(Gerard Way photographed by Luis Rosales)

 

On October 5th at around 5:30pm, my boyfriend and I made our way towards Oakland Arena to see My Chemical Romance. We’d been waiting for this day to come since we bought the tickets around April. To say that we were excited would be an understatement. While this was my boyfriend’s first taste of an MCR live show I’d already seen them once during the summer, and it was life-changing, to say the least. I’d been mentally preparing for this for months, and yet, no amount of preparation could’ve readied me for the night I was about to have.

Our journey there was eventful. We almost missed multiple stops and headed in the wrong direction twice. We were honestly about to give up until we saw the influx of black-clad emos headed towards our train compartment. It was at that moment that my excitement crescendoed. We arrived at Oakland Arena shortly before 7:00 p.m. and were greeted with the gargantuan merch lines that undulated along the stadium’s sides from the south parking lot. 

Inside, the food and merch lines swelled to a good 250 people combined, give or take, so my boyfriend and I found our seats and anxiously waited for Surfbort, the first opener of the night, to perform. As expected, they were amazing, especially given how dead the pit was during their set. Dani Miller, the band’s lead singer, was a force of nature. They thrashed tirelessly on stage, their black hair glistening with sweat in the fluorescent lights. Miller’s good sportsmanship and frequent exclamations of “Fuck yeah, you guys are amazing tonight!” contrasted starkly with Surbort’s brash and explosive stoner punk sound. They won several people over, including the girl in front of me who pulled up Surfbort’s Spotify in the middle of their set. 

(Dani Miller of Surfbort photographed by Luis Rosales)

Their energy was all but matched by the next opener, Taking Back Sunday. Being veterans of the scene and close friends of My Chemical Romance, I was excited to see them live for the first time, especially since I’d never listened to their music before. I was honestly disappointed at TBS’s set, as it seemed to drag on while the prospect of seeing MCR hit the stage seemed to grow slimmer by the second. They ended their set with their hit song “MakeDamnSure” and left the stage. It was 9:00 p.m. Most of the concert attendees were there, milling around the stadium and chatting with one another. The anticipation was palpable. Only 20 minutes until MCR’s set. 

Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the static brouhaha at the beginning of My Chemical Romance’s new single “The Foundations of Decay” buzzed loudly through the speakers. The crowd erupted when Ray Toro (lead guitar, backup vocals), Frank Iero (rhythm guitar, backup vocals) and Mikey Way (bass) stepped on stage, half hidden in the shadows and half illuminated by the twinkling red stage lights. Gerard Way, the band’s frontman, suddenly appeared on stage, almost materializing in the spotlight like a specter. The crowd swelled to a thunderous roar at the sight of the emo messiah himself, drowning out the opening verse of the song. I will admit, I shed several tears, completely overwhelmed by the crowd’s reaction. It was just dawning on me that I was seeing my favorite band performing after an almost decade-long hiatus. 

They followed the opener with classics such as “NaNaNa” and “Give ‘Em Hell, Kid”, before playing “The World Is Ugly”. The song had never been one of my favorites, but boy, did it absolutely blow me away live! While slower than most of MCR’s discography, “The World Is Ugly” transformed Oakland Arena into a twinkling disco ball, as the swaying white lights of the crowd’s flashlights scintillated alongside the swirling blue stage lights. It was beautiful. Spiritual, even. 

(Photographed by Emmanuelle Mphuthi)

The setlist, composed by Frank Iero, was a beautiful reflection of the band’s career and the eras that marked it. It featured two songs from their debut album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love (2002), six songs from Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge (2004), five from their critically acclaimed The Black Parade (2006), four from 2010’s Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, and finally, two songs from their 2013 EP Conventional Weapons. 

Here are my top 3 moments of the night. The first was hearing the crowd sing along to “Welcome to the Black Parade” and “Famous Last Words.” Very cliché, but hear me out! I don’t think I’ve ever heard a crowd be as loud as it was during those songs. My ears are ringing at the thought. It was truly a powerful moment, as these songs, amongst others, have been spearheaded by fans as some of My Chemical’s Romance’s top pieces. I find it hard to describe the feeling that washed over me and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to. 

I remember when I used to scream along to these songs when I was in middle school, and I remember feeling so alone in those moments because I had no one to share them with. Now I do. I have a community, which is something that this band has given me that I’ll always be grateful for. There has been a lot of talk about how this reunion tour was a cash grab. I find that very hard to believe given the pure joy displayed by both the band and their audience and the enthusiasm with which the band continues to perform. It feels like more than a reunion; it feels like a homecoming. This is what made this tour feel so incredibly special to be a part of. 

 

The second was the band’s extended version of their song “Sleep”. “Sleep” is one of my favorite MCR songs and I didn’t get to hear it when I saw them this summer. The song itself is truly one of their best works, and the extended version highlights the pure musicianship that went into its writing. Gerard Way spent almost a minute screaming the word ‘forever” into the microphone before wailing like a wounded animal for the rest of the song. The soaring guitars, courtesy of Ray Toro’s and Frank Iero’s masterful playing, were supported by Mikey Way’s sonorous bass, creating an explosion of sound and color. It was reckless abandon and self-indulgence personified. Finally, my favorite moment of the night was hearing “Vampires Will Never Hurt You”, the third song off their first album. Their debut LP holds a very special place in my heart and Vampires is legitimately one of the songs that made me love music. It is a masterpiece — getting to hear it live was one of the most unforgettable experiences ever. 

(Ray Toro and Gerard Way photographed by Priscilla Anna)

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. The concert was over in the blink of an eye. And while I harbor nothing but pure admiration for this band, I couldn’t help but leave with a sour taste in my mouth. I went into the show expecting more people of color to attend, with it being held in Oakland, after all. I was sorely disappointed. I counted perhaps ten Black people in total, including myself. Growing up as a minority in an overwhelmingly white scene was a very isolating experience. I don’t think I’ve ever actually met an alt Black person outside of the internet. That sucks, if I’m being completely honest. In recent years, I’ve seen an uptick in Black people enjoying heavier music on social media, and it gave me hope for a more inclusive future for the rock/metal scene. It would almost make all the bullying I and other Black folk have suffered at the hands of racists in the scene seem “worth it” if it meant finally finding the community I moved halfway across the globe for. I thought MCR’s Oakland would’ve given me the opportunity to see the diversity I’d been promised by years of online discourse. 

I think the scene has been very performative in its pursuit of inclusivity and diversity. I want to applaud the efforts of many artists and fans, I really do, but I just can’t. There’s still a worrying amount of racism, white supremacy, and flat-out neonazism both online and in person, which is only exacerbated for people with intersectional identities like myself. Rock artists, who are typically white, claim to make their audiences and the scene as inclusive as possible, but what are they really doing? What are they doing to uplift black artists? Queer artists? Black queer artists? Very little. If they can’t uplift their peers, how can they uplift their fans? It feels like POC are in this feedback loop where the lack of real POC representation discourages POC from listening to the music, and welcoming more POC into the scene to “shield” them from prejudice. It’s frustrating, and makes enjoying the music harder.   

Article by Emmanuelle Mputhi

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