My Chemical Romance – Music Madness Magazine

Almost three years after its official announcement, My Chemical Romance has finally embarked on its long-awaited reunion tour. Music Madness had the pleasure of attending the band’s stop down in Sunrise Florida, and man was this show worth the wait. MCR added 14-shows to its previously announced summer/fall 2022 North American tour that kicked off on August 20 in Oklahoma City and runs through October 29 at the When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas. Joining the festivities this evening at the FLA Live Arena was Midtown and The Homeless Gospel Choir.

For any former emo kid, an MCR reunion is practically like the Met Gala. Fans had clearly planned out their outfits months in advance for the occasion. I would say that walking into the arena felt like an emo Harry Styles concert considering the level of attention fans had put into their attire. Speaking of attire, fans were lined up by the hundreds to purchase some of the available merch. One shirt that caught my eye, and it is genuinely the best thing I have ever seen. The shirt is meant to look like the cover of a mid-2000s teen magazine entitled ‘Boy Zone’ in bright pink print. The harsh contrast between this shirt and every other darker one available was ironic to see. Even funnier than that, the ‘Boy Zone’ shirt was in the hands of practically every fan in attendance. Thinking back on this is causing me to regret not grabbing one for myself.

Personally, I never thought I would get the chance to see My Chemical Romance live, let alone see them reunited with new material. As someone who started listening to their material post-breakup, a reunion was so seemingly improbable that I never considered it could happen. This excitement I felt pre-show was amplified by the thousands of others who had waited years for this day to come. And boy did it live up to my expectations.

MCR opened with their reunion single “The Foundations of Decay” to a screaming arena packed with fans. Part of this excitement must have been because Gerard Way walked onstage wearing a ghost costume. You could truly feel the energy of the crowd from the very beginning of the set. The first song was followed by 2 older ones, “Na Na Na” and “I Never Told You What I Do For a Living”. The set list itself was filled with plenty of mainstream hits, yet really dove into some deep cuts of the band’s discography. Personally, I was so excited when I heard the opening chords to “Vampires Will Never Hurt You”, a track off the band’s debut album from 2002.

Some other highlights of the set included “Welcome to the Black Parade” and “Famous Last Words”, two songs that I felt got the biggest crowd reaction. There were moments during both songs that it almost felt as if Gerard’s vocals were drowned out by those of the crowd, something truly crazy to experience live. There was not a single seat in the arena that went unfilled, and times like these made that evident without having to see it with your own eyes.

The band played a full 18-song setlist, ending with a heart-wrenching solo performance of the song “Cancer” to a flashlight-lit arena. This soft ending to a high-energy set caused me to reflect on how emotional this night was for many people. A band that meant so much to people in their formative years playing after all this time is truly crazy to think about. It’s even crazier to think that many fans around the world will get to experience this fantastic live show in the future. This tour might only be the beginning for reunited MCR, so keep an eye out for whatever the band has slated for the future.