On the opening night of their three-date, sold-out residency at Wembley Stadium, Gerard Way and his merry band of ghouls delivered a theatrical rock spectacle, smudging the lines between musical performance, political satire, and a full-scale stage production.
With help from opera singers and lashings of pyro, the band had the crowd bending to their will before the famous G note of “Welcome to the Black Parade” was even played. My Chemical Romance’s loyal fans are no strangers to the extreme, and marked the occasion by decking out the stadium in military jackets and black eyeliner across a 75,000-strong crowd.
For two hours, Wembley became the fictional authoritarian state of Draag, offering a theatrical setting for a full-run through of the band’s 2006 opus. From the opening pairing of “The End” and “Dead!” they defied the distinctly eyeliner-unfriendly London heatwave to rally their fans.
Backed by towering propaganda visuals and dramatized speeches, the show presented a reimagined chapter of the original 2006 story, with Way positioned behind a large black podium and resembling a revolutionary leader addressing the adoring masses.
One of the night’s most memorable moments was the audience participation segment in the form of the crowd deciding the fate of four “losers” using “Yea” and “Nay” placards distributed on entry. Unsettling as the mock execution was (with Yea winning by a mile), it wouldn’t have been a My Chemical Romance show without a degree of morbid curiosity from fans.
Jesse DeFlorio*
Musically, The Black Parade has never sounded more haunting. “This Is How I Disappear” and “The Sharpest Lives” slit through the crowd like a brand-new knife, sharpened with a renewed sense of urgency. “Cancer” offered a rare moment of calm, with many fans becoming visibly emotional due to the song’s lyrics before the storm that was “Mama” exploded the stadium into chaos. The band also performed a cover of Morrissey’s “Jack the Ripper” for the first time since 2003, much to the delight of the crowd.
Fan favorite “Famous Last Words” closed the evening in dramatic fashion, with concertgoers embracing, elated and emotionally exhausted after a truly special celebration of a seminal record.
It’s been quite the journey. From emo cult favorites 20 years ago to selling out Wembley Stadium, here was a show which celebrated My Chemical Romance’s significant place in modern rock and its history. Long live the Black Parade.
This review was originally published on Rolling Stone UK