On Oct. 31, 2019, people all around the world woke up, ready to celebrate Halloween. I was in eighth grade, and in true middle school fashion, was in the thick of my emo phase, harnessing every cringey cliche out there. I had already planned to dress in the aesthetic of My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade and had stolen just enough black eye makeup from my mom to complete the look. As I walked out of school and onto my bus, a text hit my phone. I could have never anticipated that on guitarist Frank Iero’s 38th birthday, as my best friend informed me, My Chemical Romance was reuniting and playing their first show in six years that upcoming December. 13-year-old me was screaming, crying off all the eyeliner I had put on and so excited that a band I never thought I’d have the chance to see were taking the stage again.
Six years later, on Sept. 7, I finally made it to their show. After regretfully missing their reunion tour, I jumped at the chance to see them on the Long Live the Black Parade tour, and before I knew it, my roommate and I were in the stands at Fenway Park. Eight-dollar water bottles in hand, we were ready for anything—or so we thought.
The concert started with a fantastic opening set from British bank Idles, who were very clear with the intention of their lyrics. Singing passionately about immigration, the rise of fascism and corrupt politicians, their punk messages easily came through. While their words were direct, the headlining band said similar things in a far more complicated way.
My Chemical Romance’s set started with a group of soldiers taking the stage. The fictional world of Draag, which had been created specifically for this tour, is a military empire controlled by the Grand Immortal Dictator, who resided in the sound tent for a large portion of the set. The Draag National Anthem played before they exited, and My Chemical Romance took the stage, but not as themselves; they emerged as The Black Parade band, a group of fictional musicians who are part of the Dictator’s Draag propaganda. They play through the album’s first five songs, delivering powerful performances of songs fans have waited nearly 20 years to hear live, before holding an “election.”
Frontman Gerard Way is not only a fantastic vocal performer, but a talented actor. As the band leader, the “election” he held asked the audience to hold “YEA” or “NAY” signs, and with “YEA” winning, the band “executed” a group of people (also actors) on the B-stage. They then went into the rest of the album, with a character deemed The Clerk appearing occasionally. He antagonized Gerard Way, and faced resistance from bassist Mikey Way, before leaving the stage. Once they had made it through the entire The Black Parade album and closed off with “Famous Last Words,” the band went back to “The End.”, the album’s opening track, representing some sort of time loop. The Clerk came back onto stage, dressed as a clown, as the Draag soldiers took Mikey Way, Frank Iero and Ray Toro off the stage. Finally, once it was just Gerard and the clown, the clown stabbed him before setting off a bomb strapped to his chest.
Any person who came to the concert without context of the type of band My Chemical Romance is would wonder what just happened, but knowing the band’s history, their actions were aligned with everything they stand for. Throughout their four studio albums, MCR have implanted messages of resistance, and the Long Live The Black Parade tour is a physical representation of oppression and life under facism, something that is a reality of varying extents throughout the world. As the political atmosphere in the U.S. grows darker every day, the story communicated at MCR’s concerts hits closer and closer to home.
The second half of My Chemical Romance’s set, separated by a cello interlude from Clarice Jensen, took the band back to reality and to the B-stage. They proceeded to play 10 more songs, featuring songs from their other studio albums, and unreleased track “War Beneath the Rain.” “Vampire Money” was played for the first time this tour, and satisfied my Danger Days-loving heart. After seeing the night’s full moon, Gerard Way dubbed the band “Spooky Chemical Romance” and closed out the night with the hit from their first album, “Vampires Will Never Hurt You.” As he noted, it was a night of “double vampires,” but also two sets. Together, they created one incredible performance with a fantastic message and a show I’ll never forget.
