We're "Not Okay." My Chemical Romance Are Officially Back
My Chemical Romance
It's been a long road to get to this point; 6 years since their disbandment, 7 years since their last performance, several rumors of possible reunions, and endless internal struggles that one of the greatest bands to ever grace the scene were not coming back. But that all changed last night when Gerard and Mikey Way, Ray Toro, Frank Iero, and Jarrod Alexander took the stage at the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles, CA.
After an incredible cover of “Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)” featuring guest vocals from Saves the Day’s Chris Conley, Thursday exits the stage. A curtain with the angel from the ‘Return’ campaign rises and the crowd begins to chant “MCR! MCR! MCR!”. After what feels like an eternity, the pre-intro routine begins, the venue erupts with excitement, and we come to the realization, My Chemical Romance are finally back!
Suddenly, the curtain drops, and MCR blasts straight into their most relatable emo classic “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)”. Enjoying the show from the comfort of my own home had its luxuries, but I could not make out a single word that vocalist Gerard Way was singing because the crowd was so incredibly loud. They continued to slay the audience with tracks from their second studio album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, in “Thank You for the Venom” and “Give ‘Em Hell, Kid”.
I started to think to myself, this band could sound like absolute garbage right now (they of course didn’t, but that’s beside the point) and these fans would still be going apeshit over these songs, and they have every right to. Hell, if Gerard came out and just held the mic out for the crowd to sing everything, I would still think it was the greatest show I had ever been to!
MCR kept the energy up with their punk rock hit “House of Wolves”, the first to come from their pinnacle 2006 album The Black Parade. Even without the blacked-out marching band outfits, this song still hit the same as it did back then!
Gerard then took a moment to address the crowd, saying, “We didn’t know if this was ever gonna happen again, so we really appreciate you showing up”. He then dedicated the show to a recently passed friend, making the show even more emotional for the band and the fans. This was the first of many wholesome “thank you’s” throughout the night, showing the true admiration this band has for its ever-dedicated fanbase.
MCR explored their discography with “Summertime”, the first of many to come from their most recent effort, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. Jumping into “You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us In Prison”, which featured guest vocals from Sara Taylor of Youth Code, followed by the deep-cut “Make Room!!!!”, and surprisingly the only song to come from their first record I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, “Our Lady of Sorrows”.
Keeping the fans on their feet, the band then quickly transitioned into the infectious sing-along anthem “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)”.
It was amazing to see MCR’s inclusion of material across their entire discography, ensuring every fan would find something to enjoy. At this point in the set, I started to think about the energy in that venue. To be able to be at the very first MCR reunion show is truly an opportunity of a lifetime and I can only imagine what that would feel like.
What I am going to call the “second-half” of the set became much more focused on the band’s third and fourth albums. We get The Black Parade classics in “Sleep”, “Mama”, and “I Don’t Love You”, which instills a great deal of nostalgia and flat-out jealousy on my end because The Black Parade is by far and away from my favourite MCR album. “I Don’t Love You” is arguably one of the greatest songs this scene will ever hear; it brings the intensity down, but gives the fans a chance to see the band in a more intimate and vulnerable sound. It is also worth mentioning that by this point in the set we had heard 12 songs and there were no signs of slowing down!
Continuing to bounce back and forth between the third and fourth albums, MCR then delivered “Destroya”, “Teenagers”, and “S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W”. Fans then heard that famous introduction, “Now I know…”, and they knew that “Famous Last Words” was about to turn the intensity in that room up to 11. “Famous Last Words” was played live; words I thought I’d never spoken.
Gerard took one more opportunity to thank the fans before diving into the first false-closing song of the night, “The Kids From Yesterday”. The band puts on the typical charade of walking off stage, while the crowd continues to chant “MCR! MCR! MCR!”, begging for more. With constant clapping and cheering, there was no way anyone was leaving that venue without hearing at least one more song.
Of course, the band returns and in doing so looks out at the ever-cheering audience in awe. Without saying a word, they jump back into “Vampire Money”, a fan-favourite. However, it would have been nice to hear something from one of the earlier albums, considering the last 9 songs had come from either of their third or fourth records.
But who am I to complain? MCR is on stage and that is all that matters!
They put forth their second false-closing track of the night, and definitely one of the most sought after tracks at that, in “Helena”. This emo classic lies deep in the dark heart of so many emo kids that grew up on MCR, it was an absolute must for the setlist.
The band walked back off stage, building hype for the only song that could possibly follow “Helena”. We all knew what was to come, but as soon as they walked back on stage and that G note played, there was no holding back. “Welcome to the Black Parade” is more than just a genre defining song, it represents the bringing together of fans from all corners of the world under one umbrella, a marching banner if you will, and the boys in MCR are leading the charge once again.
In conclusion, My Chemical Romance are back and better than ever. They delivered an astounding 20 song setlist, complete with hits from across their discography. This reunion is an iconic piece of scene history and I cannot wait to see what is to come from this band.
There is an extensive Reddit thread compiling the current list of rumors related to MCR’s future plans, which can be found here.
In addition, various bands have teased or hinted at possible tours with MCR, including Ice Nine Kills, who tweeted out a post soon after the conclusion of the show.
What we know for sure is that MCR will be heading to Australia, New Zealand, and Japan for multiple headlining shows in 2020. You can find the dates below and purchase tickets here.
20/02/20 - Melbourne, Australia
20/02/21 - Sydney, Australia
20/03/25 - Western Springs, New Zealand
20/03/28 - Osaka, Japan
20/03/29 - Download Festival Japan
Being from Toronto, Canada, I stayed up until 2:30 AM to watch the entire unofficial livestream of the reunion show, which demonstrates the kind of influence and impact this band had on me and shaping our scene. They directed my taste in music when I first discovered them in 2004 and will continue to do so with any future projects they may be involved in. I want to give a special shoutout to Instagram users ‘dietshampoo’ and ‘_art_e_mis__’ for live streaming various parts of the show, helping those who could not attend be apart of it all! Thank you sincerely.
So long and goodnight…for now.