The band My Chemical Romance is facing legal action from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders over dancers’ stage costumes, but the band keeps having them wear the outfits anyway.
The disagreement started on October 21 when My Chemical Romance began a residency at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the group’s 2006 album The Black Parade. Now, they are caught up in a legal battle over some blue and white.
During the concert, backup dancers appeared onstage in blue-and-white outfits that looked remarkably like the iconic Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ uniforms. That alone might not have been such a big deal. What happened next, however, definitely got the cheerleaders’ attention.
According to NBC News, the dancers carried prop rifles and participated in a staged gunfight during the performance. Some were even depicted as being shot before crawling offstage.
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Want My Chemical Romance To Stop Using Their Uniforms
On October 23, Pro Silver Star Ltd., the company that owns the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders brand, filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against My Chemical Romance in Dallas County, Texas. The company claims the costumes were so similar to the real uniforms that some fans actually believed the performers were real Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
According to The Wrap, the lawsuit alleges the performance could damage the cheerleading squad’s reputation. Pro Silver Star says it previously contacted My Chemical Romance and asked the band to stop using the costumes, but the request was refused. The company is also seeking unspecified monetary damages.
“Silver Star does not ask Defendants to change their setlist, narrative, politics, choreography, or even their decision to put gun-toting performers on stage,” the filing states. “Silver Star asks only that those performers not wear the DCC Uniform while doing it.”
The band has not publicly commented on the lawsuit.
My Chemical Romance Apparently Isn’t Backing Down
Despite the legal action, My Chemical Romance reportedly used the same cheerleader-inspired costumes at its October 23 concert. According to the New York Post and NME, social media videos showed the dancers in the DCC outfits again.
My Chemical Romance still has two Hollywood Bowl performances scheduled for October 30 and 31. Whether the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders costumes will make another appearance remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, the parent company of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is waiting to see whether a judge will intervene.