See My Chemical Romance at MetLife Stadium on Saturday, August 9th, 2025!
Formed in 2001 in the wake of the September 11th attacks by vocalist Gerard Way and former drummer Matt Pelissier, New Jersey’s own My Chemical Romance has become one of the biggest emo rock bands in history. Way and Pelissier were quickly joined by guitarist Ray Toro and bassist Mikey Way, Gerard’s younger brother.
Only three months after forming, My Chemical Romance brought in second guitarist Frank Iero and proceeded to record their debut I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love which was released in 2002. The album, produced by fellow New Jersey musician and now touring mate Geoff Rickly of Thursday, received mixed reviews, with in-genre publications like Alternative Press reacting more favorably than others like Rolling Stone. While some critics didn’t react favorably, the album was well received by fans, even spawning several fan-favorites like the singles “Vampires Will Never Hurt You”, “Honey, This Mirror Isn’t Big Enough for the Two of Us”, and “Headfirst for Halos”.
My Chemical Romance’s success with the masses lead to the group being signed to Reprise Records in 2003. The following year, they released their second album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (2004). The album was significantly better received by critics, even being considered one of the best albums of 2004 by four publications in the US and UK. This was the album that truly showed what the band was capable of, with all the albums four singles being massive hits for the band. Two of the singles, “Helena” and “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” have even gone on to be regarded as anthems for the emo and other related scenes. The album has since been regarded triple platinum by the RIAA, and even topped the UK Rock & Metal Albums chart.
In 2006, My Chemical Romance released Life on the Murder Scene, a live album that contained both a documentary about the band leading up to the Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge album cycle and a number of live performances on stage, on TV, online, as well as the making of music videos along with the videos themselves. By this time, they had been touring with other massive bands such as Killswitch Engage, Green Day, Alkaline Trio, Fall Out Boy, and The Used.
Later that year, My Chemical Romance released what is arguably the most important album in emo and alternative history, The Black Parade. The concept album was a smash hit, compared to the importance of releases like Green Day’s American Idiot, and was even considered “The Greatest Album of Our Lifetime” by Rock Sound in 2019. The album, certified 4 times platinum by the RIAA and at least single platinum by many other countries, crushed it on the charts, reaching the number 2 spot on the Billboard 200, and topping countless others.
The Black Parade contains more of My Chemical Romance’s hits and live staples than deep cuts, with the title track being considered the biggest hit of their career. The album also contains hit singles in “Famous Last Words” and “Teenagers”, with the song “Mama” even featuring the legendary Liza Minnelli. In 2008, the band released its second live album in The Black Parade is Dead!, which contained their final performance as the Black Parade characters they had adopted in that era in Mexico City as well as a show at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. Shortly after, they released ¡Venganza! (2009), which was their encore from Mexico City where they played several songs from Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.
Following the end of The Black Parade’s touring cycle, My Chemical Romance began to write their fourth album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys which was released in 2010. The album was a sharp change from their previous three albums, taking on a more pop-influenced style while still keeping their rock edge. The release did see a slight dip in support from critics and fans, with many still regarding it as the group’s weakest release. This however does not mean the album didn’t have hits for the band, with songs like “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)”, “SING”, “The Kids from Yesterday”, and “Vampire Money” all growing on fans.
Between the end of 2012 and the start of 2013, My Chemical Romance would release five two-song EPs, together being known as Conventional Weapons. The release would end up being the group’s final release of entirely new music, as just a month after the fifth and final tracks from Conventional Weapons was released, the band announced they would be breaking up. A year later, the greatest hits album May Death Never Stop You (2014) that contained one final new track in “Fake Your Death”.
All four of the main band members Gerard, Mikey, Frank, and Ray continued to pursue music, with Gerard and Ray releasing solo tracks and Mikey and Frank forming their own other bands. For The Black Parade’s 10th anniversary, the band released The Black Parade/Living with Ghosts (2016), which contained 11 unreleased live demos and mixes of songs, including “The Five of Us Are Dying”, an early version of the “Welcome to The Black Parade”. This came after two years of inactivity from the band following May Death Never Stop You, with the teasing of the release sending fans into a frenzy before the band clarified it was only for the anniversary release.
The band was beloved by all, with many of the younger generation lamenting the fact that they would not get the chance to see My Chemical Romance live. That changed Halloween of 2019, when the band announced a reunion show in less than two months. The show sold out within seconds and was followed by more dates announced internationally, with US dates being announced last with a long, cryptic video. In 2022, mere days before the tour, which had been rescheduled due to Covid-19, was set to begin, the band released their first new song since “Fake Your Death” in “The Foundations of Decay”.
Since their return, My Chemical Romance has kept a steady touring schedule, including headlining festivals such as the inaugural When We Were Young festival in 2022. The band would return to the festival in 2024 to play The Black Parade in its entirety, something the band had not done since 2008.
Now, My Chemical Romance has announced a massive US stadium tour in the summer of 2025. Titled “Long Live The Black Parade”, the band will be crossing the US, with different bands opening each night, including Devo, Pixies, and Alice Cooper. New Jersey’s date at MetLife Stadium has the honor of not only hosting alternative legends Death Cab for Cutie, but also My Chemical Romance’s long-standing friends in Thursday.
The tour also has the band introducing new lore, stating that “a great Dictator has risen to power, bringing about ‘THE CONCRETE AGE’; a glorious time of stability and abundance in the history of DRAAG”, and that “their work privilege ceremoniously reinstated, will be His Grand Immortal Dictator’s National Band”. The fans have already began to scramble trying to dig as deep into this as possible, with many theorizing that this signals a new concept album that brings the characters of The Black Parade back in this new universe, 17 years following their “end”. Only time will tell what else My Chemical Romance is hiding, but for now, it’s US tour time.
Tickets are on sale Friday, November 15th at 10am at ticketmaster.com.
