photo courtesy of Warner Brothers Records.

Other articles by Kevin W. Smith:

Mogwai loves performing for its U.S. fans Singing career comes full circle Director plugs into his passion Say I do to HoCoHoCo: Mother Truckers make a Tucson runMusician, dog lover, activistTucson's HoCo Festival celebrates local, national musical talentNeko Case: Singer, songwriter, animal loverJames Blunt: Celebrity label a way to 'dehumanize' Last visit: Tickets were the hardest part

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MYSTERY SHOPPERS

Saturday night at the Rialto Theatre, My Chemical Romance featured a bassist, two guitarists, a drummer, a keyboardist and some 1,400 singers.

Such is the devotion of My Chemical Romance fans, some of whom had been lined up outside the venue since noon to see the popular New Jersey hard-rock act.

The wait paid off when the house lights dimmed some nine hours later with chants of "M-C-R" bouncing off the venue's historic walls.

The group opened with the driving swing of "Sleep" followed by its breakthrough smash, "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)," as the sold-out crowd of all ages, hairstyles and variations of painted faces danced and sang in unison.

At times, vocalist and focal point Gerard Way was barely necessary as his lyrics were transformed into communal sing-alongs.

While the majority of the record industry is in complete tailspin, since 2004 My Chemical Romance's three major releases — two studio albums and a live package- have gone platinum.

Part of the appeal is owed to the group's appreciation for everything a big-name American rock act should be: full of mystique, theatrics and spectacle, with lots of attention to arena performance detail.

Live, My Chemical Romance turns almost every one of its cartoonishly dark hard rock songs into lung-clearing anthems.

"To un-explain the unforgivable /Drain all the blood /And give the kids a show," Way sings in "This Is How I Disappear."

At the Rialto, the band played up its full catalog, running through almost all of 2006's "The Black Parade" and choice cuts from 2004’s "Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge" and 2002's "I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love."

At no time during the hour-and-a-half set did any of the six band members look like they were having anything besides the time of their lives.

With black denim pants, vest and unkempt stringy black hair, 30-year-old vocalist Way appears like the kind of unpredictable guy you'd get nervous sitting next to on a long plane ride.

Yet he proves himself to be one of the most naturally charasmatic frontmen alive, like Bono for the Prozac generation. He's constantly moving, delivering confident drama, and managing excellent vocal control while chain-smoking.

The rest of the group is also ace, particularly guitarist Ray Toro, who pumps so much energy through his axe he could give Tucson Electric Power some competition.

Together My Chemical Romance is a stadium-shaking machine, deserving of every bit the adulation given when Way holds up his arms and cuffs his hands to signal applause.

This is the same band that last year headlined the massive Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, which regularly hosts acts like Justin Timberlake and Stevie Wonder.

On that 2007 tour, My Chemical Romance performed wearing black-and-white marching-band uniforms (think "Sgt. Pepper" meets a funeral) coinciding with a massive stage show.

Saturday night, the members were in t-shirts-and-jeans-mode and the stage production was bare bones: just a plain black backdrop with some lights, leaving the music unfettered.

The group is playing smaller venues on its current tour, hence the Rialto stop, bringing a feeling of surreality to the experience.

Singer Way said it would be My Chemical Romance's last live run for a while as it prepares to record its fourth album, a rumored return to its raw roots.

"We wanted to do this last round in these really small places, so we could see all your faces," he said. Opening the show were Drive By and Billy Talent, but it was clear from the fans' attire — from homemade t-shirts to black-and-white striped fingerless gloves — whom people were there to see.

The early highlight of My Chemical Romance's set was the epic thrill of "Welcome To The Black Parade," which only took the opening, ominous piano notes to get the crowd exploding.

Knockouts like "Dead!," "The Sharpest Lives," a tender version of "Cancer," and an absolutely ripping rendition of "Teenagers" all set up the band's climax: the show- closing "Helena."

The cathartic chorus of "Helena," with Way spastically screaming "So long and good night," leaves you lightheaded, like jumping off a skyscraper.

But My Chemical Romance is not the type of band to let you fall. It looks out for its own.