MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE RETURNS TO TORONTO FOR “LONG LIVE THE BLACK PARADE” TOUR
BY BRENESSA ROACH | AUGUST 26, 2025
On August 22, 2025, New Jersey-based American rock band My Chemical Romance brought their Long Live The Black Parade Tour to Toronto’s Rogers Centre. The band consisting of Gerard Way (lead vocals), Ray Toro (lead guitar), Frank Iero (rhythm guitar), and Mikey Way (bass) blends alternative rock, emo, post-hardcore, pop-punk, and punk rock.
Formed in 2001, My Chemical Romance disbanded in 2013 before reuniting in 2019, and have been touring actively ever since. The Long Live The Black Parade Tour pays homage to their iconic third studio album, The Black Parade (released in October 2006). For this run, the band has revived their iconic costumes from the era and performs the album in full.
For the Toronto stop, legendary alt-rock band Pixies joined as the opening act, setting the stage for an unforgettable night.
At 7 p.m., Pixies took the stage for a 45-minute set, delivering a mix of fan favourites and their timeless alt-rock tracks. Their performance featured the 1988 track “Where Is My Mind”, a song that has amassed over 1.1 billion streams and remains one of the most recognizable in their catalog. With their energy and sound, Pixies were the perfect opener to set the tone and build anticipation for My Chemical Romance.
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At 8:30PM, My Chemical Romance took the stage, opening with “The End.”. From Gerard Way’s powerful vocals to the theatrical production, pyrotechnics, and even a guest appearance from opera singer Marianne, the show was incredible. The massive graphics on the big screens added even more drama to the performance.
Upon entering Rogers Centre, fans were handed signs with “chicken” on one side and “fish” on the other, printed with an unfamiliar language. We later learned this was Keposhka, a fictional language My Chemical Romance created for the dystopian world of Draag, the concept behind this tour. During the show, the “chicken or fish” signs were used as a vote, but in true MCR fashion, the results didn’t matter, the band used it as a dark metaphor for how higher powers control outcomes. The vote ended with a staged “execution” on stage, adding another layer of political and theatrical commentary to the night.
For us, seeing My Chemical Romance live was an incredibly surreal experience. We were around seven years old when we first started listening to them, and nearly 18 years later, to be in a stadium with 40,000+ voices singing “Welcome to the Black Parade” and our personal favourite, “Teenagers”, felt like coming full circle.
After performing The Black Parade in its entirety, the band went to change and they came back performing the rest of their setlist on the B stage. Each stop on this tour features a different B-stage setlist, and Toronto got a mix that included “Boy Division,” and “Summertime.” The night closed with the fan-favourite “Helena”, a perfect finale to an unforgettable performance.
Days later, we’re still deep in post-concert blues, replaying their albums and feeling like those same kids who first fell in love with their music. This show reminded us exactly why My Chemical Romance has such a lasting impact and we’re already hoping for the chance to see them again.
Massive thanks to My Chemical Romance and their PR team for the review ticket, and to Lindsey Byrnes for capturing the night through her stunning photographs.
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Photography by Lindsey Byrnes [@lindseybyrnes]