My Chemical Romance played a headline set at When We Were Young festival this weekend (Oct 23) in Las Vegas. For their performance, they sported some iconic outfits from their early years as a band.
The playful gesture saw the emo icons dressed in the black suit and red tie ensemble which they famously styled during their Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge album era back in 2004. Frontman Gerard Way even wore a long black wig as a nod to his trademark former emo hairstyle.
In a strange and slightly jarring twist, however, MCR also donned scary prosthetics on their faces to look like old men, which led many fans to suggest that the rockers were making fun of the nostalgic theme of the festival.
Other fans also pointed out that the frontman jokingly addressed the crowd as though they were performing in Utah, and that the band were selling merchandise at the festival that saw t-shirts plainly designed with just the word ‘merch’ on the front, both as more possible tongue-in-cheek jabs towards the emo revival event.
Across this year, the band have been adding in a number of deep cuts – such as Sister To Sleep and Demolition Lovers – to their reunion tour setlists, but to the surprise of the attendees, My Chemical Romance’s set at When We Were Young Festival was comprised of only major hits.
Opening the set with I’m Not Okay (I Promise), Way and co. went on to play huge songs such as It’s Not A Statement, It’s A Fucking Deathwish, Welcome To The Black Parade, Helena, Teenagers, Mama, Famous Last Words and more.
Watch fan-filmed footage, see images of their festival performance and check out the full setlist below:
“this isn’t a nostalgia tour. We’re not gonna do the costumes of like… Ah, remember us?? I don’t really fit in this anymore, but do you remember?”..My Chemical Romance making fun of wwwy and nostalgia culture is all I ever wanted to see in life💀💀💀 pic.twitter.com/xDDl8c4DifOctober 24, 2022
Dressing up as old people, doing a setlist of only hits, merch that just says merch, and acting senile addressing the crowd as though they are performing in Utah. Very committed to the bit of making fun of this nostalgia festival and selling out. Incredible #MCRWWWY2 pic.twitter.com/m7VxVC1xGhOctober 24, 2022
You HAVE to sing along when @MCRofficial performs I’m Not Okay. Sorry we don’t make the rules pic.twitter.com/gJ8AbLANZYOctober 24, 2022
My Chemical Romance wore prosthetics to look like dead images of their Revenge era at an emo revival festival, only playing their hits, misaddressing the crowd as Utah, not talking between sets, and more to poke fun at this nostalgia wave and “selling out” #WWWY #MCRWWWY2 pic.twitter.com/qhdJdIoJxxOctober 24, 2022
Planetaryyyy with my chemical romance dressed as their revenge personas with prosthetic to look old!!!!WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE pic.twitter.com/VrMeSk2znJOctober 24, 2022
GOING INSANE!!!! MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE PLAYING HELENA IN THEIR REVENGE OUTFITS IN 2022 pic.twitter.com/kzfJoLmFEhOctober 24, 2022
Lots to unpack at @WWWYFest but the prosthetics that @MCRofficial wore might haunt me forever pic.twitter.com/dbm3Lj5itsOctober 24, 2022
i genuinely cannot believe that i just witnessed my chemical romance dressed up in their revenge outfits with wrinkle prosthetics perform right after seeing paramore for the first time… today is the best fucking day ever in my entire life #whenwewereyoung #WWWY pic.twitter.com/3mfsIevXroOctober 24, 2022
My Chemical Romance When We Were Young 2022 setlist
I’m Not Okay (I Promise)
Boy Division
Give ‘Em Hell, Kid
Planetary (GO!)
The Ghost of You
Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)
It’s Not a Fashion Statement, It’s a Fucking Deathwish
Helena
Welcome to the Black Parade
Teenagers
Mama
Famous Last Words
Vampires Will Never Hurt You
Vampire Money
