My Chemical Romance Play First Gig Since 2012 To Kick Off Reunion Tour

My Chemical Romance have played their first gig since 2012, kicking off their reunion tour at Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles yesterday (Friday).

Diehard fans camped out well in advance of the gig at the 6,500 capacity venue, with countless more watching via a live stream.

The band announced their reunion on Halloween, with tickets selling out in four minutes - and it seems the gig lived up to the hype judging by the emotional responses on social media:

Addressing the crowds, lead singer Gerard Way, now 42, dedicated the gig to Lauren Valencia, their former manager who died from cancer earlier this year.

He added: "It's been a long time Los Angeles. Thank you for being here tonight.

"We didn't know if this was ever gonna happen again so we really appreciate you showing up."

The band treated crowds to a selection of tracks spanning their four albums, opening with hit 'Not OK'.

You can see the full setlist below:

Reviewing the gig for Kerrang!, Eve Barlow said: "A band built from the ashes of 9/11 to make sense of a broken America have now re-emerged to take on the infinite s**tshows of our micro and macro lives. It's not only about this community, it's about rewriting their moment in time.

"To be MCR is to defy every label, type and mould. To be MCR is to keep on playing even when the world is trying to hold you down. To be MCR is to muster the decade's greatest comeback just as time was about to leave you behind. We are okay again."

Since they split, the band members have each individually worked on their own projects - with Way working on his Umbrella Academy Netflix shows, based on the comics of the same name.

The band will resume their tour in March, playing a handful of gigs across Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Topics: Music, US Entertainment

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey