I went to the My Chemical Romance, Billy Talent, and Drive By concert last night, April 30, 2008, at Sloss Furnace in Birmingham, AL, and it was utterly amazing! My parents brought my sister, her friend, myself, and three of my friends there.
Along the way we stopped at a McDonald's. There was some kid kicking and screaming, and the manager lady took him into the bathroom and who knows what happened. My sister's friend said that there were really loud thumping noises though, and it was really weird. "This is why I wanted to go to Burger King."
We waited in the line outside for about thirty minutes. Once we got in, thankfully, my parents knew better than to follow us into the crowd. We got up to the left side of what I believe was the center.
Drive By was the opening act. They kept saying that Billy Talent would be right up, but then they would just keep playing. They were good, but I liked Billy Talent more. Their lead singer, Benjamin Kowalewicz, was really awesome. They're Canadian, and he made a point in saying so. He also said that they had heard Southern girls were hot, and the stereotypes were true. That got a lot of cheering from the crowd. Then he said that the guys were also 6'10" and could kick the shit of you, so they only got to look at the girls. He also said how the furnace was really creepy. Some girl shouted how she went around at night and he said, "Fuck that. I had to hold our drummer's hand in broad daylight!" It was pretty funny. Their best songs were "Fallen Leaves," "Line and Sinker," and "This Suffering," Whenever someone mentioned My Chem, the crowd exploded with applause.
During Billy Talent's performance, my sister's friend started feeling really sick. She passed out but thankfully I saw how badly she looked beforehand and caught her as did one of my friends and some other kind people in the crowd. She was able to get out, start feeling better, and come back before My Chemical Romance came on stage.
Finally, after a lot of soundchecking, My Chemical Romance came out. I'm one of those 4'10" girls, and I couldn't see a thing, and therefore I was freaking out. The ground was sloped downward and the closer we got, the more I couldn't see. Some very tall, kind man picked me up and I was able to see the whole band. My friend told me that my expression was priceless. She said I looked shocked that I had just been picked up and amazed that I just actually saw MCR. Which I was; my mind had realized at that moment that I was actually seeing the five guys whom I had loved and idolized for about four years in person. When the man put me down, I was smiling stupidly, and I never stopped. I could barely see anyone on stage. I could see Frank for the most part, because he was pretty much right in front of me. I also caught glimpses of Gerard (mostly during "Cancer"), Mikey, and Bob. However, I only saw Ray once (when the man had picked me up earlier).
Gerard Way has the most adorable voice I've ever heard! He told us he was sick, and we had to do a lot of singing (I definitely did because my voice is so hoarse I can barely talk). My dad remarked later that his only complaint was that Gerard's mic wasn't loud enough. He also said you could tell he was really sick because he kept coughing during the performance.
He said some of the cutest things. One of the girls had a Tour de France scarf, and he said how cool it was and asked if he could have it. They gave it to him and he seemed really excited about it. Then he remarked how his wife was big in France, and I was like, "Awwwe."
Gerard told us that he had seen as many as five mosh pits going. He also said, "I like jumping. Jumping's my favorite." He said to pick up anyone who fell and help them get on their feet. Later he told some guy that had climbed the ledge that it wasn't very smart and he should get down from there. Gerard also said that he wouldn't even climb that ledge.
He told us how creepy the furnace was, and said that it is one of the most haunted places in the country. He told us that Mikey was definitely going to bring out his Ouija board later.
They played "Heaven Help Us," "Kill All Your Friends," "My Way Home Is Through You," "Desert Song," and also "Headfirst For Halos," which made me extremely happy. I laughed at my sister a lot because she didn't know but one of the B-side songs. The other songs I can remember them playing are "Dead!", "Cancer," "You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison," "Helena" (their last song), "I Don't Love You," "Welcome to the Black Parade" (the crowd sang the whole first verse), "Cemetery Drive," "This Is How I Disappear," "Teenagers," "Mama," "House of Wolves," "Famous Last Words," and "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)." That's all I can remember at the moment.
During "Mama" Gerard did all the crying noises, and the crowd swayed back in forth in time to the song. He also howled a lot before "House of Wolves."
My friends and I all ended up getting separated. Some really large men and moshers kept pushing them back, while I was being pushed forward. Thankfully, I reached my sister and her friend, so I wasn't by myself. Luckily I had been to an UnderOATH concert before and understood how to keep from falling over as the crowd pushed and swayed.
I loved the entire performance, though I had never wished to be taller more in my life than at that concert. The only disappointment was that they didn't play "Thank You For the Venom," "Hang 'Em High," or an encore when the whole crowd was chanting for them. It was undoubtedly the best experience of my life.
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