Photo Gallery: My Chemical Romance at Soldier Field • Chicago
My Chemical Romance
Soldier Field
Chicago, IL
August 28, 2025
Recap and photos by Curt Baran
Is Classic Rock getting younger? Over the past week or so, the city has welcomed visits from rock radio staples such as Oasis and Nine Inch Nails. But unlike those Gen X-leaning acts, My Chemical Romance has not so quietly slipped itself into the mix of mainstream artists that are selling out stadiums during their current summer run.
And they’re doing it, not with new material, but by celebrating the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough effort, The Black Parade, arguably the personification of what separates the current from the dinosaurs. Although it met with commercial success upon its release, the record’s influence—a concept piece that follows the travails of a cancer-stricken protagonist known as The Patient—has grown exponentially in cult stature over the last two decades since its inception.
The current tour, which landed in Soldier Field, has taken the material concept of illness and expanded on it to also include fascism, isolation, nonconformity, and suppression of human rights. To put it politely, it’s an emo Sgt. Pepper’s that’s currently holding up a crystal clear mirror and reflecting the current state of events. Performing the album front to back served as the first act of the evening, which felt like the goth kids managed to wrest control of the school auditorium from the theater kids.
Frontman Gerard Way served as Master of Ceremonies, which included fixed elections, firing squads, pulpit speeches, face paint, fake blood, and fistfights with authoritarian overlords. Oh, and pyro…lots and lots of pyro! But one thing became absolutely evident: Without the songs, it all becomes vapid posturing.
Judging from the voluminous sing-alongs and the amount of audience cosplay, it is evident that the music mattered most, as a new generation decided for themselves what shape their Classic Rock soundtrack would take.
Category: Featured, IE Photo Gallery
