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glitter_n_goreHello, my name is Laurel, and I am a Fangirl. I want to tell you a story.
This past Saturday, December 6th, 2014, at my favorite rock club (the NorVA), I saw the Black Veil Brides in concert. And they kicked ass. My personal Best Rock Show Ever is My Chemical Romance at the same venue in 2006. The BVB show was not better than that, but they were pretty damn amazing. They gave everything they've got and then some, and I had a total blast.
If you aren't familiar with the Black Veil Brides, they're a Hollywood-based rock group that's been around with the current line-up for about five years and four albums, although the earliest songs came a few years prior with frontman Andy Biersack and a rotating shuffle of other musicians. I first heard them when my dear friend Christine sent me their third album, Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones, this Halloween. (Thank you, Christine, thank you thank you THANK YOU.) I'm not quite sure how to classify them genre-wise--there are elements of punk, metal, and glam rock, but nothing that defines them as any specific type. I mean this as a compliment, by the way--genre-blending is one of my favorite things. Personally, I see them as a throwback to the brazen, audacious fabulousness of '80s hair metal, with a gothic visual aesthetic and a thematic emphasis on believing in yourself and following your dreams.
What's ironic is I've occasionally heard these guys described as the "new" My Chemical Romance. So what do I think? As someone who's seen them both live at this point, I should be able to make that call, right? I don't really think that's fair to either of them--not to mention intellectually lazy. They're both great bands, but they're great in different ways despite the similar uniforms of their respective fanbases (which I suspect is why those lines are drawn in the first place). So why even bring it up? Well, because it's the first and only rock show I've seen since the MCR show eight years ago that's come anywhere close to matching it.
Let's lay this out first of all: My Chemical Romance is my favorite band. "But Laurel, I thought you loved The Beatles?" I hear you all saying. Well, duh, that goes without saying. The Beatles are the greatest band that's ever existed--everyone knows that. They're the reason I love music, and every genre from pop to rock to metal owes something to their influence. But they belonged to an era that was over decades before I was born. I didn't witness their evolution first-hand, and I never saw them perform.
MCR, on the other hand--they were my band. When I found them, it felt like I'd found my people, not just in the band, but in their other fans as well. I'm still friends with some of them--friends I would not have made except for the fact that we all love this music. They made me feel like, no matter what was going on in the world or my personal life, I wasn't alone, and I could get through it. This band existed, and that meant it was going to be okay.
Eight years ago, almost to the day, I saw my band for the first time. If you don't have the fangirl gene, this might be hard to understand, but words cannot convey the pure, uncomplicated joy of the first time you see your heroes up-close and in person, maybe even having them look you in the eye and scream out the words of your favorite song. There is nothing else like it. Even "magical" sells it short. It's the reason the NorVA is my favorite venue. It's the reason that show is my personal Best Rock Show Ever, the gold standard by which all others are measured and fail--including the three other times I saw MCR since then.
And it's the reason why, when they broke up last year, I was inconsolable for weeks and went into an extended, low-level mourning period for even longer. This isn't to say that the break-up took up 100% of my brain power during that time; just that new music didn't hold much interest for me. I didn't care. Oh, I kept tabs on the other artists I already had in my collection. I got nostaglic for older groups that had been broken up for years, and took a closer look at artists I'd always kinda liked but never paid much attention to. I got my fangirl on for TV shows, movies, and books and tried not to think about the fact that I'd never hear my favorite song, "Thank You For the Venom," live again. But I didn't fall in love with another band, and figured I probably never would.
Then Christine gave me Wretched and Divine (again--THANK YOU), and just like that, my mourning period was over. I didn't even realize it was still going on until the veil (pun intended) lifted. All the sudden, I could get excited about music again. I could go to a live show and rock my heart out the way I used to, throwing my fist in the air and headbanging so hard I am still a little sore as I write this. And I don't even mind.
Let me be very clear: The Black Veil Brides are not replacing My Chemical Romance as my "favorite" band. There will always be an MCR-shaped hole in my heart, and no artist, no matter how awesome, is going to change that. I wouldn't want them to. There's plenty of terroritory in there for BVB to claim, and claim it they have, but that sort of cosmic lightening only strikes a fangirl once in her lifetime.
But you know what I realized, looking around the room last Saturday? For those kids, the Black Veil Brides are that lightening. This band are their heroes, the way MCR were mine. Some of them were seeing their band and meeting their people for the first time. It got a little rocky during the opening acts, with the mosh pits and stage-diving that I've more or less accepted as part of the deal, but that the young teenagers in the audience were utterly unprepared for. But all that melted away the second the Black Veil Brides took the stage. The audience came to life. They had that same glow, those same stars in their eyes that I know were in mine on that night in 2006. They will remember this night and hold onto it forever. They'll count this as the Best Rock Show Ever, no matter how many more they get to see in their lifetimes. I could feel that energy coming from the crowd all night. It made me remember how much I miss this--feeling that much love for a bunch of guys with eyeliner and guitars, and knowing beyond logic or reason that, because this music exists, everything will somehow be okay.
So yeah, the Black Veil Brides do remind me of My Chemical Romance a little bit. Not because of their sound, or the way they look, or how their fans behave, but because of the way they make me feel: alive. When I talk about "heroes" in this context, I don't mean someone who can fight your demons for you or tell you how to fix your life. I mean someone who makes you feel like you have the power to conquer those things yourself. A true hero does not come to your rescue or save the world; they inspire you to be a stronger, better person. My "favorite" band may be gone for good, but the age of heroes is far from over.
This past Saturday, December 6th, 2014, at my favorite rock club (the NorVA), I saw the Black Veil Brides in concert. And they kicked ass. My personal Best Rock Show Ever is My Chemical Romance at the same venue in 2006. The BVB show was not better than that, but they were pretty damn amazing. They gave everything they've got and then some, and I had a total blast.
If you aren't familiar with the Black Veil Brides, they're a Hollywood-based rock group that's been around with the current line-up for about five years and four albums, although the earliest songs came a few years prior with frontman Andy Biersack and a rotating shuffle of other musicians. I first heard them when my dear friend Christine sent me their third album, Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones, this Halloween. (Thank you, Christine, thank you thank you THANK YOU.) I'm not quite sure how to classify them genre-wise--there are elements of punk, metal, and glam rock, but nothing that defines them as any specific type. I mean this as a compliment, by the way--genre-blending is one of my favorite things. Personally, I see them as a throwback to the brazen, audacious fabulousness of '80s hair metal, with a gothic visual aesthetic and a thematic emphasis on believing in yourself and following your dreams.
What's ironic is I've occasionally heard these guys described as the "new" My Chemical Romance. So what do I think? As someone who's seen them both live at this point, I should be able to make that call, right? I don't really think that's fair to either of them--not to mention intellectually lazy. They're both great bands, but they're great in different ways despite the similar uniforms of their respective fanbases (which I suspect is why those lines are drawn in the first place). So why even bring it up? Well, because it's the first and only rock show I've seen since the MCR show eight years ago that's come anywhere close to matching it.
Let's lay this out first of all: My Chemical Romance is my favorite band. "But Laurel, I thought you loved The Beatles?" I hear you all saying. Well, duh, that goes without saying. The Beatles are the greatest band that's ever existed--everyone knows that. They're the reason I love music, and every genre from pop to rock to metal owes something to their influence. But they belonged to an era that was over decades before I was born. I didn't witness their evolution first-hand, and I never saw them perform.
MCR, on the other hand--they were my band. When I found them, it felt like I'd found my people, not just in the band, but in their other fans as well. I'm still friends with some of them--friends I would not have made except for the fact that we all love this music. They made me feel like, no matter what was going on in the world or my personal life, I wasn't alone, and I could get through it. This band existed, and that meant it was going to be okay.
Eight years ago, almost to the day, I saw my band for the first time. If you don't have the fangirl gene, this might be hard to understand, but words cannot convey the pure, uncomplicated joy of the first time you see your heroes up-close and in person, maybe even having them look you in the eye and scream out the words of your favorite song. There is nothing else like it. Even "magical" sells it short. It's the reason the NorVA is my favorite venue. It's the reason that show is my personal Best Rock Show Ever, the gold standard by which all others are measured and fail--including the three other times I saw MCR since then.
And it's the reason why, when they broke up last year, I was inconsolable for weeks and went into an extended, low-level mourning period for even longer. This isn't to say that the break-up took up 100% of my brain power during that time; just that new music didn't hold much interest for me. I didn't care. Oh, I kept tabs on the other artists I already had in my collection. I got nostaglic for older groups that had been broken up for years, and took a closer look at artists I'd always kinda liked but never paid much attention to. I got my fangirl on for TV shows, movies, and books and tried not to think about the fact that I'd never hear my favorite song, "Thank You For the Venom," live again. But I didn't fall in love with another band, and figured I probably never would.
Then Christine gave me Wretched and Divine (again--THANK YOU), and just like that, my mourning period was over. I didn't even realize it was still going on until the veil (pun intended) lifted. All the sudden, I could get excited about music again. I could go to a live show and rock my heart out the way I used to, throwing my fist in the air and headbanging so hard I am still a little sore as I write this. And I don't even mind.
Let me be very clear: The Black Veil Brides are not replacing My Chemical Romance as my "favorite" band. There will always be an MCR-shaped hole in my heart, and no artist, no matter how awesome, is going to change that. I wouldn't want them to. There's plenty of terroritory in there for BVB to claim, and claim it they have, but that sort of cosmic lightening only strikes a fangirl once in her lifetime.
But you know what I realized, looking around the room last Saturday? For those kids, the Black Veil Brides are that lightening. This band are their heroes, the way MCR were mine. Some of them were seeing their band and meeting their people for the first time. It got a little rocky during the opening acts, with the mosh pits and stage-diving that I've more or less accepted as part of the deal, but that the young teenagers in the audience were utterly unprepared for. But all that melted away the second the Black Veil Brides took the stage. The audience came to life. They had that same glow, those same stars in their eyes that I know were in mine on that night in 2006. They will remember this night and hold onto it forever. They'll count this as the Best Rock Show Ever, no matter how many more they get to see in their lifetimes. I could feel that energy coming from the crowd all night. It made me remember how much I miss this--feeling that much love for a bunch of guys with eyeliner and guitars, and knowing beyond logic or reason that, because this music exists, everything will somehow be okay.
So yeah, the Black Veil Brides do remind me of My Chemical Romance a little bit. Not because of their sound, or the way they look, or how their fans behave, but because of the way they make me feel: alive. When I talk about "heroes" in this context, I don't mean someone who can fight your demons for you or tell you how to fix your life. I mean someone who makes you feel like you have the power to conquer those things yourself. A true hero does not come to your rescue or save the world; they inspire you to be a stronger, better person. My "favorite" band may be gone for good, but the age of heroes is far from over.