Key Takeaways
- My Chemical Romance brought dancers dressed like Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders onstage during “Teenagers” and a staged firefight set to “Disenchanted” at the Hollywood Bowl.
- Cheerleaders parent company Pro Silver Star sought a restraining order and preliminary injunction, arguing that fans mistook the dancers for the real squad and asking only that performers “not wear the DCC Uniform.”
- The band used the costumes again at its next Hollywood Bowl show and has not addressed the filing, though parody protections could limit further legal action.
Alternative rock and emo mainstays My Chemical Romance are currently touring around the world in celebration of the 20th anniversary of their beloved 2006 album The Black Parade, but they’ve attracted legal issues after they pulled a stunt involving cheerleaders in outfits reminiscent of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
MCR kicked off the Long Live The Black Parade tour last year, drawing in aging millennials and new fans alike for their theatrical take on emo rock. They’re currently in the middle of a run of five shows at Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, and during the first show on Oct. 21, they brought out dancers onstage for the performance of their song “Teenagers.” The dancers appeared in outfits reminiscent of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ iconic uniforms, and later rejoined the stage for a performance of “Disenchanted” and engaged in a staged firefight.
Due to the resemblance to the Cowboys Cheerleaders outfits, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders parent company, Pro Silver Star, filed a preliminary injunction and a temporary restraining order against the band in Dallas County, Texas last week. Despite the lawsuit, they’ve since performed with the same costumes during the second show at the Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 23.
As reported by NBC News, the filing accused the band of using the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders imagery without consent and “depicted” them being shot onstage.
“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,” the legal documents read.
Pro Silver Star asserted that they were “not litigious" and “takes no issue with MCR’s music, its artistic ambitions, or any message Defendants seek to convey.” However, “Silver Star asks only that those performers not wear the DCC Uniform while doing it… The universe of alternative costume designs is effectively unlimited.”
My Chemical Romance has not directly responded to the legal action, but due to parody law, they could be protected against more serious litigation.
