My Chemical Romance's 'Weird Demonic' Stage Show Draws Strong Reaction From Fans

My Chemical Romance kicked off their Long Live the Black Parade tour in Seattle last weekend in grand, theatrical fashion — though some casual observers have expressed confusion and criticized the band’s “weird demonic” stunts and “theatrical propaganda.”

Read on to see how this convoluted online narrative evolved.

Why Some MCR ‘Fans’ Are Upset About Their Current Tour

My Chemical Romance are playing their landmark 2006 album, The Black Parade, in full on their latest tour — and much of the online discourse stems from one key moment during last Saturday’s tour kickoff show.

Between “Welcome to the Black Parade” and “I Don’t Love You,” frontman Gerard Way led the audience in an “experiment” and “a practice of democracy.”

The band trotted out four “candidates” with sacks over their heads and held an “election,” beckoning audience members to hold up a sign that said either “YEA” or “NAY.”

Apparently, the majority of the audience voted “NAY,” as the four candidates were “shot” execution-style and removed from the B-stage on which they stood.

“Thank you so very much for participating in democracy,” Way said with a wry smile before the band continued playing.

Watch My Chemical Romance's Mock Execution at Seattle Tour Kickoff

Reactions to MCR’s ‘Theatrical Propaganda’

Unsurprisingly, MCR’s mock execution stunt has divided viewers — and some casual observers seem to have missed the band’s longtime penchant for political commentary.

One viral TikTok, in particular, shows a woman in cowboy boots sitting down during the show and watching the band skeptically. “My discernment actively trying to make sense of all this ‘theatrical propaganda,’” the video caption reads.

The video made the rounds as MCR fans roasted the woman for either misunderstanding or not appreciating the band’s theatrics.

Meanwhile, one Facebook user accused the band of pulling some “weird demonic shit,” while another lamented, “People are just fkn twisted!”

Truth be told, there seems to be a lot more backlash to the backlash than the initial backlash. Plenty of MCR fans have pointed out the band’s career-long efforts to be inclusive to the LGBTQ+ community.

Others noted that their 2010 album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, chronicles a fictional band of rebels battling against an evil corporation.

And, of course, there’s the fact that Way formed My Chemical Romance after witnessing the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and deciding that he needed to make something of his life.

According to The Mirror, some people have expressed a desire to sell their MCR tickets after learning about the band’s theatrical stage production. But there are far more examples on social media of fans mockingly encouraging those people to sell their tickets to them.

Others have joked that My Chemical Romance reviving the "Satanic panic" is the biggest recession indicator thus far.

My Chemical Romance’s tour continues on Saturday in San Francisco. You can see their full list of North American dates here.