In the world of rock 'n' roll, some things never fail to please.

Giant confetti drops. Smoke machines and huge displays of pyrotechnics. The guitar solo.

The power ballad. Showers of sparks pouring from the ceiling.

My Chemical Romance used them all to great effect Sunday night, with a show that soared at times but was too predictable at others.

With singer Gerard Way brought in on a gurney as The Patient, the band kicked off the show by presenting its concept album The Black Parade in its entirety.

That's a bit of a risk anytime, but the album has been so well-received by fans that it was enthusiastically embraced. It did put the band in the position, however, of having to do its biggest hit, Welcome to the Black Parade, just five songs into the concert.

The question, of course, is whether six musicians could pull off the ambitious material in a live setting, particularly the soaring Welcome to the Black Parade.

Way and company proved themselves up to the task, with sweat running down his white-makeup face just three songs into the album.

Dressed in the same skeletal marching-band suits as the song's video, the band delivered the music with flair and a theatrical bent that had much of the young crowd entranced. This is the generation that came of age in the soul-killing era of Britney and *NSYNC, so seeing this level of ambition and showmanship - glam rock with a punk edge - was, for many, a revelation.

The band isn't shy about its influences; pre-show music included selections from Pink Floyd and Queen.

Way's showmanship and charisma managed to push a lot of the music over the top, descending into pure camp at times with a preening walk and a goading of the crowd with a hand cocked to his ear. A muddy mix, unfortunately, left his voice and guitarist Ray Toro's leads buried at times.

They worked through the entire album in an hour, then hit the stage sans uniforms to provide another half-hour's worth of their previous work, kicking off with I'm Not OK (I Promise) and working through material from their first two albums.

Opening the show was Rise Against, a band so popular in Denver that some fans wondered why they weren't headlining. My Chemical Romance handpicked the band to open this leg of the tour because of the band's sharp music and social stances, particularly singer Tim McIlrath's anti- animal-cruelty crusade.

The band whipped through a too-short set of songs from its latest and best album, The Sufferer and the Witness, with a particularly potent version of Ready to Fall.