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Gigs keep reminding us of the unyielding passage of time lately. Two weeks after Alexisonfire and Billy Talent united in Wembley Arena to celebrate 20 years of their respective breakthrough albums, contemporaries My Chemical Romance are filling the stadium next door three times over as they mark the platinum anniversary of their era-defining The Black Parade. And they’re not taking any half-measures, either. The emo superstars have brought two stages, elaborate sets and an armoury’s worth of pyro – not to mention a new rock opera narrative to refresh their millennial anthems.
Even the support act was picked to fit their highly thought-out design. Frontman Gerard Way fell in love with SKUNK ANANSIE after seeing their cameo in 1995 sci-fi thriller Strange Days. The homegrown alt-rockers make Wembley Stadium feel far smaller than it actually is, as guitarist Martin “Ace” Kent’s crunching riffs fill the 90,000-person space. The heart of it all, however, is frontwoman Skin. Not just the owner of a pristine set of pipes, she’s also a magnetic presence, especially when she hops the barrier to howl amidst the masses. A reliably excellent showing from a consistently underrated band.
19 years ago, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE loudly killed off their alter-egos The Black Parade, to the point that their demise was the focus of a 2008 live album. But tonight they’re rewriting history. The band now suggest that their black-clad other halves were kidnapped by a nation called Draag and brainwashed into being spokespeople for its authoritarian government.
It’s under this pretense that the New Yorkers return to the stage, introduced by a militaristic procession of drummers, soldiers and scowling politicians. Later, Way hosts a sham election and has a group of people ‘executed’ for frivolous reasons. “The grand immortal dictator demands that you participate in democracy,” he states, trying and failing to stifle a laugh. Any relation to sitting US presidents living or dead is probably not coincidental.
In between, the Black Parade songs prove how the album restructured the face of alternative culture. The End. and Dead! revel just as much in Queen and David Bowie glam rock posturing as they do in post-hardcore hitmaking. Wembley has unsurprisingly memorised every word and belts them out at full force.
This Is How I Disappear, The Sharpest Lives and the monolithic Welcome To The Black Parade continue the series of hits, and as the set drifts into its latter half, the production grows more and more dazzling. Draag becomes embroiled in a farcical war during Mama (again, probably not coincidental), so flames rocket from the stage in ludicrous volume and fireworks explode around the open-air stadium. A stunt performer even sprints past the band completely engulfed in flame.
The pageantry crescendos with album closer Famous Last Words. A countdown runs throughout the climactic anthem, after which more pyro fires from every angle and The Black Parade’s members are either dragged offstage or violently murdered. Then a dude dressed as a clown blows himself up. It’s theatre kid bombast in stadium rock clothing, and it’s magical. Even with an hour of showtime left, MCR have done more with their fans’ ticket money than any other band of their generation.
After a short interlude lets London process the overdose of pomp that’s just been injected into its eyeballs, the band break character and man the intimate B-stage, playing in the round on an island mid-venue. Honey, This Mirror Isn’t Big Enough For The Two Of Us and a cover of Morrissey’s Jack The Ripper (its first performance since 2003) cast a joyous nod to debut album I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. Songs from 2004’s Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge continue this scrappy throwback, although 2010’s Danger Days gets represented by deep cuts Planetary (Go!) and Destroya.
As I’m Not Okay (I Promise), Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) and Helena end the extravaganza with a torrent of singalongs, it’s hard to think of anything diehard fans could complain about tonight. The theatricality that lifted MCR from the underground is here in excelsis, with every hit and a smattering of obscurities populating a show that never felt frontloaded, despite opening with one of the essential albums of the 21st century. No hyperbole necessary: this band just cemented themselves as rock’s greatest showmen right now.
My Chemical Romance return to Wembley on July 10 and 11, then tour Europe.
My Chemical Romance setlist: Wembley Stadium, London – July 8, 2026
- 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)
- Blood (from tape)
- Cello interlude (From A To B by Clarice Jensen)
- Honey, This Mirror Isn’t Big Enough For The Two Of Us
- Thank You For The Venom
- Cemetery Drive
- Planetary (Go!)
- Give ’Em Hell, Kid
- Jack The Ripper (Morrissey cover)
- Destroya
- I’m Not Okay (I Promise)
- Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)
- Helena
