A Former Emo’s Fantasy: My Chemical Romance Reunion Tour
By Everly Orfanedes
Prior to the night of September 7th, 2022, I was filled to the brim with excitement and anticipation to witness the once in a lifetime experience of one of my all time favorite bands, My Chemical Romance, getting together on a stage and performing their beloved, nostalgic songs. However, I was surprised by the expectations I heard from other fans of the band for the upcoming reunion tour performances. I heard comments on both social media and directly from friends, stating things such as “they are too old to perform like they used to,” and “I am afraid that seeing them live will be disappointing and underwhelming.” I must admit, when the tour was first announced in 2020, I felt similar fears. The band has now been broken up for nearly a decade, and members had begun to develop new interests and occupations aside from music. Also, until recent years, fans had little to no evidence that the band was still in contact, let alone playing music together. Due to this, lovers of the band held fears of disappointing performances from the iconic group.
After two years of postponing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, on Wednesday night, my low expectations were debunked, squashed to a pulp, and absolutely exceeded. My Chemical Romance dominated the stage at TD Garden with powerful enthusiasm, a sense of community, and genuine excitement amongst the band. Above all, most impactful was the familiar youthful energy long term fans knew radiated throughout the giant arena. The band's performance was tight and not a note was out of place. It was almost as if the band had been playing together every day for the past 10 years. During one of their most notable songs, “Teenagers,” lead guitarist Ray Toro leaped onto the edge of the stage, front and center, to perform the guitar solo. He was whipping his hair, gesturing towards the crowd, reaching down at them, and causing the crowd to erupt with cheers and screams. Throughout the set, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero was seen repeatedly leaping across the stage, whipping his guitar around, spinning, and bringing life to the songs. Lead singer Gerard Way gave the crowd countless opportunities to sing the lyrics with him, which they knew lyric by lyric, by stretching the microphone out to the audience and waving his arms to encourage them. The overall night was extremely interactive and energetic. Towards the end, during their performance of their hit song, “Welcome To The Black Parade,” I was immediately taken back to the nostalgic love for the band that I once felt so strongly in my preteen years, and was reunited with my reasons for calling this band my favorite so seemingly long ago. The band's ability to combine alternative rock, as well as aspects of metal, with melodic, moving lyrics is what made me originally fall in love with their music at 13 years old.
Without much stage banter, lead singer Gerard Way, as well as the rest of the band, made their love and appreciation for the fans clear by putting on a performance that was musically and energetically doing justice to their legacy in Alternative Rock. . Way has been seen dressing quite dramatically throughout the United States tour so far, in a full face of black metal makeup, slicked back hair, and a dark black suit. The rest of the band was dressed casually, but their performances, as well as Way’s, were anything but casual. The raw emotion and drama that once enticed audiences years ago was back and better than ever. The band was eminent in showing their dedication to the fans and the music through their performance and clear respect and love for each other. This may be the last time we will witness My Chemical Romance all together on a stage, but even if it is, I am more than confident the fans are beyond grateful for this incredibly meaningful experience. I will never forget it.