Nostalgia can make for an interesting set list. For some big-name musicians, the highlight of a concert might come when they play a deep cut from their catalog, something fans haven’t heard in years. (Taylor Swift and Bob Dylan are both fond of this one.) Others dip into someone else’s back catalog — playing someone else’s hit, sometimes with that artist in tow. Olivia Rodrigo does this a lot; so too have artists from Metallica to Sabrina Carpenter. And if that all seems a little weird, well, it’s better than the AI alternative.
Over the weekend, My Chemical Romance headlined MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. This was notable for a few reasons, not the least of which is that MCR is from the Garden State themselves, and is only one of a handful of artists from New Jersey to play the state’s largest venue.
Call it a homecoming if you like. But it’s also notable that the group decided to engage in the time-honored tradition of covering someone else’s song on the biggest stage possible — in this case, another band from the state, and one who named one of their albums New Jersey. As Ultimate Classic Rock reported, MCR vocalist Gerard Way announced that the band would play “what may be the New Jersey state anthem.” That song? Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.”
Bruce Springsteen Teams With The Gaslight Anthem for the Most Jersey Song Ever
“History Books” is from the band’s forthcoming albumIn 2023, Bruce Springsteen teamed up with The Gaslight Anthem for one of the most New Jersey songs imaginable. Now, it seems like Gerard Way and company have raised the bar. What might come next? Hopefully, it won’t involve a hologram of Frank Sinatra.
As Way revealed when introducing the song, the idea to cover the song came from a karaoke performance. From a karaoke bar to the largest stage in the New York metropolitan area? Not bad at all.
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