Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders sued My Chemical Romance after an ignored warning
Gerard Way joked about the lookalike squad from the Hollywood Bowl stage, but the organization swiftly escalated the trademark clash to a judge.
The company behind the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders has taken My Chemical Romance to court after dancers appeared on stage wearing lookalike versions of the squad’s famous uniform. Pro Silver Star Ltd. filed a lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order and a temporary injunction against the rock band, according to court documents reported by TheWrap and TMZ.
Represented by attorney Alex Spiro, Pro Silver Star filed the legal action following the band’s concert on October 21 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. During performances of the songs “Teenagers” and “Disenchanted,” backup dancers wore lookalike versions of the trademarked blue-and-white uniform. The performers initially carried pom-poms before brandishing prop rifles in a staged firefight against fictional authoritarian soldiers, eventually collapsing to crawl off stage.
The warning ignored
The concert took place during My Chemical Romance’s sold-out five-night residency celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 2006 album, The Black Parade. Frontman Gerard Way leaned into the spectacle during the show, asking the audience from the stage, “Were those really the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders?… Thank you Dallas.”
Pro Silver Star sent a formal cease-and-desist letter to the band on October 22, requesting they stop using the protected uniform design. As reported by Stereogum and The Mirror US, the band refused to comply with the demand and repeated the exact routine during their concert on October 23.
That refusal led the cheerleading organization to seek emergency relief in court. In the petition, Pro Silver Star argued that the performance caused “irreparable harm to the reputation and goodwill Silver Star has cultivated in the DCC brand.”
Confusion among fans
The legal filing asserts that the unauthorized costumes confused spectators and led people to assume the organization had endorsed the display. “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 filing states.
Online reactions quickly multiplied after concert footage surfaced. Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Kylie Dickson expressed confusion on social media regarding the concert stunt, Stereogum reported. Meanwhile, concertgoers and online commentators debated whether the routine was an artistic parody or trademark infringement, with some users initially mistaking the dancers for real squad members.
In the court documents, Pro Silver Star emphasized that it was not attempting to stifle the band’s creative expression or political themes, which involve an authoritarian regime called “Draag.”
“Silver Star is not litigious, and it takes no issue with MCR’s music, its artistic ambitions, or any message Defendants seek to convey,” the petition states. “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 universe of alternative costume designs is effectively unlimited.”
What happens next
This is not the first time cheerleading attire has factored into the band’s live shows. Way previously wore a cheerleading uniform on stage during a tour stop at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville in August 2022.
It remains unconfirmed whether My Chemical Romance will alter the dancers’ outfits for the remaining dates of their Hollywood Bowl run. It is also not yet known whether the judge will grant the requested temporary restraining order, or what formal legal defense the band’s counsel will present in response to the infringement claim.
