Live review – My Chemical Romance: Stadium MK, Milton Keynes 21/05/22
Emo dons finally play rescheduled MK dates
Reunited ’emo by way of theatrical alternative rock’ icons My Chemical Romance reformed at the end of 2019 for a single December show in Los Angeles before quickly confirming they were truly back with expansive world tour arrangements, set to commence right here in the UK.
With the pandemic turning 2020/2021 into the subsequent write offs they were, it’s taken two and a half years for the band to finally have the opportunity to make good on their promise of triumphant, exuberant, cathartic return. And tonight in Milton Keynes, they delivered tenfold.
Marking their first UK shows in over a decade, MK Stadium was in sheer pandemonium as the group of longstanding friends and brothers made their way onto the stage, opening with their brooding, heavy, blistering new single, ‘The Foundations Of Decay’, before careening directly into arguably their most singular claim to fame, anti-social break up anthem, ‘I’m Not Okay (I Promise).’
The sheer bravado it takes to pull out one of your aces within the first ten minutes of your set is admirable to say the least. It only bolsters goofy, seemingly unhinged yet utterly endearing frontman Gerard Way’s claim that there is no plan, no concept, they just want to have an awesome time and give the thousands in attendance of varying ages, fashions and hairstyle extremities what they’ve been pining for.
The jagged, swagger of Conventional Weapons Number 4 cut, ‘Make Room!!!’ makes its live touring debut, originally never receiving the opportunity during the band’s initial run. Way even says as much, admitting how he enjoys the material and is thrilled to finally treat it with the same credence as an album during live performances.
What ensues is a truly remarkable, lengthy plummet into a career spanning onslaught of both fan favourites and curious deeper cuts. ‘Bulletproof Heart’ receives its first live rendition since 2011, while anthems such as ‘Na Na Na’ and ‘Teenagers’ send the masses into utter frenzy.
Tracks from their originally somewhat misunderstood fourth effort Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys have aged finer than arguably any of their predecessors, and seemingly become much more accepted by the retrospective fanbase.
The lush, stadium-ready ode to Way’s wife, ‘Summertime’ serves as a perfect sunset serenade over the open dome, whereas proto-noise rock goliath, ‘Destroya’, pummels with frenetic fury, doubling down on just how tight, rejuvenated and impassioned the boys turned men have become in their time away. The sound is also top notch, with the heft and clarity ratio balanced expertly, which is precisely what should be the case at a costly, big spectacle stadium venture of this design. Way, it should be mentioned, for all of his jokes about blowing out his voice, has rarely sounded as confident or powerful.
Full of humorous anecdotes and innocent menace, Way calms his demeanour for a brief moment to tell of his rediscovering a passion for live music. How he attended metal shows with one band standing out to him, making such an impression that he planned to offer them a support slot on this very reunion tour. That band was thrash metal revivalists Power Trip, whose enigmatic frontman Riley Gale, tragically passed away in 2020. Way even has his long hair kept under a baseball hat in a similar fashion to Gale as tribute. It’s a thoughtful, sobering moment before all momentum resumes in a microsecond.
Dishing out highly adored choice cuts from the genre defining, ‘Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge’, such as ‘You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison’ and ‘Thank You For The Venom’ remind all of the genre fluidity in some of MCR’s compositional approach to melding emo, hardcore punk, goth rock and showband execution seamlessly. However, the literal one track from their screamo leaning debut full-length, ‘I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love’, that gets the live treatment, has to be the most visceral, aggressive and unhinged performance piece from any headliner at Milton Keynes stadium ever.
Hearing material of such aggressive nature up shoulder to shoulder with the retro-punk bop of ‘Vampire Money’ or the unashamedly emo pop-punk of ‘Surrender The Night’ (another compilation contribution receiving its live tour unveiling) feels like more than just a victory lap, or a retrospective celebration. It’s difficult to shake the sensation of laying out the entirety of their works for all to see and praise before moving onto a new phase or era, with further speculation growing due to the arrival of new material as well as merchandise with cryptic artwork and messaging such as ‘DECAY’ and ‘SWARM’.
Playing for close to two solid hours, the final moments of the night are paid to, what is now not only considered the group’s opus but a modern emo and alt rock staple, ‘The Black Parade’. The theatricality factor is on overdrive as the Vaudeville on methamphetamine jolt of ‘Mama’ has thousands joining in animated abandon, while emo’s own ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ i.e. ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ serves as immediate transportation to a simpler time of MySpace, eyeliner, complicated feelings and unfettered loitering.
It’s also worth mentioning the curiosity in the characters the band originally portrayed with each subsequent album and era, now played by normal men, with little to no additional fanfare. It’s as if to say while all of the costumes and differing aesthetics have fallen by the wayside, the music endures, and therefore, so does the accompanying legacy.
“Closing” with the haunting, bombastic, ‘Sleep’ then almost immediately returning with Way proclaiming, “Do you want one more? Cos we’ve got two and then we’re fucking out of here,” before slamming headfirst into the criminally underrated and underappreciated (evident by the very minor glimmer of recognition from most in attendance) ‘Boy Division’. They immediately follow with, ‘Helena’, the emo claszsic that originally counterbalanced the levity of ‘I’m Not Okay’ and informed millions of the subtle/not so subtle warring of emotions and musical dynamics that would eventually cement MCR as genre outliers and definers for generations to come. Tonight not only celebrates the enduring legacy of a one of a kind group, it cherishes those who’ve engaged and continue to do so, and brings home the resounding, life affirming connectivity that can occur in a live setting.
Zach Buggy