An authoritarian dystopia, public executions decided by grand jury, a murderous clown — and that was just the first half of My Chemical Romance’s concert on their “Long Live the Black Parade” tour.

After headlining Riot Fest in 2022, the New Jersey outfit made it back to Chicago on their 10-date stadium run of the United States, playing a sold-out house at Soldier Field. It’s an evolution that surprised even the band itself, with frontman Gerard Way commenting later in the show that it was a far cry from their first visit to the city, which saw them play the Fireside Bowl in 2003.

“We were just talking about it and I was telling my wife Lyn-Z (of the band Mindless Self-Indulgence), ‘Yeah, when we played Fireside, this guy just grabbed my throat during the show,’” Way recalled from the stage, “but no, it was a good thing.”

Compared to their counterparts in the emo and hardcore scenes of the early aughts, My Chemical Romance’s ambitions always played much grander, with a keen flair for the dramatic. Their major-label releases — 2004’s “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge,” 2006’s “The Black Parade,” and 2010’s “Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys” — are considered high-concept albums, exploring themes of horror, the supernatural and afterlife and post-apocalyptic surrealities. All of which culminated in what was on full display Friday night.

After a roaring opening set from electro, new wave pioneers Devo ended with a “Fight the Power” rallying cry, a number of rules flashed across the big screens:

“Never abstain from an orderly line” was Rule 2.

Rule 12 read, “All displays of grief are subject to their proper inspections.”

“While partaking in community,” Rule 10 noted, “corroboration is strictly forbidden.”

It was a chilly welcome to the Nation of Draag, the country created by My Chemical Romance for the tour, ruled by the shadowy Grand Immortal Dictator.  The imaginary oppressive regime comes from the mind of Way, who has said he founded the band after seeing the Twin Towers fall on Sept. 11.

My Chemical Romance has always been an advocate for the underdogs. Taking the themes of “The Black Parade” — grief, loss, and resilience — and applying them to how it would feel now to seek justice under a militarized state is pretty timely, no?

In July, it was reported that some fans were trying to request refunds or sell their tickets after videos from the tour kickoff in Seattle exposed the show’s politically-charged nature. “The Election” bit, in which Way’s character leads the audience in a vote on whether or not to kill four traitors at the behest of the Grand Immortal Dictator, is admittedly unnerving in-person — with a silhouetted firing squad shooting sparklers from their guns — as is the government propagandist disguised as a clown who simulates blowing himself up after a lip-synced rendition of “Blood.”

But for longtime fans, it all fit with the band’s 20-year history.

“I’m looking forward to participating in the jury,” said concertgoer DJ Jarvis, 28, who drove from the Detroit area with friends for the show. “I don’t know a lot about what’s going to happen because I’ve been trying to avoid spoilers, but I’m very excited to see how it all unfolds and get the audience involved. … I’ve been a fan of them since I was 12. This is my first time getting to see them, so this is a dream-come-true moment right now. When I was a young queer kid, and as a queer kid of color, their music was a refuge. Finding people who felt the way I felt — depressed, angry, and sad — and being able to scream their lyrics in my room when I was alone was such a cathartic release. They’re really that for me.”

Played in original sequence, the songs from the album lent themselves to what became an at-times bewildering cabaret that married the ill-fated expectations of fascism with sonic attributes of heavy metal’s technical precision (“Sharpest Lives,” “Famous Last Words”), lingering, hypnotic shoegaze (“Sleep”), ferocious punk, haunting vaudevillian folk (“The End,” “Mama”), and slick glam rock and swing (“Dead,” “House of Wolves”). Backed by the Draag National Auxiliary Band, including violins and cellos, the show was so loud, you could argue that withstanding the volume was part of the nation’s planned indoctrination.

Loud and pitchy, sure, but satisfying to a fault — the original foursome of Gerard Way, his brother Mikey Way on bass, and guitarists Frank Iero and Ray Toro (grounded by drummer Jarrod Alexander and keyboardist Jamie Muhoberac, who’ve been with the band since 2019) commanded the attention of emos young and old with pyro, lights flickering at hyperspeed and suggestions for survival at any cost.

A silent onscreen tribute to former drummer Bob Bryar, who died in 2024, filled an intermission as a satellite stage center field was set up for the band to tackle tracks from “Three Cheers,” “Danger Days” and 2013’s compilation of unreleased singles, “Conventional Weapons.”

De-Draag’d and themselves again, Way delivered a heartfelt sentiment to the crowd. “Chicago was the first city in America that really embraced us,” he said. “We’ve played so many shows here and I remember all of them, so thank you guys.”

They played through powerhouse pleasers like “Thank You for the Venom,” “Cemetery Drive,” “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na),” the signature, breakthrough single “I’m Not Okay (I Promise),” and “Helena.”

But it was a surprise appearance from Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan joining the band to perform “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” that ended the night on the highest high. A longstanding part of the band’s lore, jokes of Gerard Way being Corgan’s “son” have appeared everywhere from internet memes to the band’s official tour merch. While the Pumpkins’ influence on the band is irrefutable, they’ve never shared a stage until Soldier Field.

As Roy Orbison’s “It’s Over” filtered from the stadium speakers and concertgoers filed the sidewalks surrounding the stadium, there was joy, there was dancing, there were bros telling each other how they cried.

“My sibling and I are 11 years apart, and MCR was the band that really brought us together,” said Catrina Mayer, 37, who attended the show with her husband. “I bought him a shirt because he couldn’t be here. I saw them open for Green Day in 2006, in spring or early summer. I was a junior in high school and it was my first concert ever. … ‘The Black Parade’ is just what I know so well. The meaning behind it, dealing with death through illness I experienced in my family — this album was a way to grieve but also feel better. There was just so much emotion. The songs are embedded in my brain.”

Jessi Roti is a freelance writer.

Setlist from Soldier Field on Aug. 29:

“Over Fields”
“The End.”
“Dead!”
“This Is How I Disappear”
“The Sharpest Lives”
“Welcome to the Black Parade”
“I Don’t Love You”
“House of Wolves”
“Cancer”
“Mama”
“Sleep”
“Teenagers”
“Disenchanted”
“Famous Last Words”
“The End.” (reprise)
“Blood”

B-Stage / encore:

“From A to B” (performed by Clarice Jensen)
“Thank You for the Venom”
“Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)”
“The World Is Ugly”
“You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison”
“S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W”
“Cemetery Drive”
“I’m Not Okay (I Promise)”
“Boy Division”
“Helena”
“Bullet With Butterfly Wings” (Smashing Pumpkins cover with Billy Corgan)

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