When I was a young boy my father did not take me into the city to see an emo rock band. Now, with that incredibly obvious reference out of the way, let’s get into the here and now. I’m going to take you on a ride through the My Chemical Romance Reunion Tour featuring Lauren as my trusted compatriot! Let’s rock out!
My Chemical Romance is a Blast From the Past:
Now, for anyone who DOESN’T know about My Chemical Romance; firstly, how? Second, you should be ashamed of yourself! And third, they’re one of the most revolutionary emo bands of the 2000s, garnering a multitude of accolades in their long career, and are still listened to to this day. So yeah, every emo teen of the 2000s heard of them and many went to see them. As for my generation, a good chunk of us listened but were too young to experience that rock n’ roll in its complete black and neon glory! Why? ‘Cause in 2013 the band split up and made the entire emo rock scene cry and look for other bands to latch onto.
So why am I saying all this? To tell you that this has been a long time coming. Ever since their announcement back in 2019, and subsequent delays, Lauren and I have been waiting. And I’m so happy to say that on August 29th at the Wells Fargo Center (not sponsored) in Philly, the night finally arrived.
The Concert:
A buildup of static noise preceded the band’s arrival, as the house lights dimmed and the stage was illuminated in red. As the band came, it was as clear as day that this was them returning comfortably. Without the neon of Danger Days or the gothic theming of Black Parade, this was truly a reunion between all of us there. Felt like a group of friends you haven’t seen for a while just popping up again and all’s good. My Chemical Romance rocked the whole “pick-the-first-thing-from-your-closet” look. Yet, they showed off their trademark flair for the dramatic. This became blatant when Gerard Way just… did his thing. He commanded the attention of tens of thousands of fans as if he never left the stage almost a decade ago. All whilst sporting a totally not funny t-shirt that read “Pool Boy At The Vampire Mansion.” That said, the shirt was actually a tool for foreshadowing one of their closing tracks, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
My Chemical Romance opened with their newest single, “The Foundations of Decay,” which, by the way, dropped entirely without warning. Anyway, this drop was the first new song from the band in eight years. So you better believe those 6 minutes were an absolute banger. This set the tone for the show. The song built to a power chord driven breakdown and a screaming crescendo finale… Then, there was the signature fast-paced guitar from the iconic “Thank You For The Venom.” Yep, it was a real trip down memory lane!
Lauren recounts that things kept picking up, jokes were made, and most interesting of all is that each show has a different setlist. You’d think it’d mean it was a mess of a show but I can assure you that it was not.
The Final Score:
Watching these guys live was like a dream come true. And for them, it seemed that they were as happy to be back as it was for us to watch. Whether it’s the singing, drumming, riffs, or great bass lines, this was it. This was the emo rock concert that’ll live in my (and Lauren’s) head rent free forever.
Interested in experiencing it for yourself? My Chemical Romance will be on tour until the end of October. Capping it off with two days of performances at the When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas. The full list of dates and ticket links are available on the band’s website. And that’s a wrap! For more on your favorites and unknown check out our Word and Drops sections.
