Show Review: My Chemical Romance Bring The Black Parade To Life in San Francisco
My Chemical Romance
‘Long Live The Black Parade’ Tour
w/ 100 gecs
Oracle Park
San Francisco, CA
July 19th, 2025
Review by Jared Stossel
Main Photo: Shot on iPhone
Last night, thousands gathered at San Francisco’s Oracle Park to play witness to a show that, for nearly two decades, most people never thought that they would have the chance to see. My Chemical Romance reunited on stage in 2019 at the Shrine Expo in Los Angeles, with world tour dates following soon after (initially delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic). But no one ever thought that they would return to the stage as their alter egos, “The Black Parade”.
In 2007, the band embarked on a headlining tour for their landmark album, dressing as the titular characters and performing the entire album from start to finish with full theatrics, before returning to the stage to play a handful of fan favorites from their other records. Barely a year into said tour, the band “killed off” their characters with a final show in Mexico City, citing burnout, depression, and a creative desire to move on.
I was 13 when ‘The Black Parade’ Tour came to Oakland and was unable to witness it. I’ve seen My Chemical Romance almost a dozen times over the last two decades, yet within all of those shows, I never thought I would have the chance to see the band perform as The Black Parade. Last night, myself and thousands were proven wrong as My Chemical Romance brought The Black Parade characters back from the dead, playing the entire seminal album from start to finish, in all of its theatrical glory. The band did perform the album for the first time since 2007 at last year’s When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas, but that was merely a rehearsal. The ‘Long Live The Black Parade’ tour stop in San Francisco blew away any expectations I’ve had for this band, and it’s the show I’ve wanted to see from them for years.
Each show on this limited, ten-date tour features a different opener, and last night’s Bay Area date was opened by duo 100 gecs. For a tour that specializes in maximalism, 100 gecs was a stark contrast from the headlining show that fans would get within those next two hours. Employing a minimalistic approach - armed with only a MIDI keyboard - 100 gecs members Dylan Brady and Laura Les - engaged the crowd with a fun opening performance. Les spoke to the crowd in between songs, her voice slathered with autotune, even when merely talking to the crowd. Their music falls between pulsing MySpace-era electronica, vicious screamo, and parody rap/rock. It’s impossible to make heads or tails of them, but I had a great time watching them. For just two people running around on stage to pre-recorded songs, they’re quite captivating.
While waiting for My Chemical Romance to take the stage, a handful of images and “rules” are displayed upon the screen, utilizing the entire space of the San Francisco Giants baseball stadium. With this band, nothing is simple - The Black Parade has not merely “returned”. According to the tour trailer description, they weren’t killed off all those years ago - they were held captive in a place called “The MOAT”, saved by the glory of His Grand Immortal Dictator in the land of Draag. They are returning to the stage to play for his excellence as the official band of the nation of Draag - one doesn’t need to look too far to see the references to authoritarian dictatorships that exist in the world. The band heavily plays into this story, with a woman coming out to tell everyone to rise for the “Draag National Anthem”. Amidst the operatic performance, for the first time since 2007, The Black Parade returned to the Bay Area, launching into a once-in-a-lifetime performance of the defining album of the emo generation.
Amongst the performance of the full album, with the band sounding excellent throughout every track from “The End.” to “Famous Last Words,” the show is a scathing political commentary on authoritarianism, showcasing the idea that if you are devoted to the cult-like following of something or somebody, you will do anything to satisfy them. A mock execution is held, with fans holding up signs reading “Yea” or “Nay” to vote for the fate of four people that “dared to question the authority of his Grand Immortal Dictator”. “Can you believe that?” vocalist Gerard Way declares to the crowd amidst a roar of applause, fully immersed in character. The audience overwhelmingly votes yes. We know it’s wrong, but the audience buys into it because we love the characters of The Black Parade. You can see it weighing on the band throughout the performance, fighting with the staff who keep delivering them notes and telling them to give state-sanctioned messages, effectively saying “shut up and play”. (America, does this sound familiar?)
The stage transforms throughout the evening, lighting up with massive amounts of pyro during the always-outstanding “Mama” (featuring a brand new extended bridge). The cityscape backdrop is pulled away to reveal a military board counting down to a rocket launcher, looking more like the war room in Kubrick’s ‘Dr. Strangelove’. By the end of the show, the entire stage is burned to the ground, with “Famous Last Words” sending the band out in a blaze of glory before “The End” reprises. A character that I’m referring to as The Jester walks onto the stage midsong, and swipes at Way with a dagger. Blood sprays everywhere as he falls to the ground.
Crawling towards the camera, ekeing out the last words of “The End”, he slams his hand down on a button with his dying breath, effectively blowing up the great nation of Draag. The remaining members of The Black Parade are either chased or pulled off stage, before The Jester wanders around the stage as the album’s bonus track, “Blood”, plays over the speakers. He reveals a bomb, blowing himself and the stage to bits. It is theatricality in its highest form, and it is everything I’ve ever wanted to see from this band. My Chemical Romance has outstanding songs, but their strength has always lied within their flair for the dramatic - they are B-horror movie, comic-book-loving, Magic The Gathering-playing nerds who have a love for fake blood, punk and metal music. This stadium tour, as limited as it may be, is giving the chance to show off their penchant for the histrionic.
A Bay Area chill blew over the faces of everyone in attendance as a cello interlude was beautifully performed while the B-stage was set up. Dropping the theatrical hysterics, the band resumed the show by walking through the crowd and taking to a stage set up in the middle of the floor for an hour of fan-favorite hits from their other albums, showcasing a handful of powerful B-sides and songs from albums like Danger Days and Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. Way is more docile this time around; he plays to the crowd in each song with serious commitment, yet speaks between songs like an old friend, someone who can’t believe that the small little band from New Jersey is now playing to 50,000 people a night.
Fan favorite songs like “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” “Na Na Na”, and “Helena” filled out the night, along with an exemplary cover of The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”, nearly outdoing the original. Two of my favorite songs, “It’s Not A Fashion Statement, It’s A Fucking Deathwish” and “Boy Division”, made appearances, with their performances showcasing why they are truly the best band in their genre.
My Chemical Romance closed the show with a performance of ‘The Kids From Yesterday’, a track from Danger Days that they began closing out certain shows with on their reunion tour a few years ago. As a big fan of this band, it was impossible not to feel emotional watching this song played out in front of a stadium crowd. The little band from Jersey that could. Who knew?
Long Live The Black Parade. Long Live My Chemical Romance.
My Chemical Romance Set List
The Black Parade (performing as The Black Parade)
The End.
Dead!
This Is How I Disappear
The Sharpest Lives
Welcome To The Black Parade
I Don’t Love You
House of Wolves
Cancer
Mama
Sleep
Teenagers
Disenchanted
Famous Last Words
The End. (Reprise)
Thank You For The Venom
I’m Not Okay (I Promise)
Summertime
Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)
It’s Not A Fashion Statement, It’s A Fucking Deathwish
SING
Bullet With Butterfly Wings (Smashing Pumpkins cover)
Boy Division
Helena
The Kids From Yesterday
