October 2nd, the Moda Center was the place to be. I mean, come on… everybody was there! The nearly sold out venue played host to My Chemical Romance (MCR) for the first time in Portland since 2011 when they played the much smaller Roseland Theater. Reuniting for a tour long overdue, the band completely dazzled fans young and old with a setlist sure to enthrall not only their fan base, but those experiencing MCR for possibly the first time.
Before the first note was played, fans pressed against the barricade struggled to contain their emotion. Tears were shed and fans embraced while waiting for the band to take the stage. On the overhead, a graphic encouraged fans to “cheer for the vacuum guy” as the crowd smiled and cheered during the set change.
When MCR strutted on stage, the emotional restraint that these fans had been holding within for the last couple hours (and I’d guess, for some, the last several years) was too much to bear as many openly cried, cheered, and screamed.
Playing a unique set for each stop on the 2022 Reunion Tour, MCR opened with “The Foundations of Decay”. Quite fitting, given the chosen backdrop of a post-apocalyptic cityscape. “Na Na Na” was the second track and for the Moda Center, it was “Party mode… Activate”. The crowd was jumping and singing along and it didn’t stop until the encore tracks were through.
Roughly six tracks into the set, during “It’s Not a Fashion Statement, It’s a Fucking Deathwish”, technical difficulties plagued vocalist Gerard Way’s microphone. He continued on, soldiering through until his mic could be swapped between songs. During the set, Gerard dedicated a few of the tracks to the opening bands as well as a dedcation to artists Marion Peck and Mark Ryden. He went on to say “Thank you so much for giving US a home to make art in.”
Sandwiched in the middle of the set were hits “Welcome to the Black Parade” and “Teenagers”, both of which received a huge response from the Portland crowd as they sang along. During “Famous Last Words”, with hands outstreched above them, the crowd looked like a field of summer wheat swaying in the wind, moving back and forth in rhythm.
MCR will be hitting venues along the west coast through October finishing their US run at the When We Were Young 2022 festival in Las Vegas, NV before playing one show in Mexico City and then heading “down under.” This is honestly one of the most heartfelt shows currently on tour. You’d be doing yourself a disservice by denying yourself the opportunity to see it.
