Seeing My Chemical Romance Live Was Actually Life-Changing

When I was a young boy, my father took me into the city to see a marching band

Sunday night, I attended My Chemical Romance’s live concert at Citi Field in Queens, New York, and had the absolute time of my life. I rocked out and sang my angsty teenage heart out with tens of thousands of Black Paraders, dressed to the nines in a million variations of goth black, with familiar refrains from the band like “broken, beaten, damned” emblazoned on their chests, and also, in the suite next to ours: Olivia Rodrigo and Conan Gray.

I don’t know why the similarities between Rodrigo and My Chemical Romance never occurred to me before until I saw her there with her space knots — but the connection was immediate. I’ve spent the last few years watching Rodrigo’s star rise as the new face of teen angst: at 19, we put her on the cover of Teen Vogue (her first Conde cover, rightly so) with the coverline “patron saint of feelings.” (Still one of my favorites we ever did.) The photos were so good we couldn’t decide and as it was early in my editor-in-chief tenure, I was excited that we weren’t constrained by choosing one image for print: why not release two excellent, different covers and let people choose their favorites to share on social?

Five years later, Rodrigo has more than proven her staying power, and grown into a wonderful ambassador for reproductive rights and bodily autonomy for women and girls everywhere. If you’re not already aware, check out her upcoming Daisy Chain Fields festival on August 29, boasting the likes of Rodrigo, Stevie Nicks, Doechii, Chappell Roan, Katseye, Rachel Chinouriri, and more, coming together to raise awareness and partner with non-profit orgs protecting our bodies.

Sunday night, 40,000 of us were the same as Olivia, there to see MCR perform their rock opera album The Black Parade along with other hits and fan favorites. She was there with longtime friend and fellow artist Conan Gray, and I’m happy to report she and everyone in her box were on their feet for “Teenagers,” the anthem and absolute banger with the extremely relatable refrain, “teenagers scare the living shit out of me.” Rodrigo’s brand of teen angst and rock/pop music have absolute emotional and lyrical similarities with MCR, and I’ve already found a few mash-ups.

I’d been looking forward to this show for some time — My Chemical Romance took a long break from performing and became more active again in recent years, but the timing never worked out for me. Sometime last year, it was announced that another of my favorite bands, Franz Ferdinand, would be opening for them, and I knew I had to attend the epic double-show.

The concert itself surpassed my expectations and, I think, mildly freaked out my normie husband (who both enjoyed himself and was also the tiniest bit weirded out by how metal and dark the first act got). As their incredible band name suggests, MCR are an essential, if not the essential, emo pop punk rock band. (Bassist Mikey Way reportedly came up with said name when working at a Barnes & Noble in New Jersey and coming across a book by Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh called “Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance.” Relatable punk rock/suburban lifestyle crossovers.)

There’s something about MCR’s lyrics and depth of emotion that people who have experienced real depression can relate to — that would be me, not my sweet, blessed, happy-go-lucky husband. But screaming those lyrics with frontman Gerard Way on a hot summer evening in New York with 40,000 other probably-depressed people was a catharsis I didn’t know I needed.

Live music is always a communion, but I wasn’t expecting MCR’s set to have enough theatricality, artistry and pyrotechnics to rival Lady Gaga, whose Chromatica Ball I once attended and previously thought was the most stunningly, stylistically and artistically creative show I’d ever seen. I think Gaga’s still stands at #1 in that category, but MCR’s Sunday night show reminded me of it, down to some frankly almost-worrying use of strobe lights and creepy/interactive set design (there were ample warnings for the audience).

If you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see, you can find out firsthand what it’s like to be me

MCR are a seminal band, and The Black Parade is their seminal album, celebrating 20 years since release this October. So crowded into Citi Field on Sunday were elder millennials like me, Gen Zers like Olivia, and fans both older and younger; those who grew up with MCR and those who were just introduced to it in recent years by fan edits or discoveries on TikTok. During the show, singer Way reflected on recent performances in Europe, and said he remembered seeing a 15- or 16-year old in a crowd with their partner and family, and how happy it made him — and that’s what it’s all about.

That’s the beauty of the Black Parade, and MCR’s music and lyrics: despite being so incredibly emotional, at times very distraught, and often bursting with unhappiness, some of the most unforgettable climaxes are all about continuing to live, and acknowledging what life has to offer. I am not afraid to keep on living, I am not afraid to walk this world alone, thousands of us sang together Sunday night as My Chemical Romance performed “Famous Last Words,” reminding ourselves that we can take on the world alone if we absolutely must — but, beautifully, and for one night at Citi Field, we didn’t have to.

**

Thank you to Ceri Roberts and Warner Records for the great show and invitation.

No coverage was guaranteed or discussed, I just had a really fucking good time and am ready to see them live again. Maybe Olivia can come out for a crossover or cover for one of their final shows at the Hollywood Bowl?