MCR dazes Boston fans with their Black Parade spectacle at Fenway Park
Photos by Kate Engel (captured from the turf on a point-and-shoot)
If I wasn’t aware of the My Chemical Romance concert happening that night, I would have thought I was at a street fair. Despite the bleak drizzle that lasted most of the day, fans gathered at Fenway Park hours before doors opened, not only to get in line for general admission, but also to hangout with fellow MCR lovers and celebrate the occasion. From bracelets with messages on them, to handmade stickers, photocards and zines, people socialized and traded their handmade merchandise all day long.
In a fitting tribute to the artists behind the legendary rock performance we were about to witness, many people wore elaborate costumes of various characters from MCR’s different eras, from bloodied brides and grooms, to custom black parade jackets. I overheard one awestruck attendee say, “I’ve never been so happy, so many emos in one place.” The level of detail and preparation that went into these creations is a testament to how much MCR means to so many people. Though I brought nothing to swap, generous fans handed me treasures worth more than any official merchandise.
MCR’s current tour is a full blown re-envisioning of their seminal record, The Black Parade, released in 2006. Set in the fictional country of DRAAG, MCR returns to their Black Parade alter egos under a dystopian dictatorship to tell a new story with a new cast of characters. It is a scathing commentary on fascism, as well as a continuation of the extended lore behind their concept album.
As expected for the second to last stop on the North American leg of this tour, MCR had a crazy show prepared for Boston. The cover to cover performance of their album The Black Parade had some major plot changes building on the preceding shows and had my jaw on the floor for most of the show. Topped off with a very special B-Stage setlist, this show was something I’ll never forget.
IDLES opened up the show with their uniquely danceable post-punk sound, getting the crowd off their feet to nod their heads whether they knew the band's music or not. Leading a “Free Palestine” chant, the political punk rockers gripped the audience with their honest and heartfelt performance, and thanked the emo titans for having them open up the show.
As the sun descended and the air got cooler, you could feel the tense energy waiting for MCR to come out. Many people in the crowd have been following each performance closely, either online or by traveling to multiple shows. Finally, the whole stadium goes dark, except for red text on the screens that says, “Please take your seats” in English, and “Sit Down” in the fictional language created for this tour, called “Keposhka”. Frank Iero’s father Cheech Iero, and Thursday drummer Tucker Rule were special guests in Sunday's DRAAG Auxiliary Band. After a fascistic opening ceremony including the laying of the wheat and the playing of the DRAAG national anthem, MCR took the stage in their classic alter ego Black Parade attire. From this point on, many wild developments in the Black Parade’s story unfolded, as the sold-out stadium audience turned into a choir singing along to every word of every song.
After a spaced out synth intro building up to an isolated clean-tone keyboard and a guttural growl from Gerard Way, the stadium is filled with the iconic, chillingly drenched tone of one of my personal favorite songs on this record, “Sleep.” Red and blue lights flashed for the whole song, tricking my eyes into seeing the stage pulse like a heartbeat. Combined with the power of the drums, you feel this song in your chest. Inspired by night terrors Way experienced during the writing process for The Black Parade, the live performance is as captivating as sleep paralysis.
With an evil laugh, Way points at the rocket launch depicted behind the band, repeating the lyrics “just sleep.” As we watch the rocket take off, Way wails “wake up” repeatedly, and as the screen turns to static, ends the song with a line only performed live a few times: “at the end of the day, will you lay your head down, and if you close your eyes, would you sleep forever?”
As the TV static turns into footage of a retro futuristic game show, the audience is gifted with Ray Toro’s chunky overdriven guitar playing the isolated main riff of their hit song “Teenagers”. A quick turn of events after such an intense performance, the band had us all immediately bouncing along to their classic rock anthem, which has a serious message neatly tucked away in its catchy lyrics.
In an ode to the song’s music video, flames engulfed the stage as The Black Parade brings us into “Famous Last Words”, leading the hymnal chant: “I am not afraid to keep on living, I am not afraid to walk this world alone”. As the song came to an end, our attention was drawn to Toro strumming an acoustic guitar, his hair blowing in the smoky breeze. He transitions the band into a reprise of “The End”, which is only performed live, not on the album. Inevitably, the band’s recurring grim fate finds them as DRAAG operatives kidnap the musicians, dragging them off stage, and a clown comes out and stabs Gerard Way. Prancing around the stage to the hidden track at the end of the album, “Blood,” the mainstage show is brought to a close as the clown reveals a bomb strapped to his chest and self-destructs.
While the band switched out of their Black Parade costumes, cellist Clarice Jensen performed an enchanting solo piece “From A to B” which lasted a bit over 10 minutes. For most of her performance, I sat in silence, taking it all in. The hushed, seated crowd, the moon-illuminated smoke blowing gently over the B-Stage, Jensen’s performance had me feeling like I was in a trance as I digested MCR’s dramatic performance. After I had finally collected my thoughts, I turned to Courtney, who traveled from Minnesota alone to see this show for the second time to discuss what we just saw and compile a list of variations in plot of this show. Courtney is one of many passionate fans who are traveling far distances to see this show multiple times.
MCR came back out with excited energy, and under a full blood moon, we were treated to what frontman Way referred to as “double vampires”, starting the B-Stage set off with “Vampire Money” and ending with “Vampires Will Never Hurt You”. Boston received the third ever live performance of their unreleased song, “War Beneath the Rain”, which was written for The Paper Kingdom, the fifth album MCR was working on before breaking up and scrapping the project. Giving us their most intricate performance of The Black Parade yet, followed by frontman Gerard Way’s personal favorite B-Stage setlist, every moment felt like it was made to be seen on the big screen (can’t a girl dream for a full MCR concert movie?) After thinking they were gone forever in 2013, it is unbelievable to watch MCR perform The Black Parade in full again, with a whole new story, a new verse for Mama, and an unreleased song.
Not quite ready to say goodnight, street performers who were playing MCR songs outside the venue brought groups of fans together to scream the words to their favorite songs one last time. It was a beautiful way to pay our respect to likely the most incredible rock performance any of us will ever bear witness to.
Street performances by DarionDrums and Ian Legge “ThePunkCellist”
If you’re interested in digging deeper into this tour, be sure to check out my previous article where I dig into plot lines and theories, and stay tuned for some further reflections on this tour as a whole.
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MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE SETLIST
Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts (9/7/2025)
The End.
Dead!
This Is How I Disappear
The Sharpest Lives
Welcome to the Black Parade
I Don’t Love You
House of Wolves
Cancer
Mama
Sleep
Teenagers
Disenchanted
Famous Last Words
The End. (Reprise)
Blood
From A to B (performed by Clarice Jensen)
Vampire Money
I’m Not Okay (I Promise)
Summertime
Our Lady of Sorrows
Planetary (GO!)
War Beneath the Rain
Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)
Helena
Give ‘Em Hell, Kid!
