My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way says the band's 2019 Shrine gig was the "most fun" he's ever had onstage with the band.
Wholesome (and also incredibly promising for the future) news alert: Gerard Way has described My Chemical Romance's incredible 2019 comeback gig at The Shrine in Los Angeles as the "most fun" he's ever had onstage with the band.
Speaking with Umbrella Academy actor Aiden Gallagher for a "multi-part" interview series, the frontman explained that he actively tried to "relinquish some control" during the performance, and not focus so hard on trying to be "an entertainer". And it clearly generated fantastic results for him.
"That was definitely the most fun I've ever had playing onstage with My Chemical Romance, for sure," Gerard recalled. "Something that I tried to do, and this was conscious, was relinquish some control. I think about control a lot, and in the years since the band broke up I’ve really examined control in all of its forms. My goal at The Shrine was not to direct the audience to do anything. To let them do what they naturally wanted to do. It became less of working a crowd, as they say, or being an entertainer.
Read this: The 20 greatest My Chemical Romance songs – ranked
"If I moved my hand, it was because I wanted to do it. I wasn’t trying to get the audience to wave their hands and stuff. I was just performing. To me, the new version of My Chemical Romance and the way I want to go about it is exercising less control."
On the one-year anniversary of the gig, bassist Mikey Way shared: "Thinking back to a magical night three hundred and sixty five days ago. Dreaming of the moment when we can do it all again. Until then – Stay safe out there.”
While guitarist Frank Iero posted, "One year ago today was the last 'show’ I played in front of a live audience, and the first show My Chem had played in a little over 7 years.
"Throughout 2020 I have been incredibly fortunate to be able to play a few live streams and collaborate remotely with some ridiculously talented individuals… but as much fun as that has been, I really can’t wait for it to be safe enough to be able to play real shows again. Take care of one another. wear a mask, stay safe, and keep the faith.”
Watch Gerard's new interview below:
Catch My Chemical Romance live (hopefully for plenty more "fun" times) at the following dates next year:
March 2022
12 Western Springs, NZ @ The Outerfields at Western Springs
May 2022
17 St. Austell, UK @ Eden Sessions
19 Milton Keynes, UK @ Stadium MK
21 Milton Keynes, UK @ Stadium MK
22 Milton Keynes, UK @ Stadium MK
24 Dublin, IE @ Royal Hospital Kilmainham
June 2022
4 Bologna, IT @ Sonic Park Fest
21 Bonn, DE @ Kunstrasen Bonn Gronau
22 Bonn, DE @ Kunstrasen Bonn Gronau
August 2022
29 Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
September 2022
5 Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
7 Boston, MA @ TD Garden
11 Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
13 Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
15 St Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
20 Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
21 Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
24 Sunrise, FL @ BB&T Center
27 Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
28 Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
30 Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
October 2022
3 Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
5 Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
7 Las Vegas, NV @ T‑Mobile Arena
11 Inglewood, CA @ The Forum
12 Inglewood, CA @ The Forum
14 Inglewood, CA @ The Forum
15 Inglewood, CA @ The Forum
See full information at mychemicalromance.com/tour
