The Black Parade came to Petco Park. My Chemical Romance brought their Black Parade 2026 Tour to San Diego on Sunday, August 30, 2026, and played their 2006 album in full for its 20th anniversary. Babymetal opened. MCR followed with the full theatrical staging and a second set of career hits on a B-stage.
Show Recap
- Date: Sunday, August 30, 2026
- Venue: Petco Park (full stadium show)
- Special Guest: Babymetal
- Doors: 5:30 p.m.
- Babymetal: 7:00 p.m.
- My Chemical Romance: 8:30 to 10:55 p.m.
- Setlist: The Black Parade in full, then a 12-song second set
Why This Show Mattered
This wasn’t just another reunion tour stop. The band was celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Black Parade, the multi-platinum album that defined a generation and remains one of the most influential rock records of the 2000s.
Released on October 23, 2006, The Black Parade was more than an album. It was a fully realized rock opera about death, memory and defiance, wrapped in theatrical costumes and stadium-sized ambition. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 and gave us anthems that still pack stadiums two decades later:
- “Welcome to the Black Parade” – The generational anthem with that iconic piano intro
- “Famous Last Words” – The emotional climax of the album
- “Mama” – Featuring Liza Minnelli on the record, proving MCR could go full Broadway
- “Teenagers” – Still a radio staple, still cutting and relevant
- “This Is How I Disappear” – A live staple that never fails to ignite crowds
- “Dead!” – The explosive opener that sets the tone
- “House of Wolves” – Punk energy meets theatrical flair
The Setlist
MCR hit the stage at 8:30 p.m. and played for about two and a half hours. The show opened with Vera Lynn’s “We’ll Meet Again” on tape and “Over Fields (The National Anthem of Draag),” with opera singer Lucy Joy Altus singing live as “Marianne.” Then the band played the album front to back.
The Black Parade (in full):
- The End.
- Dead!
- This Is How I Disappear (preceded by a Gerard Way speech continuing the tour’s Draag storyline)
- The Sharpest Lives
- Welcome to the Black Parade (followed by “The Election” bit)
- I Don’t Love You (extended intro)
- House of Wolves
- Cancer
- Mama (with “Dagger” outro and Lucy Joy Altus as “Marianne”)
- Sleep (with “The Big Sky” intro)
- Teenagers
- Disenchanted (with “The Button Pressed” intro)
- Famous Last Words (extended outro)
- The End. (2025 reprise)
Second set (B-stage):
After “Blood” played from tape and a solo interlude from Clarice Jensen, the band came back for a run through the rest of the catalog:
- Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)
- Thank You for the Venom (extended outro)
- It’s Not a Fashion Statement, It’s a F**king Deathwish
- The Ghost of You
- Zero Percent
- Planetary (GO!)
- Our Lady of Sorrows
- Helena
- Vampire Money
- I’m Not Okay (I Promise)
Roy Orbison’s “It’s Over” played the crowd out. Full details are on setlist.fm.
About My Chemical Romance
Formed in Newark, New Jersey in 2001, My Chemical Romance became the defining band of the mid-2000s emo and alternative rock movement. But calling them just “emo” undersells what they did. They were theatrical rock operatics who proved sincerity, ambition and bombast could coexist in the post-ironic 2000s.
The Rise of MCR
Early Days (2002-2004): I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love introduced their post-hardcore foundations. Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge gave us “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” and “Helena,” and established them as more than just another band. They were storytellers with a complete visual aesthetic.
The Black Parade Era (2006-2008): The band went full rock opera with a concept album about a dying man called “The Patient” looking back on his life. Gerard Way and the band showed up in military-style parade uniforms, committed fully to the concept, and made something that crossed genre lines. The album:
- Debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200
- Went multi-platinum in the US
- Became the soundtrack to a generation of outcasts
- Proved concept albums could still work in the download era
Danger Days (2010): A bold pivot toward colorful, apocalyptic energy with “Na Na Na” showed the band could reinvent themselves while keeping their emotional core intact.
The Breakup and Reunion (2013-2019): MCR disbanded in 2013 and left a massive void in alternative rock. They returned with a reunion show in Los Angeles in December 2019. The 2022 tour proved they hadn’t lost a step. If anything, they came back sharper and more confident.
Why They Still Matter
My Chemical Romance gave voice to a generation that felt misunderstood, different and often invisible. Their music was bombastic, emotional and unapologetically sincere in an era drowning in irony. They proved that:
- Rock could still be theatrical without being cheesy
- Concept albums could work in the modern era
- Being different wasn’t just okay. It was powerful.
- You could write about death, darkness and despair while ultimately delivering a message of hope
Twenty years later, their influence is everywhere: in the resurgence of emo and pop-punk, in the way younger bands approach theatricality, and in how TikTok keeps introducing The Black Parade to new generations who feel just as misunderstood as the kids in 2006 did.
Special Guest: Babymetal
Babymetal opened at 7 p.m. with an eight-song set that ran from “BABYMETAL DEATH” to “Road of Resistance,” with “Megitsune” and “Gimme Chocolate!!” in between.
The Japanese trio fuses J-pop choreography with blistering heavy metal. It’s a genre-defying spectacle that shouldn’t work on paper but absolutely does in person: synchronized dance moves over double-bass drumming, kawaii aesthetics over thrash riffs, and a live show that’s equal parts concert and performance art.
It was a natural pairing. Both bands embrace theatrical spectacle, both have cult followings across generations, and both carved their own lanes instead of following trends.
San Diego emo summer: Two weeks later, Pierce the Veil closed their world tour right here at Petco Park. That meant MCR’s theatrical emo, then PTV’s hometown heroes finale.
Black Parade 2026 Tour – North American Stadium Dates
| Date | City | Venue | Opener |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 9 | Flushing, NY | Citi Field | Franz Ferdinand |
| Aug 13 | Nashville, TN | Nissan Stadium | Pierce the Veil |
| Aug 18 | Washington, DC | Nationals Park | Modest Mouse |
| Aug 21 | Detroit, MI | Comerica Park | Iggy Pop |
| Aug 24 | Minneapolis, MN | Target Field | Sleater-Kinney |
| Aug 27 | Denver, CO | Coors Field | The Breeders |
| Aug 30 | San Diego, CA | Petco Park | Babymetal |
| Sep 6 | Phoenix, AZ | Chase Field | Jimmy Eat World |
| Sep 12 | San Antonio, TX | Alamodome | The Mars Volta |
The run wrapped with a Hollywood Bowl residency in the fall.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did they really play all of The Black Parade in order?
Yes. The band played the full album in sequence, from “The End.” through “Famous Last Words,” then closed it out with a reprise of “The End.” before moving to a B-stage for a second set.
What time did the show start?
Doors opened at 5:30 p.m. Babymetal went on at 7 p.m. My Chemical Romance started at 8:30 p.m. and finished at 10:55 p.m.
What did they play after the album?
A 10-song second set that included “Helena,” “I’m Not Okay (I Promise),” “The Ghost of You,” “Na Na Na” and “Zero Percent.” The full list is in the setlist section above.
Who opened for My Chemical Romance in San Diego?
Babymetal, with an eight-song set starting at 7 p.m.
Heading to a Future Petco Park Show?
Start with our parking guide, trolley guide, bag policy, concert rules and hotels near Petco Park. Or browse the full Petco Park events calendar.
This concert took place on August 30, 2026. Setlist and set times via setlist.fm. My Chemical Romance and The Black Parade are registered trademarks of their respective owners.
2026 Stadium Concerts at Petco Park
| Date | Artist |
|---|---|
| May 15 | P!NK |
| June 18 |