#lltbp message

The entertainment industry is a mess. Especially in recent years, the idea of “quantity over quality” is being pushed more and more, with increasing pressure on artists to deliver content even if it is mediocre.

Now as MCR fans, we know that throughout their careers, they have suffered a lot of pressure from multiple outside forces to deliver on certain things. However, a very special thing about MCR is how they have consistently refused to fold to said pressure: they scrapped multiple albums because they didn’t fully believe in them, they rejected multiple deals for projects they weren’t passionate about even when they could have brought them a lot of money, they even ended up breaking up when their hearts were no longer in it. This band is known to never do things half-heartedly or conform to the pressure.

Now we get to this tour. And honestly, yeah, they could easily get up there and just play the album, and they would still sell out the stadium. But instead they created a full-on theatrical display set in an entire new world with the most elaborate production and insane details, complete with a wildly intriguing and layered story with so many messages and applications for the real world.

A very interesting aspect of that narrative to me, is how that in many ways it serves as a meta critique and examination of the well oiled-machine and cycle that the entertainment industry has become. Parts of it intentionally force the audience to confront and examine how they interact with and consume art and the people who make it. The band portrays themselves as literal shells of who they were, being forced like puppets to perform for our entertainment. They purposefully depict themselves as parts of a machine being forced to just “shut up and play the hits.”

It forces you to ask yourself uncomfortable questions…When the band is paraded out like animals: What are you really here for? When Gerard is forced to put his jacket back on: Is this what you wanted? And when the finale of it all ends in destruction and violence: Was the spectacle worth it?

Btw, none of this is to say that you shouldn’t be cheering and excited at a concert, lol. The band expects and wants you to be. It is just even that is an intentional part of the narrative. It is so brilliant how the show forces us to examine these ideas of art vs entertainment…what does it take for something to actually mean something? how far are you willing to go for it? As well as passion vs conformity…what are your reasons? Do you actually care about this? Or did someone else just ask for it?

It’s all just very smart especially considering the band’s history, as well as the way some people talked about this tour when it was announced. Because unfortunately, it is true that many groups and artists can become almost a sad parody of themselves after doing it for decades. People threw these accusations at MCR before this tour started, calling it “nostalgia bait” or a “lazy rerun.” And the thing is, it easily could have been. But instead, MCR actually tackles those very ideas head-on in a show that is the exact opposite of those things.

This show clearly has so much love and dedication behind it and the band and everyone else involved is so clearly very passionate and excited about it (as they should be, it is utterly incredible). They truly care about their work and music and art as much as we do. But I think that it is just so genius for them to incorporate themes that examine authenticity and passion as well as the dynamics between industry, artists, and audiences.