Now that My Chemical Romance have wrapped the North American leg of their “Long Live”: The Black Parade Tour, we need some answers.
The band told fans during a Sept. 12 show in San Antonio that it would be the last of the current leg of their tour. The announcement was somewhat puzzling considering MCR still has dates remaining in the States this year.
Then, of course, there is the hope fans will finally be getting a fifth My Chemical Romance studio album, and the first since 2010.
Here are three lingering questions about My Chemical Romance along with our predictions for their next moves.
(NOTE: If you need to catch-up on everything you missed during the “Long Live”: The Black Parade Tour, checkout our guide to Draag, the fictional world that provided the backdrop for the ambitious shows.)
1. What Will My Chemical Romance’s Remaining 2026 Festival Dates Look Like?
As far as “what happens next” for their 2026 tour dates, we do know for sure that My Chemical Romance still needs to wrap up their U.S. festival dates.
The band had a jam-packed schedule of festival dates in the U.S. in 2026, starting with Welcome to Rockville in Florida on May 10 and Sonic Temple in Ohio four days later. That leaves a Sept. 18 headlining performance at Louder Than Life in Louisville, Ky. and another at Aftershock in Sacramento, Calif. on Oct. 1.
Unless something catastrophic happens, these dates are a lock. What is more of a mystery is what the presentation will look like onstage after the band announced the “Long Live”: The Black Parade Tour had wrapped for North America.
My Chemical Romance’s past festival headlining performances have mostly followed the presentation of the regular Black Parade Tour, but with a couple of exceptions. The twists onstage weren’t as plentiful and the B-stage portion, featuring songs from the rest of the band’s albums, was often pared down.
What We Think Will Happen: My Chemical Romance will continue to play The Black Parade in its entirety with no new twists to the story. (Confidence rating: 8 out of 10)
2. What Will Happen During My Chemical Romance’s Hollywood Bowl Shows?
There’s A LOT to unpack with this one. Let’s start with the opening acts, or the lack thereof on some nights.
My Chemical Romance is set to play five shows between Oct. 21-31 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The first three shows have no opening act listed, which is odd considering they’ve had an opener on nearly every date of their most recent tour.
READ MORE: Gerard Way Saw the Towers Fall During His Commute on 9/11, Then Wrote the Song That Started My Chemical Romance
The listings on the Hollywood Bowl website still say MCR is wrapping up the North American leg of their tour with a three-night run for each of these shows.
Here’s where things get interesting in terms of how the remaining Hollywood Bowl shows are being promoted. The Oct. 30 and 31 performances were announced after the initial three-night run and are being promoted differently on the venue’s website.
“The ‘Devil’s Night’ and ‘Halloween’ shows will deliver a unique atmosphere shaped by the weekend’s energy, the venue’s natural beauty and the band’s ongoing commitment to creating unforgettable live experiences.”
Each of the final two show listings are being promoted using the logo from MCR’s Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge era and features openers from that period.
The Oct. 30 show features The Used, who have a long history with My Chemical Romance, including a 2004 collab on a cover of Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure.” Thrice are set to open on Oct. 31.
What We Think Will Happen: The presentation during the first three shows will match the final two U.S. festival dates. The remaining two shows will lean heavily on songs from You Brought Me Your Bullets, I Brought You My Love and Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. (Confidence rating: 6 out of 10)
3. Will We Finally Get a New My Chemical Romance Album?
Out of all of the questions on this list, the “new album” one is the most lingering for My Chemical Romance fans.
The lore of what is commonly called “MCR5” started with My Chemical Romance allegedly recording a fifth studio album in 2012 called The Paper Kingdom. The album was believed to be shelved for unknown reasons, with some of the tracks making their debut in subsequent years.
“Fake Your Death” was released in 2014 as a single for MCR’s greatest hits collection, May Death Never Stop You. During a 2025 show at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, the band played “War Beneath the Rain” for the first time.
Before the opening notes of the song, Gerard Way told the crowd MCR recorded the songs while in the studio with producer Doug McKean. The 54-year-old McKean died unexpectedly from a brain hemorrhage in 2022.
Then came the San Antonio show this year, when Way openly acknowledged fan desire for a new album.
“Just know that we’ve kind of really always wanted to make another record. So we hope that life allows us to do that. ‘Cause honestly, you guys kept us alive so long. You guys deserve another record.”
Way was quick to mention that the band still doesn’t know when that might happen.
What We Think Will Happen: There will be a new album with some of the tracks intended for what was believed to be The Paper Kingdom, along with some newly written material. (Confidence rating: 2 out of 10)
Want to catch up on the rest of My Chemical Romance’s discography before we (hopefully) get a new album? Keep reading for our ranking of every MCR album from worst to best.
My Chemical Romance Albums Ranked Worst to Best
The emo giants have only released four albums, and they’re all great. But which one triumphs above the rest?
Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli
