The University Center Activities Board confirmed Monday that popular alternative rock band My Chemical Romance will perform at Kaplan Arena at William & Mary Hall April 28 as part of the band’s international Black Parade Tour. UCAB also announced that the concert will open with a performance by English progressive rock band Muse.
p. The band disclosed the locations of 11 stops on its tour between April 14 and April 28 to its official fan club Feb. 2 on its website, MyChemicalRomance.com. Although the timing of the band’s Williamsburg show coincided with the college’s general time frame of the annual spring concert, UCAB could not comment at the time due to contractual constraints.
p. The commitment with My Chemical Romance marks the first time that UCAB has worked with a concert promoter company to bring a big-name headliner to Williamsburg. According to UCAB Music Committee Chair Emmagene Worley, a senior, it is important that students make a good impression on the promoter, ArtShow Productions, by selling out the arena.
p. “We always want students to attend the events we plan, but it’s especially important this time because this is the first time we’re p working with a major concert promoter, and depending on factors such as student attendance, we can develop a good relationship with the promoter which would likely result in better, more frequent concerts on campus,” she said.
p. The College’s main arena, now called Kaplan Arena, used to be a regaular stop for high profile concerts, including the Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen and The Cars. My Chemical Romance could represent a return of big-name headliner concerts in Williamsburg.
p. Tickets went on sale to the general public Monday, and are available on TicketMaster.com for $30.25, with 25 cents of each sale going to charity. Specially priced student tickets, however, go on sale starting Feb. 12 in the UCAB box office, located in the University Center, open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. every weekday. Mezzanine seats cost $15 and floor tickets are $21, and can only be purchased with a student ID. There is a limit of two tickets per ID and there are 2,500 student tickets for sale.
p. “Now is the cheapest time to buy tickets,” Worley said. “We expect the student tickets to sell out quickly, and those who do not get the student rate will have to pay the public rate, which is double the special price.”
p. MCR is known for its popular blend of alternative, punk and emo rock. The ‘Parade’ tour comes on the heels of the release of the band’s latest album, “The Black Parade,” in October. “The Black Parade” is the third effort from the quintet, comprised of frontman Gerard Way, bassist Mikey Way, drummer Bob Bryar and guitarists Frank Iero and Ray Toro. Like the band’s previous two albums, “Black Parade” is a concept album looking back on the life of the central character, “the Patient.”
p. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 list and has enjoyed generally positive reviews. Rolling Stone called the album “the best mid-Seventies record of 2006 — an ingenious, unrestrained paraphrasing of the over-the-top glam theater of Queen and classic Alice Cooper.” Likewise, The Washington Post referred to ‘Parade’ as a “phantasmagorical high-wire act.”
p. In its live act, MCR is known for its high-energy performances and attention to thematic details. Like their concept-heavy albums, the band attempts to tell a story through the performance, and chooses song lists carefully. Sophomore Andy Foiles, a member of the music committee and a fan of MCR, said he expects the concert to be “a full blown operatic story brought to life.”
p. Opening band Muse is comprised of guitarist and frontman Matthew Bellamy, drummer Dominic Howard and bassist Chris Wolstenholme. Like My Chemical Romance, the band is known for its energy on stage. The members have been making music together since the age of 13. Muse has been favorably compared to Radiohead, and is touring on the strength of its fifth studio album, “Black Holes and Revelations.”