Photos by Alyson Coletta | Words by Meaghan D’Amico
On Friday, August 15, the Long Live the Black Parade Tour rolled into Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Fans have remarked that this tour is one of the most intricately and well-thought-out productions they’ve ever seen, and I couldn’t agree more. The show consisted of two performances; for Part I, The Black Parade was performed in full, and Part II moved to a secondary B Stage with songs changing out nightly. Each city had hand-selected openers, with Alice Cooper opening that night in Philadelphia. Being known for his theatrics, Cooper was the perfect fit to kick off the evening, given what was to come.
As the sun began to set, various rules started to appear across all the stadium screens, both in English and Keposhka, the language of Draag (where the Black Parade is from). At this point, we’ve been transported to the world in which the Black Parade exists. The Grand Immortal Dictator (GID) has brought the Black Parade back from the MOAT through the “Ministry of Complementary Re-Conditioning,” and we are all here to watch their return.
The Clerk, the Grand Immortal Dictator’s assistant, checks the stage to ensure it is set correctly, and a final note appears to take your seats. The Grand Immortal Dictator is presented and sits on his throne, succeeded by Tucker Rule of Thursday, a member of The Draag National Auxiliary Band, walking out on stage to perform a marching drum beat while soldiers goose-step across the stage holding wheat (the symbol of Draag). Once the stage is clear, Marianne, who was given to the band by the GID, comes out to sing the national anthem of Draag; simultaneously, the band “clocked in” with The Clerk and got in position.
As soon as “The End” starts, the first song off The Black Parade, the crowd was singing along at the top of their lungs with Gerard. This is My Chemical Romance’s first stadium tour, and you’d never know because the band take over the entire stadium with ease. If you’ve never seen the band live, this would be the tour to go to. The combination of Frank Iero and Ray Toro on guitar move the already fast song along like a freight train. In no place is that more apparent than in track two, “Dead.” If “The End” was the warm-up, this is the start of the main event and the high level of intensity the band bring all night.
The band cruised through “This Is How I Disappear” and “The Sharpest Lives” before the show got to one of the most talked-about moments. A podium is brought out; Gerard inspects it and places the microphone to start the biggest sing-along on the record, “Welcome to the Black Parade.” The screens behind the band showed images of nuclear warheads threatening other countries and being shot off to start a war. The visuals and storytelling of this album have very thinly veiled similarities to current American politics and the world in general.
As the song concludes, Gerard Way calls for a vote from his podium. When fans walk into the stadium, staff hand them a sign that says “yea” on one side and “nay” on the other. What the audience doesn’t know, or maybe does because it’s very discussed online, is that the show is voting “yea” or “nay” for the execution of four people who dare to question the GID and his longevity. The voting is fruitless; voting no doesn’t stop the execution, it takes place either way. There is just an illusion of choice, further cementing the dictatorship and his will. As the vote concludes with a “yea” majority, Gerard Way, from his podium, exclaims, “You gotta give the people what they want, and what they want is blood!” and the execution took place without hesitation. The rest of the band did their part—Iero held his guitar out like a gun to pretend to participate, and Mikey Way shook his head in disapproval.
The songs “House of Wolves,” “Cancer,” and “Mama” were whiplash of emotions. Before beginning the song, Gerard takes his Black Parade jacket off as a sign of protest against the work they’re being forced into. This rendition included a new verse about fetching a dagger for a treasonous plot, singing that the dagger “is just what this plan of ours needs” to take down the fascist dictator and his iron grip on Draag. Marianne was then brought back to the B Stage to assist with Liza Minnelli’s part on the record, and pyro began to shoot out from the stage for the remainder of the song.
Gerard’s protest didn’t last long, as The Clerk, after “Sleep,” made sure he put the Black Parade jacket back on to stay in line and finish the job. Pyro is brought back in full force for “Famous Last Words,” just like in the original music video. A small flame emerged from the stage in the beginning, but by the end of the song, the entire stage was engulfed in flames.
The set concluded with “The End (Reprise),” when The Clown comes out and stabs Gerard. This show, however, was different, and The Clown picked up the phone and cried, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” Seemingly calling his boss, presumably the dictator, saying he doesn’t want to kill anyone else. As Gerard crawls across the stage, covered in blood, Frank, Mikey, and Ray get kidnapped off the stage with bags put over their heads. The Clown then performed a lip sync to the album’s hidden track, “Blood,” until he reveals he’s strapped with a bomb and seemingly blows himself up, and the stage goes black and silent.
The lights moved across the stadium to B Stage, with the intermission played by cellist Clarice Jensen, who plays a song aptly titled “From A to B.” It’s a gorgeous song and a great reset before the chaos continues. Unlike the main stage portion, there are no rules for the B Stage, and the band have played many different songs every night, spread across their discography. The Philadelphia B Stage setlist was one of my favorites to witness. After the entrance the band make, they all walk on stage. There is usually some sort of chatter from Gerard Way or between the men on stage, and then they introduce themselves, and off we go. I think it’s really funny that every night they say, “Hi, we’re My Chemical Romance from New Jersey” as a way to differentiate between Part I and Part II. This is where you can tell the band are having so much fun playing shows because they’re just laughing and being themselves between songs.
“Headfirst for Halos” was first, which is off of the first record, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. They followed that with “Bury Me In Black,” which was a demo from Life on the Murder Scene. If that name doesn’t sound familiar, it’s a live album from 2006. The B Stage, the last couple of shows, but especially Friday night’s, have had a lot of deep cuts, which are exactly the kind of songs I want from a 10-song set alongside the radio hits.
The band have been introducing “I’m Not Okay” and “Na Na Na” as the number-one and number-two summer jams, respectively. Frank made a joke about needing to write the third summer jam, and Gerard said, “You let me know, Frank.” I have maintained since they got back together that there is no way they all sat in a studio together and only wrote one song. Philly also did get “Foundations of Decay,” the aforementioned new song from 2022. Even without the kabuki curtain drop during the breakdown, the song goes so hard live. The Black Parade has three B-sides that they released, and we were treated to one of them, “Heaven Help Us.”
Not that the band has a bad song, but I also love the other Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge pick that was made, “Give Em Hell, Kid.” The B-Stage closed out with “Helena” and “Kids from Yesterday.” In order to beat the traffic, people left early, but continued to sing as they made their way out. This tour is the best of both worlds – an elaborate theatrical production and a stripped down no-frills second set. There is something about this tour for everyone to love—from the die-hard fans to the casual listener. My Chemical Romance is the best they’ve ever been, and I hope they don’t stop anytime soon.
My Chemical Romance
Alice Cooper
