Why My Chemical Romance’s Black Parade Shows Suddenly Turned Into a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Legal Fight

My Chemical Romance’s Black Parade anniversary run at the Hollywood Bowl has picked up an unexpected side story. The band has agreed to stop using costumes that the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders say too closely resemble their trademarked uniform while a lawsuit over an onstage skit moves forward.

The dispute centers on a stage sequence from the band’s recent Hollywood Bowl performance, where dancers appeared in blue and white outfits that the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders say copied their famous look. Court records show an emergency restraining order hearing that had been set for Oct. 28 in Collin County, Texas, did not go ahead because an agreement was reached, and sources say My Chemical Romance agreed to stop using the costumes while the case remains pending.

That matters because the band still had two more Hollywood Bowl dates on the calendar, Oct. 30 and Halloween, as part of its celebration of the 20th anniversary of 2006’s The Black Parade.

dude this is so fucking cool. all of the dallas cowboy cheerleaders coming to save gerard . all with guns . GODDDD #mcrhollywood

video from mis_adventures on ig https://t.co/x2Vz3NuGTI

— avery 🗡️ ieroween (@gorebugs) October 22, 2026

Why the costumes became an issue

The lawsuit was filed late Friday in Texas by Pro Silver Star, the parent company that owns the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders trademark. Its complaint focused on a provocative part of the show staged at the Hollywood Bowl the previous week.

According to video cited in the case, dancers in star-spangled uniforms that the plaintiffs say infringed on the cheerleaders’ trademark rushed onto the stage carrying rifles. They were shown aiming at black-clad troops representing a fictional dictatorship, and the scene turned into a mock gun battle.

The lawsuit argued that the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders brand was built through dedication, character, community, and decades of entertaining American troops, and said that image was being placed into a performance where the uniform was worn by people shown shooting and being shot. In other words, the complaint was not simply about visual similarity. It was also about the context in which the look appeared.

What changed in court

Online records show the scheduled restraining order hearing ended without a courtroom showdown because the sides reached an agreement. A lawyer for the cheerleaders was present, but no lawyer for My Chemical Romance appeared, according to those records.

A minute order said the judge directed the parties to confer about the relief being requested because the plaintiff had narrowed that request. The records did not make clear exactly what had changed.

One concrete update did emerge on Wednesday, when the cheerleaders’ lawyers filed a notice removing concert promoter Live Nation as a defendant. Live Nation had already submitted a notice seeking to move the case into federal court.

Representatives for the parties did not respond to requests for comment.

What the lawsuit is, and is not, trying to do

Pro Silver Star’s complaint drew a line that helps explain why this story has gone beyond a routine trademark filing. The company said it was not asking the band to alter its setlist, the storyline of the performance, its politics, its choreography, or even the decision to include performers carrying guns onstage. What it wanted, the filing said, was simply for those performers not to wear the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders uniform while doing it.

The company also argued that there was no shortage of other design options, saying the number of possible alternative costumes was effectively unlimited.

Even with the agreement now in place, the timing has drawn attention because other videos from the Friday night show still showed dancers wearing the outfits at the center of the case. The next immediate question is what audiences at the remaining Hollywood Bowl shows will see instead.

After those final Los Angeles dates, My Chemical Romance is scheduled to begin the Asian leg of its Black Parade anniversary tour on Nov. 7 in South Korea. The itinerary then continues with shows in Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.