They were actually playing videos, just like old times! It was the rock
countdown or something like that. The one that jumped out at me was
“Helena” by My Chemical Romance. I was impressed by how over the top it
was, it sure looked intentional what with the death theme, elements of
Kabuki, and even ballet. They had managed to make it so surreal, so
overly emotional that it became a performance moreso than just a song.
It actually reminded me a bit of some things I’ve ruminating about
Bowie for a while. There’s a catch though, without the video, “Helena”
collapses into melodramatic pop rock. You really need the video and the
backstory (it was an angryn letter the singer wrote to himself for
staying on the road during the last year of his grandmother’s life) for
the song to be compelling at all. Bowie’s stuff benefits from knowing
the overall story of the album and his theatrics reinforce the story,
but the music does stand on its own. My prediction is that My Chemical
Romance really sucks live…
Isaac
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