Gerard Way Wows Los Angeles Crowd With ‘Hesitant Alien’ Concert

With the recent release of his debut solo album, the highly praised ‘Hesitant Alien,’ former My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way kicked off a series of shows this week on the west coast. Monday night (Oct. 13) at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, Way generated so much sparkle and heat in an already packed-to-the rafters club.

Taking the stage at 10PM sharp after a solid and entertaining set by the Eeries, Way and his band took the loyal (and often squealing) crowd through the whole of the album, along with a couple of cover tunes including the pre-encore set closer, ‘Snakedriver’ by the Jesus and Mary Chain.

In a royal blue suit and freshly dyed orange hair, Way presented the music as the captivating and charismatic performer that he has become after so many years in the spotlight fronting MCR.

The music on the new album is a fresh and energetic morphing of Brit-pop and early '70s glam -- rife with angsty, electromagnetic grooves and charged with nervous, throbbing hooks and swirling, soaring choruses. For those who remember, there are shadows and tastes of the Bowie, Mott the Hoople, T. Rex and other shiny and mythical '70s rock-pop icons.

But, this is still modern, meaningful music.

The present-day Diamond Dog clutched the mic in desperate poses à la Johnny Rotten at times, while other times he bopped around the stage, jittery, jacked up and seeming genuinely excited about the music.

As a performer, Way has the ability to go from punky and preening to cool cabaret in the blink of an eye without it ever seeming forced or contrived. And throughout the night, the crowd shifted and reacted to each of his poses as if locked in his gravitational pull.

It's a great show, especially in a small space where Way’s nuances can be carefully noticed. He is a bonafide rock star, and the current album feels less of a reinvention than a reclaiming of who he is as an artist.

It was, not surprisingly, a magnificently entertaining night. Check out our shots from the show below:

Gerard Way -- Los Angeles' Troubadour