Introduction
I honestly ummed and ahhed about buying a ticket for this gig for what seemed like months. Between financial commitments and logistics it didn’t seem the most sensible decision. But in the end nothing could stop me from seeing my emo idols. Knowing they were also playing my favourite album in full only cemented it. I had to make this happen.
Buying a resale ticket through Ticketmaster turned out to be surprisingly painless, and for the limited view seat I actually think I bagged a bargain! The bigger challenge however was going to be getting to the concert. I had to go to Wembley and London driving is not something I’ll ever do.
This led to trying something new, travelling to a show via coach!
Big Green Coaches
I’d seen Big Green Coaches advertised for festivals like Download before, so I looked to see if they did gigs too. Not only did they, but they happened to have 1 seat left, I booked it as quick as humanly possible.
The experience itself couldn’t have been made easier. From the pickup at Derby Bus Station to climbing back on tired post show. Everything was well organised and more importantly straightforward. If I were to nit-pick, there were a few things that could have made my experience better.
Firstly, the coach actually cost me more than the gig! Which did sting a little even if only mentally. Secondly if I were to do it again I would want to travel with a friend. It’s not a short trip and made longer when sat next to a stranger.
Finally we arrived at the stadium 2 hours before it even opened. This is simultaneously a good thing and bad. Good in that even had we hit traffic we would have made it on time. But bad because after buying a shirt from the merch stand I had nothing to do for 90 minutes in the blistering heat!
However I would still massively recommend Big Green Coaches to anyone considering travelling for a major gig. Grab yourself a copy of Classic Rock magazine and put your noise cancelling headphones on. The time flies quicker than you might expect!
Anthony Green
The first thing I noticed about Anthony Green was just how excited he seemed to be there. Wembley is an intimidating venue for anyone and I suspect not the type of place he gets to play in his other bands. Including L.S.Dunes which he plays in alongside My Chemical Romance guitarist Frank Iero.
It was a shame really that the stadium was in fact still pretty much empty for his set. Those that were there on time however were treated to his show that really did deserve a bigger audiance that what it had.
Musically, I found his nine songs to share a pretty similar vibe, meaning they blended together a little more than I’d have preferred. That said I enjoyed his music still! If I had to pick a standout It’d be Trading Doses, which left the strongest impression on me.
I did however have a little laugh at the bassist who looked exactly like a character out of the British sitcom Fresh Meat. Once I had noticed that, I couldn’t unsee it. Sorry.
Looks aside, Anthony Green sounded excellent, with his vocals being much stronger than I expected. Carrying at times a surprising amount of grit and harshness that added another dimension to his performance.
When you consider he wasn’t even part of the original billing for the show I think he did a solid job at warming the crowd up (Although the 38c did that already). I just wish more people had seen it!
Sunny Day Real Estate
I need to admit something, I had never heard of Sunny Day Real Estate before this gig. Also if I am being brutally honest, I’ll probably never actively seek them out again.
They’re not a bad band, but they fell short of the type of music I tend to gravitate towards. Sometimes bands don’t click for someone, this is one of those times.
For a band that has been around for over three decades, two members part of the original Foo Fighters line up, it should not be surpsing that they know how to command a stage. Their blend of Emo and Alt rock kept plenty of people engaged throughout their set. I just couldn’t find myself getting fully on board.
More than anything I struggled with the pairing. A support act should either compliment the headliners sound, or be a huge name that they are an event in themselves. In the UK I don’t think Sunny Day Real Estate are either.
I did however enjoy songs like In Circles and Seven, and they left a lasting impression. But to be truthful I wish I’d come for Joan Jett or Skunk Anansie.
I think the crowd were pretty split on them. Some were fully invested and loving it, singing, cheering. Others were on their phone. Consider me landing somewhere in between.
My Chemical Romance
The Black Parade
The band emerged to Vera Lynn’s We’ll Meet Again, which felt like an strange choice. Followed quickly by Over Fields (The National Anthem Of Draag), complete with stunning vocals from Lucy Joy Altus and Charlotte Kelso. I think this set the theatrical tone for what was to come well.
Then it happened.
The opening notes of The End. Rang out through the crowd and Wembley absolutely erupted. I knew My Chemical Romance fans were passionate (After all I am one of them) but I was not prepared for the reaction. It was as if every single seat had become charged with electric. Not a single person was sat down, and from that moment I don’t think I did!
Dead! kept the momentum rolling with an infectious party like atmosphere. Everywhere I glanced people were dancing, jumping and not forgetting screaming every word back at the band. It felt like an emo choreographed song with thousands of fans dressed in black moving together as one. The pace eased off slightly with This Is How I Disappear, but that was always going to happen when you play an entire album. Not every song can be a defining moment.
That being said I have always enjoyed the spoken-word opening of The Sharpest lives. It’s a masterclass in building tension, slowly pulling you in before exploding into a great chorus. Honestly it might be the best on the entire album. I might have damaged my voice during this one, but it was totally worth it.
As amazing as everything had been up to this point nothing could have prepared me for how I would feel during Welcome To The Black Parade.
The moment those iconic piano notes echoed around Wembley I felt goosebumps. It wasn’t just excitement, it was one of those rare moments where thousands of people became completely united by a song. You could feel emotion washing over the entire crowd.
Oddly the song has taken on a completely new meaning for me since becoming a father. Instead of hearing an anthem from my teenage years I now find myself thinking about a time when I might not be able to support my child. Somewhere between singing, headbanging and taking everything in, I released a single tear had escaped.
And honestly?
I’m not ashamed of that in the slightest.
This isn’t just an anthem. It’s one of the defining songs of my life.
Just when I thought the emotional damage had been done the band hit me with I Don’t Love You. If you have not heard this song before do yourself a favour and change that. It’s heartbreak wrapped up in a beautiful melody. By this point I was singing loud enough that I probably owe an apology to those who were sat near me.
One thing that really impressed me throughout the performance of The Black Parade album was the production. This was not a band going through the motions of an album in full show. It was a full blown theatrical experience. The transition between songs, the little story moments and visual details added to the magic. The type of magic only real fans would notice. This was no longer a rock show, but an event!
House Of Wolves has the unenviable task of following two of the best songs not only on the album but the bands back catalogue. It kept the momentum going but for me never reached the same heights.
Cancer threw things crashing back down to earth. The band have never shied away from life’s darkest reality. Hearing this track live hit me harder than it ever has on record before. Having lost people to cancer myself I connected to it in a way that I simply had not managed to before. If anyone is still wondering if this band is worth seeing live, this song alone is enough to answer that.
Then came Mama, the song that turned Wembley into a headbanging convention. I have never witnessed a stadium move in sync quite like that before. It looked like tens of thousands of people sharing the same heartbeat.
Now it is time to upset some people…
Sleep has always been my least favourite song on the album. It suffers from the impossible task of sitting right before Teenagers so in ripe spot to be skipped.
Speaking of Teenagers… wow.
Every single lyric was being screamed back at Gerard Way by the loving (And quite rowdy) crowd. Gerard was phenomenal all night truth be told but this song he found another gear entirely.
When I was growing up I never felt like I fit in anywhere. So Teenagers really resonated with me. Ironically I’ve never felt more comfortable than I did surrounded by eighty thousand people who understood the same feeling.
For me Disenchanted never meant much, but I know for some fans of the band it means a lot. It’s a perfectly good song but I have never seen it as one of the albums stand out tracks.
Everything then built towards what, in my eyes at least, is the true finale of the album.
Yes, I know Blood technically comes afterwards, but Famous Last Words has always felt like the real ending to The Black Parade.
This might divide fans but it is actually my favourite My Chemical Romance song. I fell in love with it years ago thanks to the amazing music video. The vision of the band surrounded by flames sticks with me to this day. I never expected the live version to sit close, but man.
I was wrong.
The amount of fire blasting across the stage elevated a great performance to an unforgettable one. Huge credit needs to go to Mikey and Frank who really stood out on this track!
Blood eventually brought the album to a close. The on-stage antics made it an entertaining finish and allowed people to truly take in what they had just witnessed!
Remainder Of The Set
Remainder Of The Set
I’ll tell you what was odd. Seeing around a quarter of the crowd disappear.
Some returned a few minutes later, but others had clearly called it a night. I don’t think the ten minute break after The Black Parade helped things. But the issue was nobody was told what was happening. We had a song by Clarice Jensen on the cello to keep us company, and while great it is not what anyone travelled to Wembley to hear. It simply took too long to get on with things again.
What followed wasn’t a greatest hits set. It was a love letter to the die-hard fans.
Boy Division kicked things off, taken from the band’s 2012 Conventional Weapons releases. I’ll admit I was slightly surprised it was chosen as the first song after The Black Parade, but once it got going, I couldn’t complain. It was an inspired deep cut that immediately reminded everyone this wasn’t going to be an ordinary arena show.
The band have recently revisited Danger Days, an album I’ve never hidden is my least favourite in their catalogue. Even so, hearing Party Poison live was a genuine treat, especially after Gerard revealed they hadn’t played it since 2011. It’s moments like that which separate a good gig from a truly memorable one. You’re witnessing songs that fans never expected to hear again.
The heat inside Wembley was still relentless when the unmistakable opening of I’m Not Okay (I Promise) rang out.
What. A. Moment.
If there was ever a song that perfectly summed up my teenage years, this was it. Back then it was the soundtrack to every frustration, every bad day and every feeling of not quite fitting in. This time, though, I got to scream every lyric surrounded by tens of thousands of people doing exactly the same thing. There wasn’t a shred of judgement anywhere. Just one enormous shared release of emotion.
It’s a moment I’ll genuinely never forget.
After that emotional explosion, and the haunting performance of Desert Song, it was time to inject some pure fun back into proceedings.
Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) is exactly the sort of chaotic, infectious anthem you want in a stadium. Somewhere during the song I managed to smash my knee against something sharp and actually cut it.
Did I care?
Not even slightly.
I was having far too much fun.
The surprises kept coming with Vampires Will Never Hurt You, taking everyone right back to the band’s 2002 beginnings. You can hear a young band still discovering exactly who they wanted to be, but that’s part of its charm. Every great band has to start somewhere, and hearing one of those early songs live felt incredibly special.
Sticking with the vampire theme, Vampire Money kept the energy soaring. Is it My Chemical Romance’s greatest song? No. Is it ridiculously fun in a live setting? Absolutely.
Sing followed, with Wembley once again doing most of the vocal work. In this case, I actually took a step back and let the crowd have their moment. Sometimes listening to thousands of people sing together is every bit as powerful as joining in yourself.
Then came Helena.
Even though The Kids From Yesterday officially closed the evening, if I’m being honest, I was still emotionally recovering from Helena. It remains one of the greatest songs My Chemical Romance have ever written, and there was absolutely no chance I was staying quiet during that one. I sang every word.
As the final notes faded away, there was only one thought running through my head.
Thank you, My Chemical Romance.
For one of the greatest nights I’ve ever experienced.
Verdict
I’ve been to a hell of a lot of gigs over the years, but few have sat with me the same way this one has. I am now purposely writing this nearly 3 weeks later. I needed to give my brain time to fully process it. Seeing The Black Parade performed in full was everything I had hoped and then some. The atmosphere, production and the sense of belonging elevated it to something unforgettable.
No concert is perfect. I was not sold on all the support acts and the lengthy break interrupted the flow in the middle of the set. But those are tiny complaints when compared to all the things this show got right.
This wasn’t simply another stadium concert.
It was a celebration of one of the most influential rock albums of the 21st century, performed by a band who continue to mean the world to so many people including me.
Would I do that coach journey all over again?
Without hesitation.
“So long and goodnight.”
96/100
Fox Reviews Rock 
Let Fox Reviews Rock know what you think!