Updated
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are taking legal action against My Chemical Romance after the rock band featured dancers wearing uniforms resembling the iconic blue-and-white outfits during a violent staged shootout at a sold-out Hollywood Bowl concert.
Pro Silver Star Ltd., the company that owns the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (DCC) brand, filed for a temporary restraining order and temporary injunction on Friday, October 23, accusing the band of misusing the cheerleaders’ federally registered uniform and damaging the brand’s reputation. The filing seeks to stop the disputed costumes from appearing in the band’s remaining Hollywood Bowl performances.
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At the center of the dispute is a theatrical sequence in My Chemical Romance’s production of The Black Parade, which transforms the band’s 2006 concept album into a dystopian stage spectacle complete with pyrotechnics and simulated armed conflict.
During the October 21 performance, female dancers wearing outfits resembling the DCC uniform appeared onstage with rifles before being depicted as casualties in a staged firefight, according to the complaint filed by attorney Alex Spiro.
The company says it is not trying to dictate the band’s music
Silver Star argues that the resemblance was so convincing that some concertgoers and social media users believed the performers were actual Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, creating an unwanted association between the organization and the violent scene. The company included side-by-side images of the official uniform and the concert costumes, along with screenshots of online reactions, in its filing.
Cowboys Cheerleaders say the issue is the uniform, not the performance
Silver Star is drawing a distinction between My Chemical Romance’s artistic freedom and its use of a recognizable brand identity. The company says it is not trying to dictate the band’s music, choreography, political messaging or decision to stage a simulated gun battle. Instead, it wants the performers to stop wearing costumes it considers too similar to the DCC uniform.
“Silver Star does not ask Defendants to change their setlist, narrative, politics, choreography, or even their decision to put gun-toting performers on stage. Silver Star asks only that those performers not wear the DCC Uniform while doing it,” the filing states. “The universe of alternative costume designs is effectively unlimited,” it adds.
The company also says it sent My Chemical Romance a cease-and-desist letter on October 22. According to the complaint, the band did not comply with the request, prompting Silver Star to seek emergency court intervention. The legal dispute centers on the uniform’s protected status and whether its use in the concert production infringes Silver Star’s rights or damages the goodwill associated with the DCC brand. The allegations have not yet been resolved by a court.
My Chemical Romance faces pressure ahead of more shows
The timing gives the dispute immediate consequences. My Chemical Romance has additional Hollywood Bowl performances scheduled for October 24, 30 and 31, following the October 21 opening show and the October 23 performance.
Silver Star’s request for a temporary restraining order and injunction puts the disputed costumes at the center of a legal fight that could affect the remaining dates. A request for emergency relief, however, is not the same as a court order; the filing itself does not establish that the band is legally prohibited from using the outfits.
My Chemical Romance had not immediately responded to The Wrap’s request for comment, according to the publication’s report. The concern for the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders is protecting a carefully cultivated identity. The question now is whether a court will intervene before the band’s Hollywood Bowl run concludes.