Saved by My Chemical Romance

From the Detroit News:

The name at the top of the marquee said Linkin Park, but at the Projekt Revolution tour at DTE Energy Music Theatre Wednesday, the rap-rockers came in underdogs at their own concert.

Credit the crazed, show-stealing performance by My Chemical Romance, the New Jersey five-piece who didn’t waste any time on stage during their penultimate performance slot.

“Detroit!” frontman Gerard Way bellowed to the crowd of nearly 14,000 as soon as he took the stage. “We only have one hour to save the Earth. Are you with us?”

The crowd was with them, all right, and My Chem tore through an electrifying, high energy set that drew heavily from their grand, rock opera-esque 2006 release “The Black Parade.”

Geysers of flames and bursts of pyro erupted throughout the set, as Way — with the words “No War” scrawled across his neck — pranced around the stage in a fey yet ferocious manner.

The band carried itself like cartoon superheroes battling the forces of evil with their amped-up guitars and rock star poses, and occasionally indulged their rock star instincts.

At one point, at the close of “The Sharpest Lives,” guitarist Frank Iero attacked Way and tackled him for reasons known only to him.

Way — part ringleader, part prankster, all black-clad rock star — had fun playing with gender roles, goading the “boys” into the audience into taking off their shirts and wearing a feather boa during “Mama,” the studio version of which features guest vocals from Liza Minnelli (the two share more in common than you’d think).

The band and Way’s flare for the theatrical carried through to “Welcome to the Black Parade” and set closer “Cancer,” which found Way all alone at the center of the stage and backed only by a lone piano.

After My Chem’s 60-minute spectacle, Linkin Park had plenty to live up to. They poured it on thick, opening with three rousing hits from their catalog (”One Step Closer,” “Lying From You” and “Somewhere Where I Belong”), but gave the impression their forward progress has stalled.

Where “The Black Parade” marked a seismic leap in songwriting for My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park’s recent “Minutes to Midnight” album found the band was in a state of arrested development. It attempted to break the band out of its rap-rock roots but showed rap-rock is the best the band has to offer.

As did Wednesday’s show. The highlight came during set closer “Bleed It Out,” the new album’s blistering clap-along and one of two songs that lets rapper Mike Shinoda do his thing. The band extended the song, slowing it down and later speeding it up while the crowd clapped along.

Throughout Linkin Park’s 95-minute set, vocal shredding singer Chester Bennington prowled the stage like a gremlin, but his pained one-dimensional outcries — “shut up when I’m talking to you!” “the very worst part of you is me!” “put me out of my misery!” — revealed as much depth as a seventh-grader’s angst over doing chores.

The band sounded muscular throughout, but the new material — such as the meandering, vaguely celestial “The Little Things Give You Away” — stalled.

Though they’re the tour headliners, Linkin Park would do good to take a few cues from its opening act.

Wednesday’s 10-hour Projekt Revolution show — which was broadcast live on MySpace.com — also featured performances from Taking Back Sunday, HIM, Placebo, Mindless Self Indulgence and more.