Before opening for MCR, Violent Femmes played before ... Kid Rock?

Violent Femmes are among the bands opening for My Chemical Romance's just-announced 2025 stadium tour. While the "Blister in the Sun" outfit doesn't sound much like the "Helena" rockers, MCR isn't the most unexpected act with whom they've shared a bill.

Speaking with ABC Audio in 2023, frontman Gordon Gano recalled the time Violent Femmes played before Kid Rock at a festival.

"Basically all the people I saw were down front for Kid Rock, who was coming on after us," Gano shared.

Gano felt that the event "still was a good festival," even if a "good percentage of [Kid Rock fans] had their actual backs to us."

"They were very polite, because they were very quiet and just patiently waiting out the nonsense that they were having to deal with us before Kid Rock," Gano said. "So, that's not a perfect match."

As much of an understatement as that might be, the idiosyncratic sound and style of Violent Femmes makes it hard for them to be a "perfect match" with any other band. That, Gano feels, is a major part of the group's appeal.

"I've never been concerned about fitting in or not fitting in," Gano said. "We just do what we do, and in a way it's like, then it always fits in. It always works."

Violent Femmes will open the first date of My Chem's tour, taking place July 11 in Seattle. For each show, MCR is playing their 2006 album, The Black Parade, in full.

Other openers include Evanescence, Garbage, Death Cab for Cutie, 100 gecs, Wallows, Thursday, Alice Cooper, Pixies, Devo and IDLES.