My Chemical Romance Died in Minneapolis
I Watched the Life Leave Gerard Way’s Eyes
LYN QUINTANA
Well, not exactly, but if you’ve heard about the My Chemical Romance concerts recently, the main thing you might have heard was “X member died!” or “The stage blew up!” For their most recent tour, Long Live The Black Parade, MCR has been putting on a theatrical performance while playing the entire discography of The Black Parade album live. However, at every concert there were different endings and slight lore changes. Let’s just say the lore is extensive, confusing, but interesting?
The general plot of Long Live The Black Parade takes place in the fictional nation of Draag, being ruled by His Grand Immortal Dictator, who keeps everyone in check (and in gloom). The nation has its own anthem, flag, rules, and language (Keposhka) which can all be seen throughout the performances and venues. The main characters include: the band (Gerard [Gee], Ray, Frank, Mikey), Veronika (secretary), Marianne, Main Clerk, Other Clerk, The Gentleman (puppet), and His Grand Immortal Dictator. The band is called the 52nd Regiment of the Black Parade and they play for the Dictator in all the different states. During each show different members will die and different characters will play slightly varying roles.
The Minneapolis show was a Yea/Nay variant, in which the audience was handed signs that had the words Yea and Nay on opposite sides. Once audience members sit down, they are greeted by stage screens showing various odd rules both in English and Keposhka saying things such as: “If you see something, don’t say anything” and “As per usual, pain will be assigned.” Before the show begins, a track version of We’ll Meet Again plays ominously as the audience waits. Marianne then starts singing Draag’s national anthem, “Over Fields.”
Later on in the show we get the only clerk death across all the performances. The audience votes to execute the Other Clerk using the Yea/Nay signs, prompting cheers and confetti. Throughout the concert the Dictator can be seen drinking beers as Veronika unsuccessfully tries to stop him, and he progressively becomes more and more drunken. Eventually too drunk to even sit up, the Dictator is replaced by an eerie mannequin. However, this show ended differently from all the other shows: the entire band dies. In an uncoordinated Rockettesstyle kick-dance, the band gets their necks slit by the Main Clerk dressed as the Pierrot clown.
The final show of the tour took place in San Antonio, Texas, and completely flipped the lore on its head. Near the beginning Gee is handed the Blade of Freedom and decapitates a mannequin version of Dictator, the actual Dictator then begins bleeding and dies. This leads Gee to ask the audience to vote on who the next Grand Immortal Dictator should be: a severed head or Gee himself. Using the Yea/Nay signs the audience votes Yea for the new Dictator, Gerard, now donning the Dictator’s cape and drinking blood from a chalice, looking like the hottest vampire ever?
Later on, the Other Clerk shows up with a paper asking Gee to do something. However, he refuses and mocks him by dancing around. Unfortunately, this prompts the other clerk to ask for The Gentleman, Gee’s friend, to be brought out and torched (literally). This causes Gee to scream out in confusion while the Main Clerk holds him back.
The Main Clerk and Gee actually become quite close during this version of the show and even exchange jackets while dancing around. Tragically, this friendship is cut short—along with their lives. A bandaged figure wearing the Dictator’s cape and hat stabs Gee in the heart. Soon after this, Veronika and the Other Clerk come out dressed as the Pierrot clowns pushing the Main Clerk strapped in a wheelchair, also dressed as the Pierrot clown. They dance around while the Main Clerk looks around in fear. The show ends with Veronika and the Other Clerk revealing bomb jackets and exploding the whole stage, killing the Main Clerk.
And that’s the end of the lore…for now?
Long live the Black Parade!
Dedicated to S. and G.