Photos and Review by Raven Divito
@rockinshots

My Chemical Romance resurrected their 2006 magnum opus The Black Parade in full at Oracle Park in San Francisco on July 19th, opening the night with a stunning, theatrically choreographed performance of the beloved concept album. Donning updated versions of their signature marching band uniforms, the group leaned hard into the pageantry, reworking several tracks with fresh arrangements—including a revamped, vaudeville-flavored “Mama” featuring the long-teased “Dagger” outro. Naturally, that snippet—previewed on social media earlier in the week—fueled classic MCR fan speculation about new music.

Once The Black Parade came to a climactic, fiery close (literally, with pyro and faux-concrete set pieces engulfed in flame) he band retreated for a brief intermission before re-emerging on a smaller B-stage in the outfield behind second base. Out of uniform and in street clothes, they tore through a looser, more intimate set that doubled as a love letter to longtime fans.

Set two covered deep cuts, fan favorites, and even a curveball or two: “Thank You for the Venom,” “Boy Division,” “The Kids From Yesterday,” and a surprise cover of The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Bullet With Butterfly Wings.” Highlights included Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge gems like “I’m Not Okay (I Promise),” “The Ghost of You,” and the emotionally seismic closer “Helena.” There was also a nod to their gritty beginnings with I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love cuts like “Our Lady of Sorrows” and “Vampires Will Never Hurt You.” This second half of the show was raw and revealing. With no elaborate costumes or towering sets, Way was vulnerable and exposed—surrounded by thousands and visibly emotional.

But The Black Parade wasn’t just an album performed—it was a world rebuilt. For this tour, the band revived “The Black Parade” as a fictional band-within-the-band, coerced into touring by a dystopian authoritarian regime called Draag. The lore, absurd and theatrical by design, played out through fake Soviet-style propaganda ads, tour visuals using faux-Cyrillic, and interstitial skits throughout the show. One bit featured a staged “election” in which audience members held up YEA or NAY cards to decide the fate of four hooded figures. (The crowd chose execution, naturally.) Another had a Draag diplomat slap Gerard Way and demand he don his iconic coat.

Admittedly, it was a lot. The Soviet-adjacent imagery, complete with military coats and red banners, might feel like a tonal gamble given current global realities. But MCR has always leaned into artifice and melodrama to process very real emotions. And in this case, it worked. From the first strums of “The End.” to the cathartic shriek of “DO OR DIE! YOU’LL NEVER MAKE ME!” echoing through a sea of 40,000 people, the energy in Oracle Park was feral.

Gerard Way acknowledged the challenge of dusting off The Black Parade material but did so in character, crediting the fictional Draag regime for “making it possible.” The commitment to the bit was thorough, but never overwhelming—especially because it gave MCR license to max out the drama. The finale of the first act featured a wall of flame so intense it turned the stage into a blazing apocalyptic spectacle. Few bands can justify that level of production. Fewer still can make it feel necessary. My Chemical Romance did.

While The Black Parade may be MCR’s definitive statement, the rest of the night proved just how deep their catalog runs. From scene-kid nostalgia to genuine pathos, from war-torn fantasy to punky abandon, MCR managed to turn a massive stadium show into something strangely personal.

The Black Parade lives—and so does everything that made My Chemical Romance matter in the first place.

For the latest tour updates and news, visit My Chemical Romance’s official website at www.mychemicalromance.com/satour