From Arena to Stadium: My Chemical Romance Celebrates 20 Years of The Black Parade at Nissan Stadium

My Chemical Romance celebrated 20 years of their album The Black Parade with a unique tour across the states. Each date features a different opening band, and Nashville was lucky enough to see Pierce The Veil on August 13th. Four years ago, upon their return, they performed at Bridgestone Arena for over ten-thousand fans. This time, they performed for tens of thousands at Nissan Stadium.

My Chemical Romance started off the night with a theater performance that had the crowd captivated. Despite the high heat and humidity, they put on a stellar performance in full coats and pants, bringing us back to twenty years ago with the original costumes from The Black Parade. The told the story of The Black Parade—a band released from prison and performing for the Grand Immortal Dictator—and they did so beautifully, between actors on stage, pyrotechnics, and videos. Not only did they put on the performance of a lifetime in a non-traditional way, but they brought their best performance forward despite the weather. They performed the entire album from start to finish, and rather than ending on that note, they moved to another stage for the second part of their performance.

Another unique feature of My Chemical Romance’s tour is how they change the songs they perform on the second stage every night. Fans watch the entire performance not knowing what they’ll perform or in what order. Clarice Jensen serenaded the crowd with a beautiful performance while the stage was set up for the band. Despite complaining about the heat and feeling sick, Gerard and the band never stopped putting on the performance of a lifetime, giving it their all. Set right in front of the crowd on a small stage, the performance was an intimate, once-in-a-lifetime experience which brought fans close than ever to their favorite band.

Between a full theatrical performance featuring a man on fire, a bombing, and fun onstage acting, and a small, more intimate performance, My Chemical Romance has proven they can do it all and they’re a band that needs to be experienced live.