My Chemical Romance takes Cleveland Monday
There’s a point early in a band’s career where opportunity and artistry collide.
Where the publicity machine — radio, Internet, MTV — has done its job and the rest is up to the group to see just how far its success can reach.
One act that recently found itself in these advantageous cross hairs is My Chemical Romance. The emo poster boy outfit saw its 2004 album “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge” breakthrough to the mainstream in a big way, culminating with an opening slot on Green Day’s sold-out “American Idiot” tour.
So last year, when it came time to write its follow-up album, the band members had grandiose aspirations to not only make a statement record but to slightly alter the course My Chemical Romance had been given by the press and its fans. A decision was made to just go for it, with the result being the decidedly Queen-inspired “The Black Parade.”
“The album is completely unexpected,” said drummer Bob Bryar, calling from Brisbane, Australia. “We could have put out a record that was expected and it would have done OK, it would have done well, but it would have died out very quick. It was a risk to put out something different and this is definitely something different than I’ve seen in a long time.”
My Chemical Romance plays Monday at Wolstein Center in Cleveland.
For full story, see Upnext in Friday's Vindicator and Vindy.com.