"The Black Parade is Dead!"

Those are the last words we hear from My Chemical Romance lead singer Gerard Way before he exits the stage in Mexico City on the night of the band's final performance on the Black Parade World Tour. If The Black Parade is truly dead forever, as Way states, then all we as fans can say is, "long live The Black Parade."

Live albums generally fall into two distinct categories: those that merely record a live performance and those that actually capture the experience associated with being there live. Any band can get up on stage, record its songs as they are played live, master those songs in a studio (with slight studio work to fix the slip-ups) and release the album. But it really takes an extra effort for a band to make sure the songs on that live album are more than just songs.

My Chemical Romance did that, and more, with its live CD/DVD set The Black Parade is Dead!. The recording, a live track-for-track re-creation of the multi-platinum album The Black Parade, actually takes what is so good about the album and gives it some things that a studio recording would never be able to give – the visceral emotions and vocals of Way; the undeniable energy of the band as they perform as the mythical band The Black Parade; the interaction of the band with thousands of fans; and the raw sound that comes from the actual live performance with no post-concert studio repairs.

Way's vocals are at times strained, but that is to be expected from the final show on a world tour that lasted well over 12 months. But for every strained note that might be pointed out by some critic, the fan will surely be able to point to ten times that many places where the extra efforts of Way and the rest of the band more than make up for those slips.

Those who shelled out good money and paid for a ticket to see the band live at any point on the Black Parade tour will be happy to be able to re-live that performance time and again. Those who were not able to see MCR live during the tour will be able to soak up the sounds on the CD and even watch the band's theatrics on the DVD. The DVD is actually two performances – the live set from Mexico City which is heard on the CD – and another, much more intimate performance in New Jersey for about 200 fans. The

Although the DVD is enjoyable, the live CD is really the jewel of the set. As Way, who by all accounts was born to be a rock star, leads the MCR-created band into each song, the Mexico City crowd erupts anew, as if the next song were a surprise. This is never truer than on "Welcome to the Black Parade", "Mama", and "I Don't Love You". On each of the aforementioned tracks, overwhelming fan response causes Way to stop singing, leaving the only vocals on a short stretch of each song coming from those in the stadium-packed audience.

Another thing that makes the live set so good is that the band's live performance of each song gives it a depth that is not as easily felt in the studio recording. The track "Sleep" is a perfect example of this as Way imbues the track with a whole helping of emotion that is not easily identifiable on the original studio version.

The track "Teenagers" is a lot more playful, complete with 1970s-era guitar play between Frank Iero and Ray Toro that is much more overt and enjoyable on the live version.

The studio album that spawned the theatrical event known as The Black Parade is Dead! will always be a classic. It will live on much longer than the band and, if it is the band's crowning achievement, it truly will be something to be proud of. But the live version of the album will forever be the better of the two versions. It takes everything that is good about the studio release and gives it an extra dose of the excess that made the studio album so good in the first place. When dealing with musical excess, My Chemical Romance proves that there is never EVER such thing as too much.

By Ed Thompson

The Kerrang! awards took place a few days ago, and My Chemical Romance was nominated for Best International Band. We all were hoping that they would win this award, like they did last year, but unfortunately it was 30 Seconds To Mars who won the award this year.

The results:
Inspiration award
Metallica

Hall of fame
Rage against the machine

Best international band
30 seconds to mars

Best British band
Bullet for my valentine

Spirit of independence
Dillinger escape plan

Classic songwriters
Def Leppard

Best live band
Machine head

Best album
Avenged sevenfold (Avenged sevenfold)

Best single
The kill (30 seconds to mars)

Best video
Feathers (Coheed and cambria)

Kerrang! icon
Slipknot

Best British newcomer
Slaves to gravity

Best international newcomer
Black tide

O yeah, Frank is back... with a NEW look:



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