The Black Parade World Tour

My Chemical Romance released their third studio album, The Black Parade, on October 23, 2006, through Reprise Records. A concept album, it centers around a man dying from cancer, known as "the Patient", who reflects upon his life as he nears his death, which is presented to him in the form of his fondest childhood memory: seeing a marching band. This also led to the creation of an alter-ego band named after the album, simply titled "The Black Parade". To promote the album, My Chemical Romance would perform around 60 standalone shows throughout 2006. On December 18, 2006, My Chemical Romance announced the first leg of the Black Parade World Tour, consisting 17 dates at stadiums throughout the United States. Around the same time, a set of dates for the United Kingdom were announced. A second leg with 18 more dates was announced on February 1, 2007, with all set in the United States except for one show in Vancouver. Shortly afterwards, 7 stops at Canadian cities were announced. The tour continued to announce more, and it formally began on February 22 in Manchester, New Hampshire. The band continued on with the tour in December 2007 with a series of dates of Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. The band then kept up with the tour throughout 2008, with January bringing them back to Asia, February bringing the band to South America, and March taking them back to Europe once more. In April, the band returned to the United States for the final leg of the tour, which concluded on May 9, 2008, with their performance at the Madison Square Garden. By the end of the tour, the band had played about 133 shows within 400 days across the world, ranging from cities such as Buenos Aires to Moscow, though some of these dates were cancelled. On January 11, 2007, Frank Iero temporarily left the tour because of an unspecified illness, being replaced by Drive By guitarist Todd Price. Drummer Bob Bryar sustained wrist injuries at one point which evolved into carpal tunnel syndrome. Additionally, bassist Mikey Way took time off to get married and spend time with his new wife, Alicia Simmons, and was replaced by guitar tech Matt Cortez from April 18, 2007, until October 4, 2007. == Production ==

The Black Parade World Tour was noted for its "theatrical"-styled production. When conceptualizing the tour and its set design, Gerard Way felt the need to make The Black Parade everything that he imagined it could be, and that if the band worked hard on creating the album, they were going to ensure a "special" experience when playing it live. The band also felt that if they were asking fans to go to shows set in arenas, then they owed them a large-scale performance. To focus on this element behind the tour, the band was generally less energetic and chaotic while on stage in comparison to previous tours. Almost every idea that the band had for the tours production was utilized; the stage elements reportedly required seven trucks to move around from show to show, in addition to four buses needed to transport the band itself as well as the production crew. The elaborate stage design for the shows was largely reminiscent of the city skyline present in the background of the music video for "Welcome to the Black Parade". Pyrotechnics saw extensive use as well, going off during certain songs. At one point in the show, black and white blimps would emerge from each side of the stage and float above the crowd. == Concert synopsis ==

Each night of the Black Parade World Tour would begin with Gerard Way being wheeled onto the stage via gurney dressed up as "The Patient", before singing the opening lines of the album's opening song "The End." From there, the song would fully begin and Gerard Way would formally introduce the band's "Black Parade" persona. the concert would reach the final song on the album, "Famous Last Words", where sparks would engulf the stage the band would then conclude the concert with "Helena". == Reception and legacy ==

According to the Billboard Boxscore, the Black Parade World Tour earned $183,600 per show on average, with an average of 5,415 tickets sold per date. It was a more profitable tour than the bands next headlining tour, the World Contamination Tour, which averaged $136,000 in profit and 3,392 in tickets sold per show, a 27% decrease and a 37% decrease respectively. In 2024, My Chemical Romance announced a second tour centered around The Black Parade, called Long Live The Black Parade (2025–2026). The performances of Gerard Way and the rest of the band during the tour were praised. Gary Graft of Billboard believed that the energy displayed by the band during the shows surpassed that present on the actual album. NME highlighted Way's banter and joking mannerisms towards the crowd, saying that Way "[gestured] like a sinister puppet master, clearly intoxicated with power", regardless of what role he was currently playing during the show. Many commented on the production behind the tour. Chonin stated that the band had a "talent for theatrical excess", highlighting the several stage elements that were used during the songs, including the flame pots and sparks. In 2021, David McLaughlin of Kerrang!'' said that the Black Parade World Tour was one of the ten best concert tours of all time, describing it as a "theatrical, all sensory masterclass" that demonstrated the creativity and commercial peak of My Chemical Romance. == Standard set list ==

February 2007–October 7, 2007 "The Black Parade" • "The End." • "Dead!" • "This Is How I Disappear" • "The Sharpest Lives" • "Welcome to the Black Parade" • "I Don't Love You" • "House of Wolves" • "Cancer" • "Mama" • "Sleep" • "Teenagers" • "Disenchanted" • "Famous Last Words" My Chemical Romance / Encore • "Welcome to the Black Parade" • "Thank You for the Venom" • "Dead!" • "The Sharpest Lives" • "This Is How I Disappear" • "Teenagers" • "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" • "You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison" • "Famous Last Words" • "Give 'Em Hell, Kid" • "House of Wolves" • "It's Not A Fashion Statement, It's A Fucking Deathwish" • "I Don't Love You" • "Untitled" • "Mama" • "Helena" • "Cancer" == Tour dates ==