CONCERT REVIEW: Rat Attack! My Chemical Romance’s Final Night At Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes got their third and final show of the tour, and it might be their best one to date. Before the band even hit the stage, a clip from a National Geographic video titled Rat Attack! was played on the big screens. The video detailed the swarm of rats that descends upon Mizoram, India every 48 years. As facts including, “One female rat can have 200 descendants in 6 months,” flashed upon the screens, the sounds of laughter, cheering, and confusion could be heard coming from the crowd.
This could only be followed up, of course, by My Chem themselves emerging from thick smoke to perform their newest track The Foundations of Decay. Tonight’s show was packed full of hits from all of their albums, including fan-favorites Cemetery Drive, House of Wolves, Cancer, and Headfirst for Halos.
The band seemed to be in an exceptionally playful mood tonight, with smiles all around. While getting ready to perform I’m Not Okay, Gerard Way joked about it being, “The song that keeps my therapist driving a Lexus.” At one point he saw a fan struggling in the audience and said, “Point at where the problem is… Oh that guy just pointed at me.”
Perhaps the most iconic moment of the night was the outfits the guys wore onstage. Mikey wowed the audience in his classic MIKEY FUCKIN WAY t-shirt, while Frank and Gerard strutted about in shirts with PISS and VINEGAR written on them. Frank had posted a picture of the two shirts on his Instagram earlier today, and Gerard mentioned that he’d had the idea for these shirts since before the reunion. “That would’ve been good if we were a band,” he’d told Frank at the time.
There were serious moments as well, including Gerard taking a moment to check on fans who appeared to not be feeling well. “Your friend, your neighbor,” he told the crowd, “they go down—try to make some space, try to pick them up.” Before performing the emotional ballad Cancer, Gerard stated, “We didn’t do it at the Shrine ‘cause it was too hard. But we’re gonna do it right now, for you. For us, for you.”
He also took a moment to talk about Thursday night’s blood-soaked outfit, saying, “People saw me coming with the weird outfit and thought, ‘He’s crazy, he’s insane, he’s unglued.’ And that might be the case, but I am free. Embrace the world, embrace the plague, embrace the uncertain!” For those that missed it, this outfit also included a white face mask with the word “Meta” written on it, alongside the infinity symbol logo for Mark Zuckerburg’s Metaverse. Tonight he made the statement, “We deserve to live in a world with real people and real faces. We don’t want your Metaverse!” We’re definitely sensing a theme going on here…
Hmm are we sensing a theme here? 😏 https://t.co/LOFXbO6seL pic.twitter.com/0WvhkRxVPe
— My Chemical Romance Updates 🪰 (@MCRupdates1) May 22, 2022
Of course, the night would not be complete without a little dancing, led by the one and only Rowan Way, Mikey and Kristin Way’s five-year-old daughter. Her sister Kennedy could also be seen on stage showing support for her father’s band.
The incredible night was ended by Gerard blowing a kiss to the audience, telling them, “Goodnight MK3, thank you so much. Muah!” This was followed shortly by an encore performance of Headfirst for Halos and I’m Not Okay (I Promise).
It’s safe to say that this week’s shows have been non-stop fun for both the band and fans, new and old. For many in the audience, it was their first time seeing My Chemical Romance live, as they’ve recently returned after being broken up since 2013. The energy in this stadium reflected the apparent excitement on Gerard, Frank, Mikey, and Ray’s faces.
We can’t wait to see what else My Chem has in store. Did you attend this show? We’d love to hear your thoughts and favorite moments. For those of you attending future shows—let us know what songs you’re hoping to hear live!
