My Chemical Romance have released a new animated short film with a pretty formidable voice cast, including Phoebe Bridgers, Billie Eilish, Hideo Kojima, and actor John C. McGinley. “Prelude to the End,” a collaboration with visual artist Lauren Tsai, arrives just after the band dropped a 20th-anniversary reissue of their album The Black Parade last week.
“Prelude to The End” follows Astrid, a girl studying at a boarding school in New England overrun with trash. After falling down the school’s garbage chute in search of a beloved sketchbook, she enters a new, uncanny realm of old ideas that come to life. Bridgers voices Astrid’s sister, while Eilish lends her vocals to Astrid’s close friend. Kojima plays a character called the Teacher, and McGinley voices an even more imposing administrative figure: The Dean. The film includes a live recording of Pascal Dusapin’s Flying River, Violin Concerto, performed by Utopia Orchestra and conducted by Giuseppe Mengoli.
My Chemical Romance Face Legal Action From Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Over Stage Costumes
The emo icons are the first band to play five consecutive nights at the venue, and the cheerleaders donned fake rifles for their performance.
My Chemical Romance brought out the ‘Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ during a performance of ‘Teenagers’ at The Hollywood Bowl.
dude this is so fucking cool. all of the dallas cowboy cheerleaders coming to save gerard . all with guns . GODDDD #mcrhollywood
video from mis_adventures on ig pic.twitter.com/x2Vz3NuGTI
— avery 🗡️ ieroween (@gorebugs) October 22, 2026
Owner of the cheerleader brand files injunction to stop band from having dancers wearing Cowboys-inspired outfits during violent "Teenagers" sequence.
The group opened their residency at the Los Angeles venue on Wednesday, with the band modifying their performance of “Teenagers” to now include dancers in Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (DCC) outfits who then, according to the legal documents, “armed themselves with rifles in a staged firefight, only to be depicted being shot.”
The moment took place as the emo icons kicked off their five-night residency at the iconic venue on Wednesday night (October 21), celebrating the 20th anniversary of their hit album ‘The Black Parade’.
During the gig, they broke out the album in full alongside some of their other biggest tracks, and surprised fans during their rendition of ‘Teenagers’ by bringing out cheerleaders dressed like the Dallas Cowboys’ Cheerleaders.
It isn’t uncommon for the real DCC to make surprise appearances at concerts in the US – previously bringing their choreography to shows from Post Malone, Kacey Musgraves, Dolly Parton and more.
That being said, it wasn’t the actual group who appeared alongside Gerard Way and co. on the night, and the dance routine was noticeably different from the usual moves the DDC break out – with the performers at the Hollywood Bowl donning fake rifles and defending the band, before crawling off stage after “being shot”.
