MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE // OVO HYDRO, GLASGOW
My Chemical Romance bring their much anticipated reunion tour to Glasgow’s OVO Hydro
★★★★★ (5/5)
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE // OVO HYDRO GLASGOW - 30.05.2022
PHOTOCREDIT: CALUM BUCHAN
For the fans, the reformation of My Chemical Romance seemed like an inevitability. What was more uncertain is the response that it would bring as the band famously provoked polemics in their noughties heyday. MCR’s conflicting relationship with the UK brought career-high headlining sets at Download and Reading, the latter of which even featured a guest appearance from Queen’s Brian May. However, the UK press (largely spearheaded by the Daily Mail) obtusely sought to smear them as a “suicide cult band”, perpetuating a division of opinion on the band’s promotion of “emo culture”. Of course, the term “emo” said nothing for the musicality of the band. MCR now reignite themselves in an age in which it seems as if their brand of dramatic melancholy is more widely accepted than it was in the noughties. Having sold the most tickets ever for an event at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro, MCR’s Scottish comeback after 10 years evidently proves that they have more longevity than their critics thought that they had.
Ass room packed out from wall-to-wall, the New Jersey quartet began the evening not with millennial nostalgia, but with something new. Their first new song in 9 years, ‘The Foundations of Decay’ is clearly already beloved by fans. Gerard Way creeped on stage wearing a vest and caked in mud, almost evoking Nine Inch Nail’s infamous Woodstock mud-bath performance. The band wasted no time tearing through classics spanning their three eclectic albums ‘Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge’, ‘The Black Parade’ and ‘Danger Days’. Songs such as ‘Helena’, ‘Famous Last Words’ and ‘Na Na Na (Na Na Na…)’. whipped the crowd into a frenzy of passionate singing and volatile mosh pits. It was also the first time that the band had played tracks off their ‘Conventional Weapons’ EPs released after the band’s initial breakup. Songs such as ‘Make Room’, ‘’Boy Division’ and ‘Surrender the Night’ were well received (assumedly having been played more or less for the first time).
Despite not having played shows for the better part of a decade, the band sound as good ever. Way’s iconic voice still manages to soar above the audience despite passionately sing every word back at him, tiring occasionally but enthusiastically giving his all. The band’s blend of classic rock and punk brings back the guitar solos reminiscent of Queen and Led Zeppelin (both of which seem to be a strong influence on guitarist Ray Toro) and some of the more theatrical numbers such as cabaret stomper ‘Mama’ are pulled off well despite their relatively understated stage set-up.
Some overenthusiasm from the crowd had to be put in place at certain points, the band even having to stop songs to invite the crowd to move back. A genuine care for the safety of the fans and a constant gratitude to the arena security shows that the band are back with humility. The fans are rewarded with renditions of the immutable ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ and ‘I’m Not Okay (I Promise)’. Despite their intrinsically divisive nature, it seems that there is still a large appetite for My Chemical Romance out with the decade they defined their style of rock music in, with a large audience eagerly waiting to see what they do next.
REVIEW BY // STRUAN NELSON
PHOTOS BY // CALUM BUCHAN
SETLIST:
OVO HYDRO, GLASGOW
THE FOUNDATIONS OF DECAY
HELENA
GIVE ‘EM HELL, KID
MAKE ROOM!!!!
SUMMERTIME
THE ONLY HOPE FOR ME IS YOU
BOY DIVISION
YOU KNOW WHAT THEY DO TO GUYS LIKE US IN PRISON
NA NA NA (NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA)
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
SURRENDER THE NIGHT
TEENAGERS
SAVE YOURSELF, I’LL HOLD THEM BACK
DESTROYA
OUR LADY OF SORROWS
VAMPIRE MONEY
THANK YOU FOR THE VENOM
MAMA
WELCOME TO THE BLACK PARADE
SLEEP
ENCORE:
I’M NOT OKAY (I PROMISE)