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Why My Chemical Romance is bigger than it’s ever been

BBG News

After a split that wasn’t permanent, twelve years later, and just one year before the 20-year anniversary of their most successful album, My Chemical Romance is touring this summer, performing “The Black Parade” in its entirety from start to finish, dating back to 2006.

On Saturday night, the tour made a stop at Dodger Stadium for its first concert, marking the long-awaited live reunion of one of emo’s most influential bands, My Chemical Romance. After reuniting in 2019, the band has been fairly active, performing consistently (with some pandemic-related interruptions) since then. This includes five nights at Inglewood’s Kia Forum in 2022 and two headlining appearances at Las Vegas’ When We Were Young festival.

Currently, it’s just now that the group finds themselves touring stadiums where baseball games are already sold out – all this happening without the added attraction of a brand-new musical release to spark attendance at their performances.

Gerard Way, My Chemical Romance’s 48-year-old lead singer, expressed gratitude to the crowd of thousands for attending Saturday’s show and noted that it was their first stadium tour. This is quite extraordinary, he added, and to make the moment even more special, his younger brother Mikey was playing a bass guitar adorned with the Los Angeles Dodgers logo.

Music

Before the debut of Part 2 of HBO’s ‘And So It Goes’ this coming Friday evening, here’s a list, in order of popularity, showcasing Billy Joel’s greatest songs.

How did this band, known for its dark wit and theatrical punk style, manage to reach such new heights during its comeback? It’s likely that it’s capitalizing on rock music’s recent resurgence, following years where pop and hip-hop dominated the scene. Interestingly, My Chem’s performance at Dodger Stadium is happening this weekend, alongside the return of the Warped Tour in Long Beach after a six-year absence.

Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that another famous rock band from the early 2000s, Linkin Park, shifted their scheduled performance at Dodger Stadium to the more compactly sized Intuit Dome in Inglewood. This change might be due to lower-than-anticipated ticket demand.

The longevity of My Chemical Romance, initially formed in New Jersey and later moving to Los Angeles, is deeply connected to their passion for comic books, Gerard Way’s honest lyrics about depression, and his diverse representation of gender and sexuality. A fan even wore a homemade T-shirt that read “GERARD WAY TRANSED MY GENDER” during a recent event. Reflecting on this now, it’s evident that the band’s unique combination of drama, emotion, and storytelling – including world creation and catharsis – has significantly influenced various acts in the following decades. This ranges from bands like Twenty One Pilots to rappers such as the late Juice Wrld, to a pop singer like Sombr, whose hit “Back to Friends” revels in a luxurious melancholy.

Many people find deep connections with their identities through My Chemical Romance’s emotionally expressive songs, which is likely why so many fans flocked to Dodger Stadium in intricate costumes that mirrored the band’s complex symbolism.

In 2006, I found myself captivated by My Chemical Romance’s quadruple-platinum album, “Black Parade,” which arrived as a thought-provoking concept album about a cancer patient nearing his end. The band members donned military attire, giving them an eerie resemblance to Satan’s marching musicians. Fast forward almost two decades later, and they continue to wear the same uniform while powerfully delivering the album’s 14 tracks. However, the storyline has evolved into a partially coherent political satire of authoritarianism in the Trump era. In this narrative, My Chemical Romance, hailing from the fictional nation of Draag, was entertaining the country’s self-absorbed and merciless dictator on a makeshift stage near the pitcher’s mound, with two soldiers standing rigidly by his side.

The entire spectacle was entertaining, albeit somewhat raw, considering the youthful demographic of the band’s fanbase and the cautious approach many contemporary pop stars take when expressing political views to avoid losing some portion of their supporters. After “Welcome to the Black Parade,” a man with a beard representing a government official distributed Dodger Dogs both to the band and the dictator; Way only decided he enjoyed it once he confirmed that the dictator appreciated the hot dog as well.

Instead, it was the essence of those remarkable songs that truly stood out: the frenzied rockabilly rhythm of “Teenagers,” the lively oom-pah of “Mama” reminiscent of Eastern Europe, and the transformative power of “Welcome to the Black Parade,” transitioning from a grandiose glam-rock march to a fierce thrash-punk outburst.

After their full “Black Parade” performance on Saturday, My Chemical Romance, consisting of the Way brothers, Frank Iero, Ray Toro, drummer Jarrod Alexander, and keyboardist Jamie Muhoberac, returned to a smaller stage without costumes to perform some songs from different parts of their discography. Their latest studio album was released in 2010, but they have since put out some older material as well.

In a different yet clear manner: “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)”, their track, was explosive pop music, while “Summertime” pulsed with tense excitement; “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)” lived up to its title with a playfully rebellious vibe. The band revisited what Way referred to as his favorite My Chemical Romance song – “Vampires Will Never Hurt You”, from their 2002 debut – and for the first time, they played a heavy, emotional ballad titled “War Beneath the Rain”. This powerful number was apparently recorded in a North Hollywood studio before My Chemical Romance disbanded, as they attempted to produce an album that didn’t materialize.

Towards the end, the band typically plays their classic song “Helena,” a powerful and somber reflection on life’s debts to the deceased. As Way sang the chorus, he seemed to be overwhelmed by emotions ranging from fatigue, sorrow, gratitude, and perhaps confusion as well. He was expressing every emotion wholeheartedly.

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2025-07-28 03:31

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