So the controversy has begun. Yes the sprawl of arguing over whether My Chemical Romance deserve to headline has begun. But let us step aside from that for a moment, forget that this band are even the headliners, and think about why they will quite possibly be the band of the weekend, and why they are the band you should spend your Friday (or Saturday!) night with.

Let us not forget that this band, whose music currently leans towards a more mainstream sound, once started out by releasing a brilliant post-hardcore album (I Brought You My Bullets…), followed by a slightly more studio-polished second attempt (Three Cheers…), before throwing everything into one of the biggest concept albums of the 2000’s (The Black Parade), rated alongside the likes of Green Day’s American Idiot and drawing comparisons to the likes of Queen. Their music doesn’t stick to one genre; therefore it doesn’t stick to one set of fans. If you like just one of My Chemical Romance’s albums, then watch them, they almost certainly will play one or two songs from every album, especially since they have been bringing some songs from their debut album back to the live stage during their current tour.

Secondly, the band put more passion into performing for their fans than any other band I have seen before. They play with style, energy and they have started to really use their experience to own their audience. Gone are the early years of poor drunken performances, gone too are the over-the-top theatrics of The Black Parade World Tour, now the band play it the simple way – good, honest music filled with passion and confidence. Just four men (plus two touring members) enjoying playing the music they made to the masses they made it for.

And it’s not just the band that put everything into their live performances, it’s the crowd that do to. Whether you think they give the band a bad name or not, the MCRmy are definitely one of the most dedicated fan bases around. They’ll be there, jumping around, with their hands in the air, screaming back every lyric to the band they hold so dear. The sight of tens of thousands of fans is a sight you will not want to miss, especially when they go crazy for the fist-pumping chorus of “Teenagers”, or the dance-inducing bass of “Planetary (GO!)”.

Leading the band out on the stage will be Gerard Way, the lead singer and founder member alongside former drummer Matt Pelissier. This man was born to work on stage, he knows how to rile up the crowd and get the best out of them. He sat through bottlings at Reading and a particularly vicious one at Download, whilst still making sure the ones that those were there to see the band and not to throw bottles of their own urine got what they paid to see, a headline performance by My Chemical Romance (don’t be among the few idiots that will try and throw bottles this year). Also, his voice has improved massively over the years, he is now able to sing on par with the bands records, so you should not be put off by footage of earlier, poor vocal performances.

Lastly, I’d like to pose you a question. Where else on that Friday (or Saturday) evening are you going to go and hear a song sung along by thousands of people, probably including yourself? Not everyone knows a Beady Eye song. Not everyone knows a Horrors song. Not everyone knows an Unkle song. But with classics such as “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)”, “Famous Last Words” and “Welcome To The Black Parade” at their disposal, you should hear the great sound of thousands of voices rising up into the fresh night air, creating an unforgettable moment. Songs you may not have heard before such as “Summertime” or“S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W” should go down a treat on a warm, summers evening, or, if the gods so choose, even a wet, rainy one.

There you go, that is my invite to you to enjoy an incredible evening with an amazing band that you may not go out of your way to see otherwise. If you’re split by whom to see that evening, let this be your decision maker – you won’t regret it!

By Will and Jomel.