In 2022: My Chemical Romance performed their 48th show of the 2022-2023 Swarm tour in Denver, Colorado, USA. At this show, "SWAN VARIATION" was written on the drums. (🖤)
It happened again last night: Ray was cut out of the frame or the streamer deliberately focused on other members during his key solos. As others have stated before, this isn’t about popularity or saying someone should ‘like’ Ray more. It’s about racism. It’s about covert racism specifically, the kind that is incredibly prevalent in areas like Denver that hail themselves as progressive and accepting.
Non southern states like Colorado are very quick to say racism isn’t a problem in their state. They claim to be more progressive than other areas, when really these areas are home to a different form of racism. And since many people there deny their own racism outright because they are so oblivious to its effects, it makes it even harder to combat.
I say all this because the MCR tour is starting to move into the West/Northwest areas of the US, where this specific type of racism is prevalent. Fellow white people: this is going to keep happening, where people dismiss their racism because they don’t think it exists where they live. It absolutely does, and last night was evidence of that. Don’t let it go unchecked. Racism is independent of geography. Denying racism exists in your state because you live in the North is in some ways even more dangerous than recognizing it to be an issue.
The way Gerard had to buckle over between a few songs and just gutturally inhale/exhale because the altitude (low-key felt bad for him)
Ray Toro's stage presence
"Everybody take a big step back, 1, 2, 3, choo choo!"
Gerard finally deciding Vampires Will Never Hurt You is his favorite song to perform "by a lot."
Again, I cannot stress this enough, Ray Toro and the way he performs with his whole fucking being
Mikey Fucking Way and Gerard when they'd play/sing to eachother
Gerard saying we were a "best case scenario crowd." Idk why, but thank u
Said it already but I'm saying it again: singing "I am not afraid to keep on living" in a stadium full of strangers and feeling like I finally meant it with my whole being and feeling like everyone else did and knowing none of us are alone, truly, fundamentally changed me as a person