Rock
Live review: My Chemical Romance blow the roof off Wembley with wild, theatrical emo carnival
My Chemical Romance turned Wembley Stadium into a full‑scale emo carnival, unleashing a ferocious, theatrical two‑and‑a‑half‑hour Black Parade celebration that left 90,000 fans screaming, crying and completely unhinged.
Emo kings My Chemical Romance ignited Wembley Stadium with a jaw-dropping two-and-a-half-hour spectacle.
Touring in celebration of the 20th anniversary of their genre-defining album The Black Parade, a 90,000-strong legion of diehard fans arrived dressed for the special occasion and ready to relive their teenage years.
Performing their seminal record from front to back, many of the evening’s highlights came in the first act, including the titular track, which was sung back like a national anthem.
Even after all this time, frontman Gerard Way’s energy remained tireless throughout the night.
Sporting the same outfit from the band’s iconic music videos, including face paint, he drove the dystopian narrative forward with unrivalled theatrical commitment.
Alongside wielding a skull and then a dagger, there was even a man on fire and a public-voted ‘execution’ on the b-stage - of course, with Way having penned comic book Netflix series The Umbrella Academy, it’s all part of the Orwellian 1984-esque story they were building.
Vocally, Way was impressively versatile too: switching between growls to leading an arms-swaying moment, the contrasting personalities of his maniacal character shared similarities to The Joker.
The entire band, particularly bassist Mikey Way, were on ferocious form, unleashing epic riffs and head-banging drums at regular turns.
Credit: Matty Vogel
While the lyrics of their highest-streamed anthem, Teenagers, still ring true two decades on, the way everyone belted back Famous Last Words was not only a dopamine rush of nostalgia, but an act of generational group therapy.
When the first act came to a close – with a confetti explosion, Way’s neck spurting out blood after being stabbed in the neck, and a huge firework display to boot – the ticket price had been justified.
However, there was still an entire second half to go, which saw the band reappear at the b-stage, in the middle of the standing area.
Now sporting his instantly-recognisable skeleton outfit, Way led an incendiary I’m Not Okay (I Promise) before he and the band delved through their discography, picking out fan favourites and deeper cuts.
Na Na Na – dedicated to their costume designer Colleen Atwood – saw the house lights go up under a dark sky, before a live debut of Zero Percent.
Helena, with its farewell lyrics, was a fitting choice of penultimate track, before they brought things to a close with a new rendition of Demolition Lovers, accompanied by a strings and piano arrangement.
As Way and co walked through the crowd back towards the stage, many who have been with the band from the early 2000s could be seen balling their eyes out.
The undying impact that My Chemical Romance has had on countless lives was clear - and this huge greatest hits (and more) showcase proved why they remain so loved.
Rating: 5/5
