A recent onstage stunt held at the October 21st opening of My Chemical Romance‘s Hollywood Bowl residency has found the band in legal hot water. During the emo rock champ’s performance of their signature track “Teenagers“, a group of dancers dressed as lookalikes of the cheerleaders for the Dallas Cowboys rushed to the stage to perform a dance routine, and later ‘save’ the band from a group of gun-toting masked men that that had MCR frontman Gerard Way under ‘gunpoint.’
The whole display was of course part of an action sequence that ties into the music and the band’s ‘Draag’-totalitarian stage production and concepts. The ‘guns’ in question were clearly visible as being flat, cardboard-styled cutouts, with white backgrounds around each to signify there was no real danger being posed.
After a tense ‘standoff’, the cheerleaders and masked men had a staged shootout, where no real ammunition was traded, but some fake blood special FX and more was used to simulate shots being traded.
That depiction didn’t sit well with Pro Silver Star Ltd., who own the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders brand. Rolling Stone report that Pro Silver Star Ltd. have filed a temporary restraining order and injunction against the band for infringing upon their trademark rights. As part of their complaint, that company was quoted as stating:
“Audience members and online commentators understandably believed that the performers were the real Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and said so in social media posts that continue to circulate.”
“Silver Star is not litigious, and it takes no issue with MCR’s music, its artistic ambitions, or any message Defendants seek to convey. Silver Star does not ask Defendants to change their setlist, narrative, politics, choreography, or even their decision to put gun-toting performers on stage. Silver Star asks only that those performers not wear the DCC Uniform while doing it. The universe of alternative costume designs is effectively unlimited.”
Despite the legal threats, the band once again invited the lookalikes onstage at the same venue last night, October 23rd as well. My Chemical Romance have been celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 4x platinum third studio album “The Black Parade” with this run of shows, with yesterday marking 20 years to the day that album first arrived.
The band’s residency at the Hollywood Bowl continues again tonight, October 24th, with further shows scheduled at that venue for October 30th and 31st.
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 https://t.co/x2Vz3NuGTI
— avery ??? ieroween (@gorebugs) October 22, 2026
