Picture if you can, your dream concert lineup. What would it be? Well if you asked me, this lineup is pretty close to perfect. I recently had the experience of a lifetime seeing Pierce the Veil opening for My Chemical Romance’s second night of their tour in Nashville. The concert took place in the soon to be demolished Nissan Stadium with over seventy thousand people in attendance. The fans braved hours of record breaking heat, with temps reaching a high of 109 degrees, all while adorned in mostly black clothing.
My journey began at 3:00 in the morning, waiting at DFW airport for my connecting flight to Denver. As I walked through both airports I could spot fellow fans flying out for the show from a mile away. I felt an almost magnetic pull to them and asked if we were all headed to the same place. I made some lovely friends before even getting to the show and it was beautiful to watch my community come together. After multiple delayed flights and eleven hours of travel, I made it to Music City.
I spent some time in the airport crafting bracelets for trading at the show before I could check in to my hotel where I could get some rest and get ready. Later as I waited in the hotel lobby for my Lyft to the concert, I saw so many different fans ready to embark on their own voyage to the stadium. I struck up conversations with a few of them while we waited, and whether they had seen My Chem previously or were on their way to see them for the first time, the excitement was palpable.
Courtesy of Nashville traffic and a severe lack of sleep, I ended up at the venue pretty close to showtime so I didn’t get to witness much of the anticipation outside. It was quite entertaining to watch fellow emos of all ages invade the streets of Nashville as we all got closer to the stadium. Once I walked in I was met with a wonderland of various MCR characters from over the years. There were members of the Black Parade, Killjoys, and Demolition Lovers alike, even a Black Parade inspired Hatsune Miku. Everyone I had the pleasure of interacting with was so kind and traded me freebies they had made for the show. I made my way to my seat and had some great conversations with those around me until it was time for Pierce the Veil.
The sun was beating down as Jose Alfredo Jimenez’s “El Ray” rose from the speakers, the now iconic kick off song to Pierce the Veil’s set. A bright flashlight lit the darkened stage as the instrumentals for “May These Noises Startle You in Your Sleep Tonight” began. Due to some technical issues the vocals for this song were inaudible, but the amazing crew got it ironed out before they tore into their next track. The band’s combination of grungy guitars, raw vocals and sheer talent always left the crowd wanting more.
“Bulls in the Bronx” is an all time favorite for me and watching Loni Robinson kill it on the drums was absolutely mesmerizing. Midway through the set singer Vic Fuentes dedicated their song “Emergency Contact” to his wife and kids who flew in to see them perform. I watched as those around me stood close with their emergency contacts and mentally stood with mine a few states away. “So Far So Fake” off their 2023 album has become a surprise radio hit thanks to recent TikTok virality and ignited an enthusiastic response from the crowd.
Throughout their set, bassist Jaime Preciado and guitarist Tony Perry were not shy to show off their impressive stage tricks. Jump kicking off the risers, guitars spinning around their torsos, and often throwing instruments to their techs for their swaps. “Caraphernelia” and “King for a Day” were the last two songs of the night, and these two heavy hitters had the entire stadium going berserk. The sun may have begun to set but the crowd was burning with feverish anticipation for MCR to hit the stage
If you aren’t familiar, this is the second U.S. run of My Chemical Romance’s “Long Live The Black Parade” 20th Anniversary Tour. The show is split into 2 sets; a front to back playthrough of their 2006 album “The Black Parade,” which is accompanied by various theatrics and not so subtle commentaries on authoritarianism, as well as an intimate stripped down mystery set in the center of the stadium. The band we see perform the initial set is not known as My Chemical Romance, but The Black Parade. A band of 5 fictional prisoners on a work release program made to perform around the world for the Grand Immortal Dictator.
The once quieter intermission music grew loud with Vera Lynn’s “We’ll Meet Again“ echoing through the seats as our descent into the fictional land of DRAAG began. A snare drummer appeared on stage as the screens showed a hauntingly tall figure, The Grand Immortal Dictator, making his way to his throne that overlooked the stage and crowd. A blind woman in a red dress we came to know as Marianne is led onto the B stage by an assistant and sings the DRAAG National Anthem. While she sang, The Black Parade appeared on the main stage behind her and ripped into the first track off their album: “The End.”
Alongside The Black Parade we are introduced to a large cast of characters as well as The DRAAG Auxiliary Band composed of Clarice Jensen on cello, Kayleigh Goldsworthy on violin, and Tucker Rule of Thursday on percussion. We meet The Clerk, played by Charlie Saxton, and The Secretary, played by Gemma Scoble who both only speak in Keposhka, a fictional language crafted by Gerard Way and Nate Piekos. Every few songs the music stalled as The Clerk entered to address Gerard, each interaction being much more playful than the stern communication we encountered during the last tour. The Clerk is often joined by the Secretary whose dominating presence strikes fear in her subordinates. These two characters were also occasionally joined by “The Note-Taker,” and were often seen side stage taking notes on the audience.
When the band played their song “Cancer” it felt as though the world had stopped for a moment. I couldn’t help but get emotional from the sheer volume of the crowd around me, who at times ended up being louder than the band themselves. My teary eyes were soon dried by the fiery pyrotechnics erupting throughout the extended version of “Mama” where we saw the return of Marianne on operatic vocals. Prior to the show fans were handing out red squares to hold in front of your flashlight during the song “Sleep,” and when the song kicked in the entire crowd was illuminated in red.
As the band broke into the final album track “Famous Last Words”, small flames began to spread across the stage and grew taller as the song went on. The heat from the fire was almost unbearable, but when the song was over the breeze felt in its absence provided much needed relief. A reprised version of “The End” was being played as a clown appeared on stage wielding a knife. After some convincing from the frontman, The Clown plunges the knife into Gerard’s chest as the other members are ripped off stage by soldiers. The Clown, who we realize is The Clerk in a different outfit picks up a rotary phone from the stage and seems to be screaming at The Dictator over the phone. After angrily throwing the phone, The Clown pranced around the stage to a recording of MCR’s hidden track “Blood.” He danced around Gerard’s body still strewn on stage and revealed the bomb he had strapped to his chest. As the song concluded The Clown blew a kiss goodbye and the bombs exploded sending a series of loud booms through the stadium and the arena went dark.
The intermission was graced with a beautiful solo by cellist Clarice Jensen performing her original piece “From A to B”. As the song came to a close, the band made their way to the B stage with Frank Iero, Ray Toro, and Mikey Way high fiving fans along the way. The mystery 10 song B stage set organized by guitarist Frank was electrifying. It included different songs from all 4 studio albums and some hidden tracks making it a great night for fans of all eras. “Our Lady of Sorrows” off their first album “I Brought You My Bullets You Brought Me Your Love” had the crowd erupting into monumental cheers. The band was no exception to the extreme heat we were all feeling, Gerard vocalising he felt ill and laying down on stage for a brief moment before proceeding.
The biggest surprise of the night for me was getting to hear my favorite song “AMBULANCE” which they played live for only the second time ever. Gerard began to ramble about vampires and going to Las Vegas with Count Chocula and “making some moolah” before the band kicked into “Vampires Will Never Hurt You.” The Punchy guitars and high tempo of “Na Na Na” sent a contagious wave of excitement into the crowd, the shared exhilaration obvious on the faces of the band as well. My Chem then concluded the night with fan favorite tune “Helena” wishing us “so long and goodnight.”
As I watched my fellow emos pour out of the venue, I wandered around in the chaos I had missed earlier. While much sweatier and fatigued than we were before, I witnessed countless people around me in such moments of joy. Some fans had received special signed gifts during the show and were losing their minds, while others were meeting up with long-distance friends for the first time. That feeling I had in the airport returned to me. There’s something beautiful about watching your community, the one place you feel you truly belong, come together. All because of my hometown heroes from New Jersey.
I will also be returning to the Black Parade in San Antonio, Texas on September 12th!
Check out the awesome photos below by tour photographers Bryce Hall and Jesse DeFlorio!
