My Chemical Romance Reunion Proves a Communion for the Punk-Starved: Concert Review

Nearly a decade has passed since the disbandment of My Chemical Romance (MCR), the post-hardcore, pop-punk group led by frontman Gerard Way. And as a generation of Vans Warped Tour devotees grew up, so, too, did Gerard’s 13-year-old daughter, Bandit, who is now of age to appreciate her father’s music in all its angsty glory.

At the Oct. 15 show of the band’s reunion tour, which had been postponed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gerard’s daughter was front and center at the Kia Forum with a squad of her friends. The vocalist dedicated his 2006 hit song “Teenagers” to her, which was a surreal moment for adult concert-goers whose punk awakening similarly began in early adolescence.

“For this next song, I never know who to dedicate it to, but tonight I definitely know,” Gerard announced to the audience, before briefly pausing for extra effect. “It’s my teenage daughter, Bandit, who is here tonight with all her friends. This one’s for you.”

Now 45, Gerard Way has maintained not just his vocal range and balls-to-the-wall energy, but also his baby face, which looks as if it’s barely aged in 20 years. Throttling the microphone, he had no problem hitting the range-stretching high notes of songs like “Famous Last Words” and, at the same time, radiate lower-register growls for the darker, drum-heavy material.

As is the Ways’ way — Gerard and bassist Mikey Way are brothers — anthems were aplenty. “Helena” from the band’s 2004 album created an audible rumble not unlike the planes landing at nearby LAX, as guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero breathed new life into a classic. And it took no more than a single note for MCR fans to instantly recognize the 2006 hit “Welcome to the Black Parade.” The one notable difference? Most of the songs were sung a half-step down from their original key signature. But to Gerard’s credit, the modification was not inherently obvious — and given that he started the band at 24-years-old, his vocal range has undoubtedly shifted.

As for the new material: “The Foundations of Decay,” the band’s first new song since 2014, served as the warmup and opened the show, but other tracks dated back as far as MCR’s 2002 debut “I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love.” One of the album’s most popular tracks, “Vampires Will Never Hurt You,” made the set list toward the end of the Oct. 15 show, and Gerard marked the occasion by donning full Dracula regalia.

Theatrics were present but not overwhelming as the band more than met its responsibility to entertain — Mikey, Toro and Iero certainly deserve a lot of the credit, leaping across the stage and shredding, clearly enjoying the craft with zero jadedness.

After so much time away, MCR had a lot to live up to and it rose to the occasion over five nights at the Forum. But more than a ‘reunion’ show, it was a ‘communion’ — of like-minded Los Angeles devotees of all ages and stripes chanting “so long and goodnight,” but thinking, don’t take too long.

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