My Chemical Romance Reunion Tour in Dallas
Words and photos by Jonathan Garcia / See the gallery from this show here
September 28, 2022 — It's the year 2015. I’m scrolling through different music in search of new music and sounds. I stumbled upon a punk rock playlist. There it was: "Welcome To The Black Parade" by a song by a band I never heard of, My Chemical Romance. This band helped me discover a new sound and genre of amazing music.
This year, I had the opportunity to see them live with my girlfriend. I also had the chance to photograph their entire show. I had experienced many concerts before, but never have I experienced one like this. The first opening band gave the audience something to savor as they set the tone for the already energetic crowd. Devil Master was their name and they will surely be remembered. Their songs were amazing to hear as the lead singer put in all of his energy and passion into the microphone.
The next band called Midtown was the very definition of nostalgia. Midtown had retired 17 years ago in 2005, which is mind boggling. Gabriel Saporta, the lead singer, definitely gave us an amazing performance alongside his band mates Tyler Rann, Heath Saraceno, and Rob Hitt. They interacted with the crowd and raised the anticipation for My Chemical Romance as they were up next. They performed some of their old songs as well such as "Become What You Hate", "Like A Movie", and "Get It Together".
In anticipation, the crowd waited for the main event. Minutes turned into hours waiting for My Chemical Romance to take the stage. Finally, the lights dim and the sound systems start to rumble as the beginning of their first song starts to play. The crowd cheers and roars as one by one, each band member takes the stage. Mikey Way, Gerard Way, Frank Iero, and Ray Toro each wave to the crowd as they get into position. The crowd explodes as the band plays their new single, "The Foundations of Decay". The crowd danced to it and the energy around the area was surreal as I could even feel the passion from the fans and artists. The band went on to play a few more of their old songs as this was their reunion tour after all. People stood and cheered as they played "Welcome To The Black Parade". That song that had changed my entire view on music and the music world in general. I was witnessing it live as I cheered along with the crowd. The overall experience of photographing this show and being in the crowd after I was done just down right gave me goosebumps and it left me feeling nostalgic and optimistic for the future of music.
