We went to the My Chemical Romance reunion tour (and we're *still* not OK) | The Pick

Matthew Leimkuehler, Nashville Tennessean
·2 min read
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Hello, Pick faithful. Tennessean music reporter Matt Leimkuehler here, writing from the *other side* of a much-anticipated My Chemical Romance reunion tour stop at Bridgestone Arena (enter "I'm Not OK" pun here). And, yes — it was as weird and loud and cathartic as any reunion show nearly 10 years in the making should be. A few takeaways from the fourth row ...

  • What we loved: Gerard Way in a cheer outfit. The howling lead singer challenged gender norms by delivering "Helena," "Welcome To The Black Parade" and the rest in a custom-made cheerleading uniform.

  • What stood out: The band didn't mask the show with over-the-top theatrics or arena-sized pyrotechnics. It was just six bandmates, playing songs that fans waited years to hear live again.

  • What we heard: Between MTV-era rock hits, MCR gave a hometown shoutout to bassist Mikey Way, an adopted Nashville musician.

  • Setlist standouts: "Teenagers" holds up as a top-tier singalong and virtually everyone in the house went bonkers for "Na Na Na." (I would've loved to hear late-era B-side "Fake Your Death," but the band didn't leave any marquee tunes on the table).

My Chemical Romance lead vocalist Gerard Way and bass guitarist Mikey Way perform at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday, August 23, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn.
My Chemical Romance lead vocalist Gerard Way and bass guitarist Mikey Way perform at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday, August 23, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn.

Marcus King's peace-making new album

On his new album "Young Blood," guitar wiz Marcus King takes listeners into a musical therapy session that chronicles a roller-coaster breakup and numbing substance abuse that followed. The album captures King's journey through a self-prescribed darkness with an arena-ready Southern rock sound he crated with producer Dan Auerbach at Easy Eye Sound in Nashville (and, yes, he's doing better now).

  • Getting emotional: On channeling uber-personal songwriting, King said, "I think Southern men, especially, have a hard time talking about their feelings, so I just write about 'em."

Read the full interview here.

Marcus King is photographed at his management’s office Wednesday Aug 3, 2022; Nashville, TN, USA; Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-The Tennessean
Marcus King is photographed at his management’s office Wednesday Aug 3, 2022; Nashville, TN, USA; Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-The Tennessean

Fest watch

Are we ready to start counting *days* until AmericanaFest? (Spoiler: It's 19 days). Americana Honors & Awards — the fest's cornerstone show and one of Nashville's finest music ceremonies — announced a handful of lifetime achievement recipients this week. Those set to be honored include Indigo Girls, Don Williams and the Fairfield Four. Read on for more.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: We're *still* not OK after that My Chemical Romance show | The Pick