On-the-Scene Report: My Chemical Romance at Electric Factory
Last night, Jersey goth/punk/mall rockers My Chemical Romance blew through town. The crowd was a cauldron of divorced dads, backward-hat wearing jocks, tween misfits, and straight-up hillbillies. Highlights–or lowlights, ahem–observed included the following:
Bam Margera looking like a pile of dirty laundry in the upstairs bar. His presence alone boosted the douchbag quotient of the night exponentially.- An overpierced mallrat moshed into a fat librarian mom. His zealousness was quickly put in check with a swift throat grab by her trailer park hubby. At first I felt bad for the mallrat, I mean violence is never a good thing, but then what he did in my next point made me glad that someone tried to kick his ass.
- This champ then proceeded to make out with his very young girlfriend, grinding behind her during My Chem’s total bummer slow jam, “Cancer”, which is about the death of singer Gerard Way’s Grandmother. This song makes Peter Frampton’s “Show Me the Way” look like Slayer. Making out to this is like making out to Schindler’s List; i.e. just creepy.
- Two chubby teenage lesbians with asymmetrical haircuts cuddled awkwardly during “I Don’t Love You.”
- A trio of over-tanned, straightiron-abusing Jersey girls screamed along off-key to every. single. goddamned. song.
- A 12 year old girl with a floppy ponytail punched a guy who kept bumping into her. Whoa, lil’ Kathleen Hanna, please do Philly a favor and start a riot grrrl band, PRONTO.
- And the award for Most Uplifting Moment At a My Chemical Romance Show goes to this pair: a mother and her tween son holding hands, pumping their fists in the air and rockin’ out in unison to the rousing set closer, “Helena.” It was so unpunk it almost did a full-circle and became superpunk. Afterwards, she told me that this was not only his first concert ever, but that this was his favorite band and that they won their tickets through a radio contest. It was like a real life Detroit Rock City, but with less Edward Furlong and more fingerless gloves!
