MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE Splits Up, Thankfully!

This might be some really bad news for some of you: MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE have decided to part ways. In our humble opinion, now much more talented bands will have a chance at shining since MCR counts with legions of fans worldwide that will be forced to find other bands to support. But hey, we do respect MCR because even though their music wasn't great, they did work very hard on their craft. With that said, we wish them the best of luck!
Anyhow, the New Jersey-based Alternative Rock band announced Saturday that "it has come time for it to end." The quartet thanked fans in a statement and said the experience was "a true blessing."
The group said they've "shared the stage with people we admire, people we look up to, and best of all, our friends."

But why exactly did the band break up? The exact reason has not surfaced, but here is an excerpt from the extensive essay written by the bands singer Gerard Way:
"We were spectacular.

"Every show I knew this, every show I felt it with or without external confirmation.

"There were some clunkers, sometimes our secondhand gear broke, sometimes I had no voice- we were still great. It is this belief that made us who we were, but also many other things, all of them vital-
And all of the things that made us great were the very things that were going to end us-

"Fiction. Friction. Creation. Destruction. Opposition. Aggression. Ambition. Heart. Hate. Courage. Spite. Beauty. Desperation. LOVE. Fear. Glamour. Weakness. Hope.

"Fatalism.

"That last one is very important. My Chemical Romance had, built within its core, a fail-safe. A doomsday device, should certain events occur or cease occurring, would detonate. I shared knowledge of this “flaw” within weeks of its inception.
Personally, I embraced it because, again, it made us perfect. A perfect machine, beautiful, yet self aware of it’s system. Under directive to terminate before it becomes compromised. To protect the idea- at all costs. This probably sounds like something ripped from the pages of a four-color comic book, and that’s the point.
No compromise. No surrender. No fucking shit.

"To me that’s rock and roll. And I believe in rock and roll."

Read his entire essay HERE!


Group members included:

- Vocalist Gerard Way
- Bassist Mikey Way
- Guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero.

Their last album was 2010's 'Danger Days: The True Lives of the
Fabulous Killjoys'.

Related links:
My Chemical Romance's official site

Will VAN HALEN Perform At The Superbowl Half Time Show? David Lee Roth To Address Rumors!

From VAN HALEN's News Desk:

It all started with a quote from Eddie Van Halen; “In November, we’ll hit Japan, and in the new year, we’ll possibly do something special, but I can’t talk about it.”

This quote kicked off rampant rumors that “something special” might mean that Van Halen could be the band considered to play the Superbowl halftime show next February. Keep in mind, rumors of Van Halen playing the Superbowl are nothing NEW – their name pops up annually as a potential performer.

It seems to be Van Halen’s protocol never to address rumors. We at the Van Halen News Desk have never commented on the Superbowl rumors either, as they have never been anything other than fan’s wishful thinking. This year was originally no different – we weren’t planning on addressing the rumors without first hearing something either way from our trusted inside sources. But wouldn’t you know, our sources now tell us that David Lee Roth is indeed going to publically address the Superbowl rumors within the next few days. Now, that sounds interesting! (Dare we say it sounds “promising”?)

We’ll speculate that if (and that’s a big “if”!) Van Halen actually ends up playing the Superbowl next year, we think they would almost certainly tour right afterwards. The Superbowl is a humongous opportunity for publicity on the biggest television sports event in the US, so it wouldn’t make sense for the band not to tour afterwards.

In fact, 114 million people tuned to in to watch Madonna perform at the halftime show this year. The last 3 Superbowl's now sit at one, two, and three on the most viewed programs list in TV history. And as David Lee Roth has said, on any given day, you can walk into any hockey arena or football stadium throughout the country and you’ll hear Van Halen’s music blaring to get the crowd pumped up. So Van Halen and the Superbowl would go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Could 2013 be another huge year for Van Halen? That would really be something, considering the fact that 2012 is such a stellar year in their carreer, with the release of their critically acclaimed masterpiece, 'A Different Kind Of Truth', and their hugely successful 48 city US tour which just wrapped up last week.

As previously reported, the 31 Van Halen concert dates that were postponed in May have now been officially cancelled. Various reports suggested that the band was burned out from performing 48 shows over several months of touring. 

The band will play Japan in November, and rumors persist of an Australia tour late this year, and/or another US tour next year.

The cancelled dates are:

- 7/7:  Uncasville, Ct., Mohegan Sun Arena
- 7/9:  Hampton, Va., Hampton Coliseum
- 7/11:  Philadelphia, Pa., Wells Fargo Center
- 7/13:  East Rutherford, N.J., Izod Center
- 7/15:  Baltimore, Md., 1st Mariner Arena
- 7/17:  Rochester N.Y., Blue Cross Arena
- 7/19:  Detroit, Mich., Joe Louis Arena
- 7/21:  London, Ontario, John Labatt Centre
- 7/24:  Toledo, Ohio, Huntington Center
- 7/26:  Grand Rapids, Mich., Van Andel Arena
- 7/28:  Cleveland, Ohio, Quicken Loans Arena
- 7/31:  Fort Wayne, Ind., Allen County Memorial Coliseum
- 8/2:  Columbus, Ohio, Schottenstein Center
- 8/4:  Knoxville, Tenn., Thompson-Boiling Arena
- 8/6:  Memphis, Tenn., FedEx Forum
- 8/8:  Birmingham, Ala., BJCC Arena
- 8/10:  Greenville, S.C., BI-LO Center
- 8/12:  Cincinnati, Ohio, US Bank Arena
- 8/21:  Spokane, Wash., Spokane Arena
- 8/23:  Portland, Ore., Rose Garden
- 8/25:  Sacramento, Calif.,Power Balance Pavilion
- 8/28:  Fresno, Calif., Save Mart Center
- 8/30:  Reno, Nev., Reno Events Center
- 9/4:  Salt Lake City, Utah — EnergySolutions Arena
- 9/8:  Albuquerque, N.M., Tingley Coliseum
- 9/11:  El Paso, Texas, Don Haskins Center
- 9/13:  Austin, Texas, Frank Erwin Center
- 9/15:  Oklahoma City, Okla., Chesapeake Energy Arena
- 9/17:  Wichita, Kan. – Intrust Bank Arena
- 9/21:  Moline, Ill., Iwireless Center
- 9/25:  Milwaukee, Wis., Bradley Center

Related links:
VAN HALEN's Official Site

VAN HALEN Officially Cancel A Slew Of Tour Dates!

The 31 Van Halen concert dates that were postponed in May have now been officially cancelled. Various reports suggested that the band was burned out from performing 48 shows over several months of touring. 

The band will play Japan in November, and rumors persist of an Australia tour late this year, and/or another US tour next year.

The band will play Japan in November, and rumors persist of an Australia tour late this year and another US tour next year.

From Pollstar:

When dozens of summer dates were removed from Van Halen’s website in May without an explanation, it wasn’t clear whether the dates would eventually be rescheduled. Now the dates are officially listed as canceled.

All dates after the rock band’s June 26 concert in New Orleans were called off, a total of more than 30 gigs.  Although Van Halen hasn’t posted an announcement on its website, if you check out the band’s list of dates on Ticketmaster.com, you’ll find that shows including Uncasville, Conn.; Baltimore; Rochester, N.Y.; Detroit; Toledo, Ohio; Memphis, Tenn.; Sacramento, Calif.; Reno, Nev.; and Milwaukee are now marked in red as canceled. As of post time, not all shows on Ticketmaster are listed as canceled.

Refunds are available at the point of purchase. Tickets purchased online or by phone will be automatically credited to your credit card.

In May, days after the dates were first pulled, David Lee Roth posted a video explaining that despite rumors, the “band is getting along famously.”

Diamond Dave didn’t say whether fans should hold onto their tickets and wait for new dates to be announced. Instead, this is what he had to say about why the tour had been cut short:

“As usual, we bit off way more than we could chew when it came to scheduling. The band is winning but our schedule has been sidelined for unnecessary roughness. If we continue past July 4 and all the way into Australia and Japan then we’re asking for the robot zombie tour.”

USA Today published an interview with Eddie Van Halen and his son Wolfgang earlier in June in which the elder Van Halen used the same idiom as his bandmate.

“We bit off more than we could chew. This record took a lot out of us. And we went on tour earlier than we wanted to so we could play Madison Square Garden (in March, before a renovation), and that threw the schedule out of whack.”

He added that Van Halen planned to play Japan in November “and in the New Year, we’ll possibly do something special, but I can’t talk about it.”

The cancelled dates are:

- 7/7:  Uncasville, Ct., Mohegan Sun Arena
- 7/9:  Hampton, Va., Hampton Coliseum
- 7/11:  Philadelphia, Pa., Wells Fargo Center
- 7/13:  East Rutherford, N.J., Izod Center
- 7/15:  Baltimore, Md., 1st Mariner Arena
- 7/17:  Rochester N.Y., Blue Cross Arena
- 7/19:  Detroit, Mich., Joe Louis Arena
- 7/21:  London, Ontario, John Labatt Centre
- 7/24:  Toledo, Ohio, Huntington Center
- 7/26:  Grand Rapids, Mich., Van Andel Arena
- 7/28:  Cleveland, Ohio, Quicken Loans Arena
- 7/31:  Fort Wayne, Ind., Allen County Memorial Coliseum
- 8/2:  Columbus, Ohio, Schottenstein Center
- 8/4:  Knoxville, Tenn., Thompson-Boiling Arena
- 8/6:  Memphis, Tenn., FedEx Forum
- 8/8:  Birmingham, Ala., BJCC Arena
- 8/10:  Greenville, S.C., BI-LO Center
- 8/12:  Cincinnati, Ohio, US Bank Arena
- 8/21:  Spokane, Wash., Spokane Arena
- 8/23:  Portland, Ore., Rose Garden
- 8/25:  Sacramento, Calif.,Power Balance Pavilion
- 8/28:  Fresno, Calif., Save Mart Center
- 8/30:  Reno, Nev., Reno Events Center
- 9/4:  Salt Lake City, Utah — EnergySolutions Arena
- 9/8:  Albuquerque, N.M., Tingley Coliseum
- 9/11:  El Paso, Texas, Don Haskins Center
- 9/13:  Austin, Texas, Frank Erwin Center
- 9/15:  Oklahoma City, Okla., Chesapeake Energy Arena
- 9/17:  Wichita, Kan. – Intrust Bank Arena
- 9/21:  Moline, Ill., Iwireless Center
- 9/25:  Milwaukee, Wis., Bradley Center

Related links:
VAN HALEN's Official Site

VAN HALEN Update About Rescheduled Tour Dates & Upcoming Show In Asia!

As previously reported, VAN HALEN have postponed 31 dates on their 2012 North American tour. The postponed shows were to run from July 7 in Uncasville, CT through Sept. 25 in Milwaukee, WI. A list of upcoming tour dates can be seen below.

In a revealing NEW interview with USA Today, Edward and Wolfgang Van Halen had a lot to say. Here is an excerpt of what Marco R. della Cava (USA TODAY) compiled together for the Van Halen fans:

Edward and Wolfgang Van Halen. The names sound like owners of the old Dutch East India shipping company, or perhaps a couple of guys looking to put a stake through Dracula’s heart.

Eddie Van Halen, right, says about his son, Wolfgang, left, “He’s 21 years old, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t drink, he doesn’t do drugs. What more could I ask for?” The father and son pair talk to USA TODAY about touring together.

So let’s go with what friends call them: Ed and Wolf. Guitar revolutionary and musical disciple. Father and son.

“Look at him,” says Dutch-born Ed, 57, staring straight into the slightly embarrassed eyes of an all-American Wolf. “He’s 21 years old, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t drink, he doesn’t do drugs. What more could I ask for? He’s never done a (expletive) thing wrong.

Wolf smiles shyly and returns the compliment when the two are asked about their musical heroes. Ed cites Eric Clapton. “For me, my inspiration was obviously … you,” Wolf says.

In a rare joint interview with USA TODAY, the two Van Halens recently took time between dates on the band’s “A Different Kind of Truth” tour to discuss their relationship in and out of music.

But the news of the moment is about that very tour being cut short after a New Orleans date on June 26.

So what gives? Ed is direct.

“We bit off more than we could chew,” he says. “This record took a lot out of us. And we went on tour earlier than we wanted to so we could play Madison Square Garden (in March, before a renovation), and that threw the schedule out of whack.”

The band will have completed more than 40 shows on this leg, and “a lot of the canceled dates were in cities we already played,” he says. “So in November we’ll hit Japan, and in the new year we’ll possibly do something special, but I can’t talk about it.”

But he will talk about singer David Lee Roth. Contrary to what has been reported, he says there’s no tour-nuking feud. “Dave’s the same as he’s always been, funny, witty,” Ed says. Then he laughs. “Sometimes I can only take that in small doses, because he just goes on and on.”

Wolfgang jumps in: “He’s like the Energizer Bunny— wind it up and see what happens.”

“But Dave always lands on his feet,” Ed says.

Click here to read the rest of the interview!

Van Halen quotables:

Moment of musical truth: Eddie Van Halen says when son Wolf was 10, “he was in the studio with us and I asked him to play a little bass. He goes ‘boom, ba-da boom, boom,’ and I go ‘You’re groovin’ great.’ He goes, ‘Really?’ Never been weird since.”

Father knows best: “As a kid, Wolf walked behind me, not in front,” says Ed. “So one day he was with his mom and I snatched him up from behind and ran. He cried, but I said, ‘Wolf, in two seconds you could be taken from me.’ He never did it again.”

Shared nightmare: “We got stuck on an amusement park ride recently,” Wolf says with a sigh. “Outdoor stuff I love, but this was dark and we’re strapped in,” Ed says. It only lasted five minutes, but Wolf says they were “in panic mode, it was awful.”

Guitar heroes’ heroes: So, who do Ed and Wolf Van Halen crank when they’re rocking out at home? “AC/DC,” says Wolf. “That’s our band.” Adds Ed: “It’s simple stuff, three chords, but so great. (Guitarist) Malcolm (Young) is the riff master.”

The band has 6 upcoming shows which will go on as scheduled:

- 6/14:   San Diego, Calif – Viejas Arena
- 6/16:   Phoenix, Ariz., US Airways Center
- 6/20:   Dallas, Texas, American Airlines Center
- 6/22:   San Antonio, Texas, AT&T Center
- 6/24:  Houston, Texas, Toyota Center
- 6/26:   New Orleans, La., New Orleans Arena

The postponed dates:

- 7/7:  Uncasville, Ct., Mohegan Sun Arena
- 7/9:  Hampton, Va., Hampton Coliseum
- 7/11:  Philadelphia, Pa., Wells Fargo Center
- 7/13:  East Rutherford, N.J., Izod Center
- 7/15:  Baltimore, Md., 1st Mariner Arena
- 7/17:  Rochester N.Y., Blue Cross Arena
- 7/19:  Detroit, Mich., Joe Louis Arena
- 7/21:  London, Ontario, John Labatt Centre
- 7/24:  Toledo, Ohio, Huntington Center
- 7/26:  Grand Rapids, Mich., Van Andel Arena
- 7/28:  Cleveland, Ohio, Quicken Loans Arena
- 7/31:  Fort Wayne, Ind., Allen County Memorial Coliseum
- 8/2:  Columbus, Ohio, Schottenstein Center
- 8/4:  Knoxville, Tenn., Thompson-Boiling Arena
- 8/6:  Memphis, Tenn., FedEx Forum
- 8/8:  Birmingham, Ala., BJCC Arena
- 8/10:  Greenville, S.C., BI-LO Center
- 8/12:  Cincinnati, Ohio, US Bank Arena
- 8/21:  Spokane, Wash., Spokane Arena
- 8/23:  Portland, Ore., Rose Garden
- 8/25:  Sacramento, Calif.,Power Balance Pavilion
- 8/28:  Fresno, Calif., Save Mart Center
- 8/30:  Reno, Nev., Reno Events Center
- 9/4:  Salt Lake City, Utah — EnergySolutions Arena
- 9/8:  Albuquerque, N.M., Tingley Coliseum
- 9/11:  El Paso, Texas, Don Haskins Center
- 9/13:  Austin, Texas, Frank Erwin Center
- 9/15:  Oklahoma City, Okla., Chesapeake Energy Arena
- 9/17:  Wichita, Kan. – Intrust Bank Arena
- 9/21:  Moline, Ill., Iwireless Center
- 9/25:  Milwaukee, Wis., Bradley Center

Related links:
VAN HALEN's Official Site

VAN HALEN's David Lee Roth Releases Video Statement Regarding The "Postponed" Tour Dates!

As previously reported, VAN HALEN have postponed 31 dates on their 2012 North American tour. The postponed shows were to run from July 7 in Uncasville, CT through Sept. 25 in Milwaukee, WI. A list of affected tour dates can be seen below.

While no official reason has been given for the postponements, and there’s no word yet on when the rescheduled dates will be announced. Rolling Stone reports that Van Halen has “abruptly postponed” 30 North American tour dates that have been on the calendar since the tour was announced back in December. The tour’s promoter, Live Nation, did not comment on the matter, but a source told Rolling Stone that Van Halen’s members are “arguing like mad” and “hate each other.” Not surprising news, exactly, but definitely disappointing for fans of huge riffs and karate kicks.

Here is a video statement from the bands frontman "Diamond Dave" regarding this matter!



(Note that these dates have been POSTPONED, not canceled. Several shows on Van Halen’s 2007-2008 were postponed as well, and all were ultimately rescheduled.)

The band has 13 upcoming shows which will go on as scheduled:

- 5/19:  St. Paul, Minn., Xcel Energy Center
- 5/22:  Kansas City, Mo., Sprint Center
- 5/24:  Denver, Colo., Pepsi Center
- 5/27:  Las Vegas, Nev., MGM Grand Garden Arena
- 6/1:    Los Angeles, Calif., Staples Center
- 6/3:    Oakland, Calif., Oracle Arena
- 6/5:    San Jose, Calif., HP Pavilion
- 6/12:   Anaheim, Calif, Honda Center
- 6/14:   San Diego, Calif – Viejas Arena
- 6/16:   Phoenix, Ariz., US Airways Center
- 6/20:   Dallas, Texas, American Airlines Center
- 6/22:   San Antonio, Texas, AT&T Center
- 6/24:  Houston, Texas, Toyota Center
- 6/26:   New Orleans, La., New Orleans Arena

The postponed dates:

- 7/7:  Uncasville, Ct., Mohegan Sun Arena
- 7/9:  Hampton, Va., Hampton Coliseum
- 7/11:  Philadelphia, Pa., Wells Fargo Center
- 7/13:  East Rutherford, N.J., Izod Center
- 7/15:  Baltimore, Md., 1st Mariner Arena
- 7/17:  Rochester N.Y., Blue Cross Arena
- 7/19:  Detroit, Mich., Joe Louis Arena
- 7/21:  London, Ontario, John Labatt Centre
- 7/24:  Toledo, Ohio, Huntington Center
- 7/26:  Grand Rapids, Mich., Van Andel Arena
- 7/28:  Cleveland, Ohio, Quicken Loans Arena
- 7/31:  Fort Wayne, Ind., Allen County Memorial Coliseum
- 8/2:  Columbus, Ohio, Schottenstein Center
- 8/4:  Knoxville, Tenn., Thompson-Boiling Arena
- 8/6:  Memphis, Tenn., FedEx Forum
- 8/8:  Birmingham, Ala., BJCC Arena
- 8/10:  Greenville, S.C., BI-LO Center
- 8/12:  Cincinnati, Ohio, US Bank Arena
- 8/21:  Spokane, Wash., Spokane Arena
- 8/23:  Portland, Ore., Rose Garden
- 8/25:  Sacramento, Calif.,Power Balance Pavilion
- 8/28:  Fresno, Calif., Save Mart Center
- 8/30:  Reno, Nev., Reno Events Center
- 9/4:  Salt Lake City, Utah — EnergySolutions Arena
- 9/8:  Albuquerque, N.M., Tingley Coliseum
- 9/11:  El Paso, Texas, Don Haskins Center
- 9/13:  Austin, Texas, Frank Erwin Center
- 9/15:  Oklahoma City, Okla., Chesapeake Energy Arena
- 9/17:  Wichita, Kan. – Intrust Bank Arena
- 9/21:  Moline, Ill., Iwireless Center
- 9/25:  Milwaukee, Wis., Bradley Center

Related links:
VAN HALEN's Official Site

VAN HALEN Cancels A Ton Of Tour Dates! Did The Band Break Up Again?

VAN HALEN have postponed 31 dates on their 2012 North American tour. The postponed shows were to run from July 7 in Uncasville, CT through Sept. 25 in Milwaukee, WI.

No official reason has been given for the postponements, and there’s no word yet on when the rescheduled dates will be announced. BUT, Rolling Stone reports that Van Halen has “abruptly postponed” 30 North American tour dates that have been on the calendar since the tour was announced back in December. The tour’s promoter, Live Nation, did not comment on the matter, but a source told Rolling Stone that Van Halen’s members are “arguing like mad” and “hate each other.” Not surprising news, exactly, but definitely disappointing for fans of huge riffs and karate kicks.

(Note that these dates have been POSTPONED, not canceled. Several shows on Van Halen’s 2007-2008 were postponed as well, and all were ultimately rescheduled.)

The band has 13 upcoming shows which will go on as scheduled:

- 5/19:  St. Paul, Minn., Xcel Energy Center
- 5/22:  Kansas City, Mo., Sprint Center
- 5/24:  Denver, Colo., Pepsi Center
- 5/27:  Las Vegas, Nev., MGM Grand Garden Arena
- 6/1:    Los Angeles, Calif., Staples Center
- 6/3:    Oakland, Calif., Oracle Arena
- 6/5:    San Jose, Calif., HP Pavilion
- 6/12:   Anaheim, Calif, Honda Center
- 6/14:   San Diego, Calif – Viejas Arena
- 6/16:   Phoenix, Ariz., US Airways Center
- 6/20:   Dallas, Texas, American Airlines Center
- 6/22:   San Antonio, Texas, AT&T Center
- 6/24:  Houston, Texas, Toyota Center
- 6/26:   New Orleans, La., New Orleans Arena

The postponed dates:

- 7/7:  Uncasville, Ct., Mohegan Sun Arena
- 7/9:  Hampton, Va., Hampton Coliseum
- 7/11:  Philadelphia, Pa., Wells Fargo Center
- 7/13:  East Rutherford, N.J., Izod Center
- 7/15:  Baltimore, Md., 1st Mariner Arena
- 7/17:  Rochester N.Y., Blue Cross Arena
- 7/19:  Detroit, Mich., Joe Louis Arena
- 7/21:  London, Ontario, John Labatt Centre
- 7/24:  Toledo, Ohio, Huntington Center
- 7/26:  Grand Rapids, Mich., Van Andel Arena
- 7/28:  Cleveland, Ohio, Quicken Loans Arena
- 7/31:  Fort Wayne, Ind., Allen County Memorial Coliseum
- 8/2:  Columbus, Ohio, Schottenstein Center
- 8/4:  Knoxville, Tenn., Thompson-Boiling Arena
- 8/6:  Memphis, Tenn., FedEx Forum
- 8/8:  Birmingham, Ala., BJCC Arena
- 8/10:  Greenville, S.C., BI-LO Center
- 8/12:  Cincinnati, Ohio, US Bank Arena
- 8/21:  Spokane, Wash., Spokane Arena
- 8/23:  Portland, Ore., Rose Garden
- 8/25:  Sacramento, Calif.,Power Balance Pavilion
- 8/28:  Fresno, Calif., Save Mart Center
- 8/30:  Reno, Nev., Reno Events Center
- 9/4:  Salt Lake City, Utah — EnergySolutions Arena
- 9/8:  Albuquerque, N.M., Tingley Coliseum
- 9/11:  El Paso, Texas, Don Haskins Center
- 9/13:  Austin, Texas, Frank Erwin Center
- 9/15:  Oklahoma City, Okla., Chesapeake Energy Arena
- 9/17:  Wichita, Kan. – Intrust Bank Arena
- 9/21:  Moline, Ill., Iwireless Center
- 9/25:  Milwaukee, Wis., Bradley Center

Related links:
VAN HALEN's Official Site