On August 22, 2025, My Chemical Romance brought their Long Live The Black Parade tour to the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Fans started lining up to get into the stadium around noon, and the air was buzzing with excitement.

We made our way to the gate to get in, which was right under a larger-than-life banner of Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. We both got through security, were handed double-sided Chicken / Fish signs (more on that later), and made our way down to our seats. The grass was protected by thick plastic squares that formed a makeshift floor on the pitch and we were soon in our seats right at the front of the B-stage. On the other side of the B-stage was the pit area and in front of that was the huge main stage which was flanked by two massive screens where the show would be projected. We still couldn’t believe we were really there as we settled in and got ready for Pixies to kick off the show.

Pixies came on stage to cheers, picked up their instruments, and launched into “Gouge Away” as the lights washed them in green. People started singing along and dancing. They ended the song to cheers and started up “Wave of Mutilation”, another track from their 1989 album Doolittle. The band wasted no time starting up their cover of “Head On” by The Jesus and Mary Chain which easily transitioned into their next song, “Debaser”.

A spotlight fell on lead singer and guitarist Black Francis for the beginning of “Hey” before the stage lit up blue. They went right into “Cactus” off 1988’s Surfer Rosa which was followed by another seamless transition by “Monkey Gone To Heaven”. The chorus of the song which showcased the interplay between Black Francis’ and bassist Emma Richardson’s voices wonderfully.

Emma’s deep bass tone perfectly ushered in the next song, a cover of Peter Ivers and David Lynch’s “In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)” which she also sang. Her voice was clear and powerful and added to the dreamy feeling of the track. “Here Comes Your Man” opened with vigorous acoustic guitar by Black Francis and had everyone dancing and singing along.

The acoustic guitar stayed out for “Vamos”, which starts out with Black Francis singing in Spanish before switching to English and showing off his vocal range. Guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer Dave Lovering were playing like there was no tomorrow. Emma’s bass tone was stellar, and when she joined Black Francis on vocals, they sounded so good. Joey took off his hat and used it to play the guitar for a bit before putting it back on his head and unplugging his guitar cable, which he then lifted above his head and touched both to his fingers and to the guitar, coaxing gorgeously dissonant sounds from the instrument. Black Francis barked. This song was one of my favourite parts of the set; everyone just shone.

Then the band launched into “Nimrod’s Son” off 1987’s Come On Pilgrim. The instruments all quieted as Black Francis delivered the line, “You are the son of a motherfucker”, coming back in with power after a count of “1-2-3-4.” The song sounded heavy and was another highlight of the set. Dave struck his drumsticks together to count in “Motorway to Roswell” (from their 1991 album Trompe le Monde), and the band were lit by otherworldly purple and green lights. After lots of applause, the band started up the UK Surf version of “Wave of Mutilation”, giving the song a completely different vibe. The band closed out their set with “Where Is My Mind?” which had everyone singing along. It was a great song to end on, and they left the stage to thunderous cheers.

The band never seemed to tire, and their energy was incredible from start to finish. I will forever be in awe of Joey Santiago’s guitar playing (those sounds!!) and how wonderfully seamless their transitions from song to song were. Pixies are a band that I’ve always enjoyed, but seeing them live made me want to revisit all of their albums. They sounded absolutely awesome, and I’m so glad I had the chance to see them.

Now, Long Live The Black Parade is more than just an album playthrough. While My Chemical Romance does play their seminal 2006 album The Black Parade in full, there is also a storyline that connects the shows, with each show containing its fair share of lore. The show takes place in Draag, an authoritarian country ruled by a Dictator, and the band are resurrected (or are cloned thanks to the Gemini Process) and reprogrammed every night due to their defiance of this system. While it is wholly possible to enjoy the show without knowing about any of the backstory, I decided to include a fair amount of it in my recounting. If you wish to avoid tour spoilers, please skip this part and move on ahead to the B-stage portion of the night.

Rules (“Rule 10: While partaking in community, corraboration is strictly prohibited”) started flashing on the sides of the stage, some written in the official language of Draag, Keposhka (created by Nate Piekos and Gerard Way), and some written in English. There were many concerning one of the main exports of Draag, wheat, including the old Draag saying, “Save your tears for the wheat.” If you didn’t already feel like you’d been transported to another place, this would do it. Slipped in amongst the rules were photos of people’s faces with an X through them, reminiscent of the “Exterminate” posters from their 2010 album Danger Days. Speaking of Danger Days, a symbol that looked very similar to the logo for Better Living Industries inside of an eye showed up on screen along with the words, “You’ve seen nothing.” This symbol also appeared on several amps on the main stage.

A ‘30s style microphone was placed on the B-stage and soon the saccharine sweet notes of Patience and Prudence’s take on Billy Rose and Lee David’s “Tonight You Belong To Me” filled the stadium. This was replaced by the steady beat of a military drum as percussionist of the Draag National Auxiliary Band, Tucker Rule, provided the soundtrack as two soldiers inspected the stage.

After everything was found to be to their liking, Marianne, a blind opera singer in a gorgeous red dress (played by Lucy Joy Altus), was led to the microphone on the B-stage by a sharply dressed older man. The lights lit up the wheat flags on top of the stage and Marianne started up “Over Fields”, the National Anthem of Draag.

This was the soundtrack as the band members filed on stage, lining up to have the newly eyepatched Clerk (played by Charlie Saxton) punch their timecards. Lead vocalist Gerard Way, having been freshly reanimated for the night’s performance, found his mark on stage, followed by guitarist Ray Toro and bassist Mikey Way. Guitarist Frank Iero was the last one to punch his card, which he produced from inside his pants with great effort before rezipping his fly. They were all wearing the updated military marching band uniforms, with Gerard sporting a new medal and Ray’s red sash brighter than ever.

Wasting no time, the band launched into “The End” which had everyone in my section singing along within seconds. They were not even one full song in and already the stadium was electric. “Dead!” came next, sounding as bombastic as ever and inspiring many to erupt into dance. Gerard led the crowd in clapping along during the bridge before leading an explosive sing-along to “la-la-lala,” which the Draag National Auxiliary Band joined in for as well.

After the closing notes of “Dead!” rang out, Gerard told us that the Black Parade’s performance was brought to us by a few different things, saying (in a Keposhkaian accent), “But the most important thing of all is the handsome gentleman here with us tonight, please, a round of applause for His Grand Immortal Dictator! And he’s never looked better. Wouldn’t you agree with that, Toronto?” as he gestured to the Dictator (a mannequin this time) sitting on a throne observing the stage. This was met with energetic booing from myself and the section I was in (no support for dictators, real or fictional, even if they are SAG eligible) before Gerard revealed that they were also there courtesy of “The Ministry of Complimentary Reconditioning” and gave the Auxiliary Band a well-deserved shout out.

Following a very excited “Are you ready? Let’s go!!”, the band started up “This Is How I Disappear” in a flash of bright blue light. Gerard held the mic out to the crowd after “That all the good girls go” and was met with the crowd roaring, “To heaven / Well, heaven knows” at the top of their lungs. People started moving their arms back and forth in the air when the song slowed down for the bridge, then when the song built back up, Gerard offered the mic to the crowd again for a very spirited “Fuck!” The band brought the song to new heights (the guitar solos! The bass! The drums!) before letting it fade out.

The Clerk, followed by a bright spotlight, came on stage carrying a leather-bound clipboard and after Gerard got some water, handed him a flat white sheet of paper. Gerard took the paper, reluctantly saluted the Clerk, and waited until the Clerk had walked off to read the note, giving him a look of derision as he left. Giving it a cursory glance and not being satisfied with the contents, Gerard crumpled the paper in his hand as the band began the intro to “Sharpest Lives”. During the first verse, Gerard tossed the paper ball into the crowd and amped up the volume. Everyone was playing as if their lives depended on it, injecting even more frenzy into the crowd’s energy.

The Clerk then came back on stage and was joined by several crew members who wheeled out a podium. After setting something on it, the Clerk left the stage. Gerard approached the podium like a cat eyeing a snake, circling it with distrust before giving it a couple of good slaps as if to say, “Hello there, old friend.” Taking the mic from the stand at the front of the stage, he attached it to the stand on the podium as the opening piano notes of “Welcome to the Black Parade” rang out. The crowd was at one of its strongest points here, with every single person in the venue singing along, I would not be surprised if we could be heard several blocks away, like what happened when they played it during their Swarm tour. The crowd reached a fever pitch on the lines, “We’ll carry on.” This was the first time I cried during the show, and it wouldn’t be my last. This was like being swept up in a tsunami of emotions and the only thing keeping me afloat was the barrier I was hanging on to for dear life.

“It is lovely to see you here, in this place where you live! It’s nice to see us here, I think, right?” Gerard asked the crowd only to be met with vigorous cheering. When we walked in, every audience member was given a sign. One side of the sign was orange and red with “Chicken” written on it in both English and Keposhka, and the other side was dark blue and light blue with “Fish” written on it, also in both languages. Now, at all of the shows leading up to Toronto, the signs read “Yay” or “Nay”. There were brief sightings of the “Chicken/Fish” signs at their show in Philly, but this was the first show where they fully replaced the “Yay/Nay” signs.

While Gerard was explaining how the election was going to work, the two soldiers from the beginning of the show took their positions on the B-stage along with four people (prisoners or clones of the band from the previous night?) dressed in black with bags over their heads. “What we are gonna decide right now is what is better: chicken or fish? Who fucking knows? Who fucking cares? They’re gonna die anyway,” Gerard told the crowd before saying, “I swear, I promise you so badly that one of these sides - chicken or fish - will save their lives. Trust me.” Liar.

It was time to decide, to participate in true democracy (not like any other kind exists in Draag, they certainly wouldn’t rig elections, and free choice definitely is not an illusion). The crowd held up their signs and voted overwhelmingly in favour of chicken. With a count of “Ready. Aim. Fire!” metal soldiers sprang from the floor of the B-stage, took their marks, and with a flash of bright light, a small explosion, and the deafening roar of guns, all four bodies dropped to the ground, reduced to husks. I could feel the heat from the explosion as Gerard made chicken noises. He then mumble-sang, “Fish or chicken, chicken or fish, grab a leg and make a wish. Or a fin, dive on in. Dinner’s always better with a cluck or a swim.”

“I Don’t Love You” was up next, the ballad a perfect backdrop as the crew started removing the bodies from the B-stage and loading them into a glass coffin to be wheeled away. Moving the brutality out of sight, out of mind. Gerard started off the song behind the podium before walking around the stage. The crowd joined in for the first chorus, the venue echoing with heartbreak. The band slowed the song down near the end, with Gerard’s voice dropping to barely a whisper as we all sang along. He threw another balled-up piece of paper and whipped a rubber chicken into the crowd as the song reached its end.

“Bonjour,” said Gerard first normally, then in a creepy voice. Two more “bonjours” followed before the howls kicked off the glorious chaos of “House of Wolves”. Frank’s vocals and Ray’s guitar solo on this song were both top-tier. The howls continued throughout the song, infusing the crowd with a joyous feral feeling.

The podium was wheeled away and the Clerk was back to cause havoc (or I guess, re-establish order in his case). Gerard and the Clerk had a discussion with the Clerk pointing aggressively at a piece of paper. Gerard then grabbed the piece of paper in a fit of defiance, crumpling it up and throwing it at the Clerk. This elicited massive cheers from the crowd. Then as if taunting him, Gerard turned his face to the Clerk, presenting it for the slap. The slap was so loud we could hear the resounding thwack back near the B-stage. From this part of the night on, every time Gerard’s face was shown, the mark of the Clerk could be seen.

“Cancer” was next, a touching, moving tale that captured the talents of the band as well as the Auxiliary Band extraordinarily. Kayleigh Goldsworthy’s violin playing and Clarice Jensen’s cello deserve a special shoutout, haunting and absolutely beautiful. They also ushered in “Mama” wonderfully.

The opening polka/klezmer swing of “Mama” started, with everyone clapping along to the beat. The lights turned red, creating an eerie atmosphere on the stage which was heightened by the backdrop that showed a situation room complete with radar scanners, maps, and a missile. Frank’s guitar work was nothing short of incredible. When Gerard got to, “They’re gonna find / A place for you and just you mind your manners when you go”, the Gentleman, a Charlie McCarthy-esque ventriloquist dummy whom he met in prison, appeared in his arms.

Gerard held out the Gentleman and bounced him up and down to the beat of the song before holding him close again. Fire was belching forth from the stage, framing the band in plumes of flame that got more intense as the song went on, adding to the hellish atmosphere of the song and cranking the temperature in the venue up a couple of degrees. After Gerard’s scream, a man on fire ran across the stage.

After a gorgeous breakdown that highlighted the range of Gerard’s voice, the polka ramped up and he introduced the crowd to the Gentleman properly. “The thing about the Gentleman is that this string back here [that controls his mouth], doesn’t work. But he talks. Oh, but he talks, and I love to hear him sing. One day, he leaned over to me and whispered this in my ear…” Gerard then launched into the new version of “Mama”, setting down the Gentleman and picking up a dagger, waving it around and singing lines such as, “Trust me, a dagger is just what this plot of ours needs” and “We’ll follow the script to the letter / Deposit his corpse in the sea.” The song built back up from there, with Gerard’s voice getting rougher as he punctuated each word with a stab, fire blossomed, and Frank, Mikey, and Ray started going harder on their instruments.

The song slowed down again with more dagger choreography as Gerard continued delivering new lyrics while Marianne was helped onto the B-stage again by the same well-dressed gentleman as before. Gerard threw over to her by saying, “Marianne loves to sing because when she sings, she sees everything!” Marianne then sang Liza Minelli’s part with incredible operatic power before singing the rest of the song with Gerard, each of his screams causing flames to leap from the stage. Kayleigh’s violin and Clarice’s cello played as Marianne was helped off the B-stage before the song exploded in pure rock greatness.

Gerard collected the Gentleman and took a seat in the middle of the stage, holding him on his lap as he read from the August 2025 edition of Vogue magazine, with Anne Hathaway on the cover. For past shows, Gerard has read from the Into the Quantum Realm edition of Scientific American as well as a book on trains. In Anne Hathaway’s Vogue cover story, she talks about her role in an upcoming movie called Mother Mary, which finds her playing a pop star who is having a hard time dealing with fame. The band continued playing during this time, the intensity of the instrumentation building as Gerard finished the article.

Piano started playing, signalling the beginning of “Sleep” which Gerard kicked off with a guttural scream. The lights were flashing red and blue, something that would be repeated throughout the song. They were very, very intense. Writing in Keposhka appeared on the backdrop before the lights began again. Gerard’s voice took on an almost mocking tone during “The hardest part / Is letting go of your dreams” before returning to normal. The clips of Gerard talking about experiencing night terrors that are present in the recorded version of the song were overlaid here by a voice counting down as a missile marked “Draag” filled the backdrop, ominous smoke curling around the base before being launched into the sky and flying along. Gerard’s voice took on new tones of desperation and harshness as the video of the missile fell away, being replaced by static.

As the band ended the song in a wash of melodic dissonance, the Clerk walked back on stage, standing behind Gerard and gesturing at his discarded jacket, which was draped over the back of the chair now occupied by the Gentleman. The Clerk picked up the jacket and gestured for Gerard to put it back on. Instead of doing that, Gerard picked up the Gentleman and moved him around in a little dance, trying to charm the Clerk. Needless to say, the Clerk was not moved and shook the jacket at Gerard again. With the Gentleman put in a safe place near the drums, Gerard approached the Clerk, pleading with him not to have to put the jacket back on. The Clerk then put it back on him by force, shoving him and pushing his arms into the sleeves, eliciting more booing from the crowd. With the jacket now back on, the Clerk pushed Gerard away and left the stage.

Gerard began circling the stage dejectedly as the bright colours of Draag’s TV offerings, including their most popular game show Quizzo, filled the screen and the band started “Teenagers”. Just before the first chorus, the backdrop was filled with two morphsuit-clad figures doing an interpretative dance about the harvesting of wheat, complete with blood made out of streamers and a scythe. The screen then cut to a commercial, but they would be back later on. The drums for this song were some of the loudest of the night and you could feel them in every fibre of your being. This song also had one of the loudest sing-alongs with everyone in the venue screaming and clapping along.

As “Teenagers” faded out, the screen returned to static before a trusted reporter with the Draag News Service came on, informing the crowd that with the push of a button, all life will soon cease to be, and the missile will etch Draag’s greatness in concrete. While he was speaking, the band started up the intro of “Disenchanted”, launching into the first verse right as the reporter ended the broadcast with, “Goodbye, my friends. Goodnight to all.” The song had a deeper, more ominous, and cinematic feeling, and the lyrics felt imbued with added poignancy. Near the end of the first verse, around the line, “It was a lie when they smiled and said, ‘You won’t feel a thing’” the Dictator appeared on screen directly behind the band. He was replaced by the waving flag of Draag for a brief moment near the end of the song before returning to see the song’s close.

Noise filled the venue as the band transitioned into “Famous Last Words”, a slow fire beginning on stage near Ray. I felt the wave of emotion overtake me, once again holding on to the barricade for dear life and yelling, “I am not afraid to keep on living / I am not afraid to walk this world alone” at the top of my lungs. I’ve long said “Famous Last Words” is the beating heart of The Black Parade and seeing it live only reaffirmed that. The fire spread as the song went on, engulfing the front of the stage and erupting in pillars near the sides. Sparks rained down from the ceiling. It married perfectly the music video for the song with the story of the show. Near the end of the song, a countdown clock appeared on the screen behind the band and when it reached zero, fire plumed out of the top of the stage as the band brought the song to a close, Frank’s guitar ringing out amid the smouldering of the flames.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the stage, an acoustic guitar hung in mid-air waiting for Ray to pick it up which he did shortly after, reducing the epic wall of noise to thoughtful, strummed chords. This was a reprise of “The End” (which they kicked off the show with), taking on a more introspective tone in its stripped-back and slowed-down state. A figure in black and white came onto the stage behind Frank (the opposite side of where the Clerk walked out), walking with purpose toward Gerard. At some point, Ray’s acoustic guitar was returned to its perch on the floating stand and he switched to an electric guitar.

As he turned to face the crowd, we could see he was Pierrot the Clown (also played by Charlie Saxton) with his painted face, pointed hat, and fluffy black buttons. He danced around the stage, stepping and stomping with glee before bringing his hands out from behind his back, revealing a dagger during the line, “Save me (Get me the hell out of here).” With his weapon revealed, Pierrot stumbled towards Gerard, looking sad as he reared back and stabbed him. Gerard crumbled to the floor, still singing and army-crawling to the middle of the stage. Pierrot looked distraught and collapsed onto the drum riser, where he pulled out a red rotary phone and made a call, Gerard’s blood staining his previously pristine white coat.

The band continued to play as Gerard lay on the floor with blood coming out of his mouth, convulsing as the mic dropped out of his hand and Pierrot looked on with horror had what he had done. Mikey ran off stage. Soldiers and crew members came out of the wings to throw bags over the heads of Frank and Ray, dragging them offstage as they struggled against their holds, continuing to play despite it all. With everyone gone, save for a still convulsing Gerard, Pierrot was the only fully living being remaining on stage.

He picked up the Gentleman and made him do a mocking little can-can dance before holding him close while walking around the stage. The plucky, circus-esque notes of the hidden track “Blood” started up and after making the Gentleman dance a little bit more, Pierrot let him crumple to the floor as he took up dancing duties. He almost slipped once in Gerard’s blood, which coated the stage, before continuing to high kick and wiggle his butt. Gerard convulsed a few more times during this. Pierrot flung off his jacket with a flourish, revealing a bomb strapped to his chest. With a sad wave and a kiss blown to the crowd, Pierrot exploded. The stage went black, save for a few spurts of flame, and a light shone on cellist Clarice Jensen, who had taken up residency on the B-stage. She started playing her beautiful and lively original composition “From A to B” as we waited for My Chemical Romance to take to the B-stage.

After changing out of their Black Parade uniforms, My Chemical Romance arrived at the B-stage and took up their positions to thunderous cheers. Gerard took a moment to thank Clarice Jensen, Kayleigh Goldsworthy, Tucker Rule, and the members of the Draag National Auxiliary Band, and Pixies for being one of their favourite bands and playing the show with them. Then he introduced the band, saying, “We’re My Chemical Romance from New Jersey. We’ve got a couple of songs for you.”

My Chemical Romance tore into “Boy Division” from the first Conventional Weapons single, sending the crowd into a frenzy of dancing and singing along. The band looked like they were having the time of their lives, everyone had massive smiles on their faces (especially Ray, who didn’t stop beaming) and were giving their all to the song, something that would continue throughout their time on the B-stage. Gerard was putting everything into the vocals, Ray and Frank were absolutely shredding, Mikey was moving around the stage without missing a beat, and Jarrod Alexander was bringing life to the drums.

Gerard dedicated the next song, “Thank You For The Venom” off 2004’s Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, to a kid from Make-A-Wish they had met earlier in the day named JM. The venue fucking exploded. The energy was extremely high during their Black Parade set, but took on even more life during the B-stage performance. Everyone was dancing, jumping, and screaming along.

After an extended outro, Gerard told the crowd that that night’s set had been put together by a guest coordinator (instead of Frank) and congratulated him on doing a very good job before playing “Summertime” from their 2010 album Danger Days. Jamie Muhoberac absolutely killed it on the keys. Everyone joined in for “You can run away with me / Anytime you want” and started waving their arms in time to the beat. That move was started by someone in the pit and it spread across the entire stadium.

We got back-to-back songs from Danger Days as the band launched into “Planetary (GO!)” to many loud cheers. Everyone was moving, making the line, “I can’t stop now because I’m dancing,” ring more true than ever before. I never thought I’d see this song live, and it knocked my socks off. Danger Days is one of my favourite MCR albums and being able to feed my inner Killjoy felt fucking amazing.

“That’s fucking fun!” exclaimed Gerard, looking elated, adding, “I will say, not that many people wanted to dance back in 2011 or 12, which is fine. I’m just happy people wanna dance now.” If MCR ever did a full Danger Days tour, I would be among the first in line.

They broke up the run of Danger Days tunes with “Ghost of You” off Revenge. Phone lights (and lighters) went up into the air as people swayed and sang along. There were a lot of emotions being purged that night and I was once again gripping the barricade as I sang along. Gerard’s voice was strong, clear, and full of emotion. During the bridge, when everything gets quiet, Gerard’s voice dropped to a whisper as he pointed at the crowd to deliver the poignant “Down” before the song explodes. It was incredibly special to see this song live and scream the lyrics along with so many others. It was a very cathartic and beautiful experience.

Gerard shouted out the wonderful Charlie Saxton, saying, “I told him to slap me extra hard today, you know? And he does every time.” The crowd started up a “Mikey” chant, with a few “Mikey Fucking Way”s thrown in for good measure. Gerard also threw in a “Mikey Fucking Way” before talking with Frank about what someone once told them the key to success was (“You gotta take your shirt off”), ending the story with, “I was like, dude, no. Nobody wants to see that. Never saw that guy again.” Then they headed back into the desert and started up “SING”.

At some point during “SING” Mikey dropped his pick and effortlessly switched to playing with his fingers before grabbing a new pick. Gerard acknowledged this after the song, saying, “Mikey Way locked eyes with me, fucking playing that bass with his fingers. I was like, when the fuck did he start doing this? I thought he had completely changed the way he played bass.” Then Gerard put on a hat to go “thrash mode” and introduced “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” as the “fucking ultimate summer jam” (which it is).

The red lights came back and everyone screamed along to the song. Frank and Ray added in incredible backing vocals. The energy went up even higher and everyone was coated by a sheen of sweat. I almost lost my hat headbanging. Near the end, Gerard held the mic out to the crowd for “I’m not okay” and the “Kay” part of “Okay” and the stadium fucking roared back. Frank’s “I’m okay now” and “Trust me” were incredibly strong. Ray’s headbanging also reached a fever pitch during this song and Mikey ended the song with a jump.

Gerard gave a well-deserved shoutout to the incredibly talented Jamie Muhoberac (on keys) and Jarrod Alexander (on drums) before saying they were in the studio. This was quickly covered up by Gerard making beeping noises, doing kind of a robot dance, and saying, “Look at me, I’m a computer man!” Then they introduced their next song, Black Parade B-side “Kill All Your Friends”. The crowd went fucking wild.

I’ve said it a few times in this review, but “Kill All Your Friends” was a song that I definitely never thought I’d ever hear live. The lights came up red and everyone was partying like the funeral had just ended (which, in a way, it had). The stadium filled with joyous “ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba”s during each chorus. After the song was over, a member of MCR’s crew came over and handed my best friend one of Mikey Way’s picks. We freaked out.

Gerard made more computer man noises before introducing the next song with, “Killjoys, make some noise!” The stadium erupted as the band went into “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)”. The lights filled the room with colour, making Mikey’s sparkly silver bass shine even brighter. Everyone showed the band their best jazz hands and we were dancing like there was no tomorrow.

Gerard went over to one side of the stage and talked a bit with someone who they went to a museum with years ago, saying, “It’s nice to see you here,” before the band started up the call-and-response-filled extended intro to “Helena”. Everyone was clapping and singing along to whatever Gerard prompted us to. When the quieter intro began, everyone was already singing along, the strength of which increased when the song kicked into high gear. Jarrod’s drumming was next level. The volume of the crowd was near its peak for, “When both our cars collide” and “Things are better if I stay” as Gerard held out his mic. The song ended with a bang as everyone left everything on stage, cranking the energy up way past 11. Frank threw out some of his leftover picks to the crowd to close out the night.

The love and care the band members have for each other shone through. Gerard and Ray headbanging together with massive smiles on their faces was one of the highlights of the night. The camaraderie was palpable and that extended to the crowd, at least where we were, making it an incredible environment. The band also made sure that everybody who made the night possible was thanked. The energy exchange between the band and the crowd was spectacular and kept getting stronger as the night went on. To say I felt rejuvenated after this show would be a vast understatement. It felt like all the stress and tension melted away and hope for the future returned.

The level of production on MCR’s Long Live The Black Parade is nothing short of phenomenal. They created a whole world and have committed to telling an ongoing story. The level of detail and amount of lore in each show is a treasure trove. It transports you and makes you see so many songs off The Black Parade in a new light. The B-stage set is also incredibly special. With minimal production, the band perform with all their hearts and really bring the audience into each song. Like I said in my review for the Swarm tour in 2022, I cannot overstate how amazing My Chemical Romance are live. I’m looking forward to seeing how the Long Live The Black Parade tour concludes, and I hope that I’ll get a chance to see them again in the future.