Live Review – Support Act – My Chem Friday @ Wembley

4 minute review read

Intro

Guys guys guys – I saw My Chem at Wembley on the 10th!!! It was insanely good so instead of making one ridiculously long post I’m gonna make three parts: Joan Jett’s set, The Black Parade set (+ current lore breakdown) and the B-Set. After this post, I’m gonna break my schedule a bit and release The Black Parade one on the 16th, and the B-Set on the 17th. Hope youse enjoy!

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Joan Jett’s Set

So, I’m actually gonna start with a little bit about Wembley itself – getting in, atmosphere, that kinda thing. Although doors opened at 5, we turned up at 4 because we wanted to get a feel for the place and soak up the vibe. Safe to say, there was a lot of vibe to be soaked! Music was playing out of the Wembley speakers, and thankfully there was a breeze and shade to provide reprieve from the 34 degree heat (as a Scottish person, I basically died at that temperature).

When we started queueing, everyone was chatting and it was really amazing to see all the great clothes and hair – we all made a very varied and stylish bunch, many in full emo regalia or Black Parade uniform despite the crippling heat. As a country girl, I loved seeing all the scene and alternative outfits – unfortunately we don’t get that so much up here! The announcement telling people the ground rules of the venue was conducted as an official Draag broadcast – the fact that you can’t return to the venue if you leave the stadium during the show was ended with ‘And you may be executed’ as well as various other Draagian style warnings. If you have no idea what I’m on about, then make sure to head to my lore breakdown when its out!

The turnstiles were very quick to pass through – it was a much quicker and easier system than at the other big venues I’ve been to. Wembley have got their entrances and space worked out perfectly, so it was very smooth getting in and out.

When Joan Jett came on, the sun was still beating down on my section of sitting area (G,113, Row 22 – tell me if you were at the concert in general, but especially if you were nearby!) – but when it passed behind the part of roof over the stage about halfway through her set, everything became a lot more enjoyable. When the sun was up, my dad’s watch said it was 38 degrees at one point – far too hot to be expected to mentally function, let alone perform, so serious respect to both the bands for that.

Joan herself didn’t speak a lot – it was a simple rock’n’roll set, straightforward and brilliant. I think ‘still got it’ doesn’t quite cover the great shape her voice and band are in – especially considering she started in The Runaways in 1975! One of the songs she played was the first song she wrote for The Runaways, You Drive Me Wild (which was when she was 15! Makes me feel underachieving) and it still sounded amazing and present. I like that she played some deep cuts and more recent releases rather than just her hits – even though (Make The Music Go) Boom! from her most recent release sounds like it would be super cheesy, it was spectacularly fun live! (Weirdly, I don’t think her most recent EP is available in the UK on Spotify, but there’s plenty of live versions on YouTube).

I was a massive Joan Jett fan from 7-12, so seeing her was really as much of a dream come true as seeing My Chem – Cherry Bomb, You Drive Me Wild, Crimson and Clover and Bad Reputation are anthems of my childhood, as well as a pile of songs she didn’t play (I think my family got a bit tired of Little Liar, Neon Angels on the Road to Ruin and Jezebel after the 100th time). But, the only song I’m very grieved she didn’t play then was Androgynous – it’s brilliant live and was one of my very favourites as both a 7 year old with no idea what the lyrics meant, and a today-year-old who adores the message of acceptance and non-conformity.

However, we did have the great opportunity to see her at The O2 Academy Glasgow on the 2nd of this month. This venue is one of my favourites – 2,500 capacity and a beautiful art deco interior – the seats are very comfy, and is age-inclusive at music events for the likes of my younger sister. Her set there was very similar to her Wembley one, all the ones she played at Wembley plus about 7 more – including Androgynous! That song is seriously one of my favourites of her whole discography, and there’s a lot of discography to choose from.

Overall, Joan Jett is very much still a rocker, and if you ever get the chance to see her this legend should not be missed!