My Chemical Romance, the emo rock band that conquered the globe in the mid 2000s, returned for back-to-back nights at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center for their Reunion Tour.
My Chemical Romance was nominated for the Best Band on the Planet at the 2006 Kerrang! Awards. In 2008, the band was nominated for a Grammy for their iconic album Welcome To The Black Parade. The band was climbing the charts in the alternative rock world until 2013, when they disbanded. Fast forward six years and they have reunited for a single show at Los Angeles’ Shrine Expo Hall. Shortly thereafter, the band announced "The Reunion Tour," a global tour that was postponed multiple times due to the pandemic.
On the evening of September 10th, The Reunion Tour had made its way to Barclays Center, in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn. The 19,000 capacity arena was packed to the brim with fans of all ages. Repping their favorite albums, dressed up as characters from My Chemical Romance’s music videos or even splattered in fake blood (yes, it’s true), fans were stepping out loudly and proudly with their support for the New Jersey natives.
Kicking off their performance with their newly released single “Foundations Of Decay”, the first song the band has released since 2014, My Chemical Romance proved that they have only gotten better with time. The band performed with such gusto and passion that it was only two songs in before every member was drenched in sweat. That evening turned out to be a special night not only because the performance was a religious experience, but because it was bassist Mikey Way’s birthday. After a brief pause to sing “Happy Birthday” to Mikey, the band continued on with their incredible show.
The 21 song setlist was chock full of favorites, suitable for fans from any era of My Chemical Romance. “Teenagers”, “Helena”, “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” and, of course, “Welcome To The Black Parade”. The latter of which I had never heard an arena sing along to so loudly that it nearly drowned out lead vocalist Gerard Way on the mic!
As an avid My Chemical Romance fan in my formative years, The Reunion Tour was nothing less than a transcendent experience. The opportunity to finally get to see some of the songs that laid the foundation for many in my generation was truly a memorable moment. Hopefully The Reunion Tour is the start of a new, undefined era of My Chemical Romance. But either way, this band has proven that they haven’t lost their touch.
See the photos by NYC photographer Jess Williams below.
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