April 12, 2011 – A pack of over a thousand screaming and shoving fans just couldn’t get close enough to their rock heroes My Chemical Romance and Neon Trees on Tuesday night at First Avenue in Minneapolis. Perhaps the all-ages show featuring two of the hottest touring post-punk acts crammed into a small club made the result of sardine-smooshed fans unavoidable, but it only made the bands play louder and wilder.
Hot off the sharp wave of success behind their album Habits and its blowout single “Animal”, Neon Trees were the perfect band to provide opening support to My Chemical Romance, who have a new album of their own to showcase.
The Trees’ main attraction is singer Tyler Glenn, who fronts the group with an intense passion for the music that’s more than obvious. But hiding in the back, drummer/singer Elaine Bradley has enormous talent that adds a richness to the band’s sound. Hardcore MCR fans were slow to warm up to the Utah rockers, but the irresistible keyboard hooks of “1983″ and “Animal” got them going with ease.
By the time My Chemical Romance emerged on stage, dozens of teenage fans had been pulled out of the club’s mosh pit to avoid heat exhaustion. Those that hung in there didn’t seem too phased, and some took advantage of the empty space to push closer to the stage that would soon contain their idols.
MCR is a band that’s no stranger to wild fans, however. Looking much closer to 24 than his actual age of 34, alluring lead singer Gerard Way quickly drew the females under his spell for the night with a causal air of mystery and dramatism. Hands went up in the air for the opening number and didn’t seem to come down much at all through a set of mostly older material from the band’s most popular period.
New single “Sing” was recognized by most, but clearly not appreciated as much as established hits like “Welcome to the Black Parade”. However one advantage this band has is a keen read on their fans after a decade partying with them. Way knows exactly know to pace a song, and adds the right amount of emotion into each lyric.
You can often tell how bright the future looks for a band by judging the energy of their fans in concert. If the endless screaming and shoving is any indication, My Chemical Romance and Neon Trees won’t be leaving the stage anytime soon.
