 9:30pm, with a gorgeous version of “Welcome to the Black Parade” and the entire venue, which heated up to something approximating the temperature of the core of the sun, went insane. We were packed into the room and nobody wanted to give up even half an inch, unless, of course, it got them closer to the band. There were no barriers between the crowd and the stage, which honestly can’t be more than two and a half feet tall by my estimation. Nonetheless, people were really well behaved, and the band did everything they could to keep people up front from getting flattened like little emo pancakes.

The setlist [see photo], by the way, is not entirety accurate. They did not play the songs in quite that order, they did not play “Ghost of You,” and most importantly, they did play a new song. When people yelled out, “what was that called?” Gerard answered that he wouldn’t say because, “if I change the title in a few months or a year, you’ll all bitch at me.”

There’s so much that can be said about this show. After spending the past year touring arenas and playing huge outdoor venues on Projekt Revolution, you could see the band was living every minute of being in such an intimate venue. Multiple people commented on how they’d made eye contact with different members of the band, Mikey being the most likely to smile when it happened. They all seemed genuinely excited about being able to perform in a space they haven’t been inside in over five years — especially since the band has outgrown such a tiny room.

I’d also like to say that they are some of the nicest guys in the world. Many people met Bob before the show, and a bunch of us got to spend some time with Frank. He was really darling and infinitely patient with fan photos, signatures, and people just wanting two seconds of his time to say “thank you.” And the band should be thanked for doing a show like that. Not only did they do something amazing for the fans, but they also managed to, in short order, raise at least $20,000 for cancer charities. And that moved me to tears, at the end of the show, when Gerard played “Cancer.” He did this for everyone who has ever suffered cancer; my grandma, may she rest in peace. Two of my close friends. Me, even. I touched the jagged scar on my leg and wiped tears from my eyes and Gerard left the stage.

Say what you want about this band, but there aren’t many bands out there — certainly not bands of their caliber — doing things like that. To sum: thank you, My Chemical Romance. Thank you.

[Originally written for Shoutmouth, 10/25/2007]

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