ESSENTIAL INFO
The Black Parade is a 14-song, 52 minute concept album by My Chemical Romance released in 2006.
The story behind TBP features "the patient" a man diagnosed with a terminal illness, mentions an ex-partner of the patient's, and Death, which comes to the patient in the form of "The Black Parade" band.
The 2025 tour expands on the lore of the Black Parade world, which takes place in Draag, a fictional dicatatorship modeled East-bloc countries during the Cold War. At each show, the Dictator forces The Black Parade to perform the show, despite the lead singer's (or the audience's) pleas to the contrary.
The story progresses with each show of the tour.
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FAQ
«THE DRAAG ENCYCLOPEDIA»
BY CALLERBYTE
«LIVE STORY ARCHIVE»
BY THEENGINEER1423
LISTEN TO THE BLACK PARADE ALBUM
The Black Parade (2006)
Reactions and Theories and Show Highlights. Unorganized + out of order because I am FREAKING OUT.
CHICAGO, IL 08/29
This was such a fun show!!!! I was watching @/cheerleader_gerard's stream on instagram and they had insanely good angles from barricade!!!!!! so high quality, shoutout to them fr!!!! I tuned in starting at Disenchanted thru the end of B-stage, it was awesome!!! Me and my friends put the stream on the TV and zoomed in and cheered every time someone came over to our side of the stage and did one of their little posesTM and I was like maybe . this is what sports is like. Okay. On to what happened!!! I've put down what I've seen so far night of and will update with more things soon! In the meantime here's my show tag on tumblr!
- Clocking in at the top of the show. Frank spit on his card before punching in
- The Clerk and Gerard physically fought with each other briefly before the Clerk tackled Gee to the ground to force his jacket back on him. While Gee is on the ground, he shouts "TICKLE FIGHT" and tickles him to distract him from forcing the jacket back on. When he's managed to force Gee's arms through the sleeves, the Clerk drags Gee back up to standing and sort of props him up. Gerard looks dazed.
- Also apparently The Clerk says "good boy" as he hauls Gee back to his feet. Okay. Gets sohard i pass out and die
- Right before the slap, you can hear Gerard saying "I feel like I've done this before"!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- /Nodding sagely/ and here is another angle on the slap. As you were.
- The Clerk handed Gee a fish instead of a dagger tonight during Mama? Not taking any chances I guess...
- Possibly related to the fish, tonight Gee learned about cats!
- We're also back to the original red and black YAY/NAY signs tonight. Here's some footage of the crew (including the Clerk and the soldiers) passing out signs at barricade [x]
- Tossing the Gentleman!
- The dictator had his red phone again tonight
- Allegedly Gerard threw something into the crowd at some point during the show; I've seen some people with pictures of keposhka kandi but I am skeptical tbh. i love the idea he threw kandi tho. yes get into your own scene ok rockstar
TORONTO, ON 08/22
Tumblr posts about the toronto show!!! I'm working on updating stuff/have been watching some streams and will get links up to posts and good photos when they drop in the next few days!
- Yea/Nay signs were replaced with Chicken/Fish, as Gerard mentioned the other night.
- Here's some pictures of the signs!
- The crowd voted Chicken, which killed all the prisoners.
- I bet this is to more explicitly get the point across that it doesn't actually matter what you vote for (maybe to the more casual/nostalgic people??) Here's a meme talking about this lol
- As of 08/24/25, Nate Piekos said he'll have updates about the sign next week!
- Gerard's magazine tonight was Anne Hathaway's Vogue cover. The cover article is about Mother Mary, a movie starring Hathaway, the conceit of which is that Hathaway plays an overworked pop star stepping down from the limelight.
- Tonight's paper from the clerk, which reads: "Don't forget to punch in."
- Video of Frank being mandhandled off the stage tonight!
- Vogue for the baby!!!!!
- After he died, Gerard convulsed on the ground when the clown stepped over him during Blood
- Frank pulled his punch card out of his pants??????
PHILADELPHIA, PA 08/15
Posts about the Philly show while I get my info organized enough to write out!
- ⚠⚠I cannot express enough that GERARD GOT SLAPPED ON THE ASS. SLAPPED IN THE ASS AND THE BALLS AND THE TAINT BY THE CLERK AT MCRPHILLY AND LIKED IT ⚠⚠
- Some more compelling ideas about the ass slap.
- For all you beautiful lovers out there, here's Philly's face slap.
- Execution log updated! According to @omtai the crowd voted YEA, which meant all four prisoners were executed.
- The Philly Cheesesteak mascot was there? According to the transcripts, linked above and below, the Black Parade "lost its last job as the spokesband for the Dodgers Dog" but they have a new gig as "the officials spokesband of The Cheesesteak."
- As they're introducing the execution rules, Gerard appears to misspeak, saying: "Okay, so when you came in, you all got this sign, and, uh, one side says chicken, the other says fish, right? Is that—? Never mind. Uh, sorry. Hold on. Yeah, keep the music on. Alright, here we go. Okay. God, I can’t find—alright! One side, it says yea, right? The other side, it says nay, right?"
I saw a picture of a torn/stepped on blue and orange sign that said chicken/fish, but I lost the post so if anyone can find it or knows if there was more than one printed (or if that one in the post was real at all), let me know! I'm curious if this is related to the fish from NJ or if this is a sponsorship segment we haven't seen yet? To me it sounds like a jab at online censorship of violent words for brand purposes. - I don't have a lot of info on this yet but I've heard people saying there's a clock in/out work release machine or process for the Black Parade band onstage [x]
- New rules during the pre-show! Here's some posts about that: [x], [x]
- Still got the main scratches and some new #lacerations on the left side. Tbh I'm getting confused about the sides of the face but anyway new scratches on the side that doesn't normally have the regular ones. You get it. Here's some photos: [x], [x]
- Marianne is maybe the Dictator's daughter?
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ 8/09
Okay I was moving this weekend so I'm a little late on this one but nothing can stop me from MCR posting on tumblr not even starting my last year of college. Okay. Here's some of my favorite things from the show last weekend!
- The mayor of Belleville, Michael Melham, presented MCR with ceremonial keys to the city at the NJ show on Saturday. Frank, Gerard, and Mikey all grew up in Belleville, and Ray was born just across the river in Kearny. Mr. Melham, who apparently walked onstage to his 2024 State of the Township address to Welcome To The Black Parade, decided to honor MCR and their connection to Belleville by presenting them with a large ceremonial key onstage (in addition to a backstage ceremony). In exchange, Gerard presented Mr. Melham with a bundle of wheat and and a large fish, courtesy of Draag.
- Here is a funny post about that
- Here's what the mayor had to say about the exchange on instagram later. He calls Gerard a "gentleman."
- More from the mayor on his facebook page!
- Gerard also ravenously ate a bowl of spaghetti (during the break where he usually reads a magazine? I'm not sure) which you can see images of here.
- Here's a closeup of Gerard's NJ decomposing makeup which includes yellowish bruising for the first time!!!
- Here's Ray cheesin in what I consider the best image of the tour so far
- We learned that the puppet's name is The Gentleman (Gerard.....a gentleman too.......much to think on...) during the Mama "Dagger" interlude of this show! Gerard also said they "met in prison, isn't that wonderful?" Shoutout to @littlequeenofthemangoes on tumblr for this video and callerbyte for the update to the encyclopedia where you can read more about him!
- The Clerk mimed throwing The Gentleman off the stage and Gerard, panicked, frantically stops him. and shows his back to the clerk, motioning for him to put his jacket back on. The crowd in the pit booed and it looks like Ray disapproved too. After Gerard has his jacket forced back on, he stumbles around with bent arms, appearing for all the world more undead than usual. (Thank you @vampiresaints on twitter for the video and check out this post by @transjudas on tumblr for gifs if you don't have twitter!)
- Here's the NJ slap, for any interested parties!
- Here's the note Gerard crumpled and threw in the pit that night! It reads "To avoid further premature shift departures, a time-card system is being introduced to the MOAT work release program." So we definitely know now that TBP is on loan from the MOAT!
Feel free to let me know anything I missed! Here's my posts about the nj show on Tumblr for more photos and silly posting!!!
Also, (8/13) here's an interview with Clarice Jensen, the cello player for the tour, that just dropped today!! She met Gerard because he came to a concert she did with Max Richter (he wrote A Catalogue of Afternoons which I have loved since it came out in 2018!!!!)!!! Isn't that crazy!!!!! What a small world!!!!! Make art that moves your heart forever&ever&ever!!!!!!!
ARLINGTON, TX 8/02
OKAY SO!!! Highlights from today's Arlington Texas show!
- Gerard was dragged out onstage by the clerk (guy who delivers the slap) at the top of the show. He gives him a little tap beneath the chin as if to say "chin up" and Gerard leaves his face skyward for a moment before touching his forehead like he doesn't know where he is or remember how he got there. Ray and Mikey, who the camera briefly pans to, are posing pretty still and gazing up and outward respectively. Frank appears sort of normal in the back, lmao. Here is a video of it, I love how the people nearby the person filming are just straight up screaming bloody murder
- Gerard's face was noticably more scraped up, including scratches/blood on the right side of his face in addition to the slap scars. Here's an audience angle + more high def!!!!
- THERE WAS AN EXECUTION SURVIVOR. THEY GOT A CAR AS A "REWARD"
- The car was a "2009 Baruva Dart" which as far as I can determine, is not a real car, but as this comment on reddit pointed out, does support the theory that this tour takes place between The Black Parade (2006) and Danger Days (2010), since 1) the car is made within that time frame and 2) presumably if you won a car in a contest or something you'd expect it to be a brand new car. HOWEVER i can see an interpretation where the dictator is like fuck you you survived here's an old ass decrepit car. which is also funny but less #lore implications so i'm going with the first
- The dictator had a cowboy hat!
- This post pointed out that Gerard still hasn't sung "tyranny" in "three cheers for tyranny" lyric of "Sleep" the whole tour, continuing today. Makes me wonder if they're hoping people will eventually be booing the executions/dictator/decisions rather than just cheering for the band.
- SPEAKING OF WHICH I think it's so fascinating that they're playing with audience expectations and concert conventions. I can't think of a single other band doing that. This post has gifs of Gerard reading to his puppet and turning the book around so the audience can 'see' which is just. SO RRRRGHGHSGSRGJRGJLJ OH MY GOD. this mother/band leader/state figurehead acknowledges the audience and knows we're there. includes us. YOU'RE CRAZYYYYYY!!!! WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN!!!!!! YOUR BABY GROWING UP ONSCREEN!!!!!!!!!!
- Tonight's slap and their reaction
- We are officially halfway through the North American Tour. Since this leg ends in September and the South America leg picks up in January for 2 months (x), I'm really curious how much time will pass in-universe between the legs. And then the Asia leg of the tour starts in April and goes into May.....what will have happened in between? Is this more of the puppeteering around of the in-universe band? Are they going to be really dead for a while and then come back? MUCH TO THINK ON. Also the fact that there was a survivor at the middle show, I'm predicting there will be more survivors at each show until they all get to survive at the last show. And the dictator kills them for real. or they kill the dictator. MAYBE THEY'LL DRAG THE DICTATOR ONSTAGE AND KILL HIM ONSTAGE.!!!!!!!
- Gerard's shirt is mended with red string at the collar. I noticed this either at my show or from LA pics I can't remember but nothing was close enough to get a good look at it until now. BUT LOOK!!!!!! IT'S MENDED!!!!!!!!!!
Tumblr posts I've collected from today's show!
LOS ANGELES, CA 7/26 + 27/25
They played DESTROYA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The band + the Dictator all had "Dodger Dogs" during the elexecution. My friend DJ Killjoy went to both nights so when we discuss I will update with more differences! I know it now very much looks like Gerard is wearing heavier foundation and the slap scratches are scarring over. He fought back before the slap on one of the nights and the guy in charge poked his eyes?? They also played a song off of their unreleased album The Paper Kingdom. (!!!!!)
Tumblr posts about the show: Night 1, Night 2, General LA posts.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 7/19/25
★*ੈ✩‧₊˚my show*ੈ✩‧₊˚★
The moment I realized at SF that Gerard had scrapes on his face from the Seattle show slap.........god I've never felt something like that. Christ. How does time work in this universe where the band is reincarnated/brought out for a show and then put away until the next one? How are they keeping them preserved? Gerard way my beautiful comic book character I love you so fucking dearly!!!!!!! Here's a video about how dazed he looks when he comes onstage. How he puts his hand on his cheek as if he's just been slapped and even (to me) still looks dazed when he begins the song. Gerard Way the creature you are......
I'm also so curious who the clown is? He kills Gerard, who is sympathetic to me, so I already don't like him. He's an extremist figure, and I'm not really sure what side he's on. The bomb has already gone off, so why does he need another?
I am so excited to learn more about the phone calls and everything. So fascinating. What did the dictator say to you. Are they going to kill The Black Parade's mom on stage in LA?????
How much more 'truthful' hostage information will we get??? How much more slapped can Gerard be?? Are we going to progress to punching? Kicking?? how horny can the people stand?? And this is a fucking. world tour?????? The lore implications of the extra dates....they're not allowed to die until the end of the tour sometime next year.....certainly no new album in that time......guys this is why we're not getting MCR5 yet dont worry
Although there is some evidence to the contrary (mentions of America/the US in the lyrics), I think a fun interpretation is that Draag is the country that predated the world in Danger Days. Atom bomb, dictatorship, killing people who disagree. It's all there. I think there is also mentions of "draag" in Danger Days?
I think the most emotional moment to me was when Gerard's voice shook while reading out the advertisement before Cancer.
I've also seen a post theorizing that the four people being shot under the hoods are MCR and it's a threat to The Black Parade what fate awaits them if they step out of line.
Interestingly, this show was also exactly 2 hours and 20 minutes.
By the way, I love how much of like. A Though Experiment this tour is. Like, it's not a movie. It's not a book. It's not a comic. It's.....playing pretend. It's theater. But it's not a conventional story structure. LIKE??????????? HELLO????? HUGE NEWS FOR NON TRADITIONAL STORY FORMATS EVERYWHERE??????? I really am obsessed with how Gerard said I have a world in my brain and I'm going to inflict it on everyone else. Via our album. Live onstage. Gerard I'm so sorry I said you were selling out I should have had faith. But I didn't and you proved me wrong.
8/3/25 update: Here is a post showing Frank & Mikey's reactions to the execution in Seattle and SF. At Seattle, Frank sticks his fingers in his ears, and in SF, he covers them completely. In SF, Mikey shakes his head, unclear whether in disgust towards the execution or the hostages executed. Here are some more/other angles on Frank from other shows!
Tumblr posts about the SF show!
Profesh SF photos!!!
SEATTLE, WA 7/11/25
This show introduced us to the world of Draag, Keposhka, the execution election, the slap, and the opera singer. It is MCR's longest show to-date, clocking in at 2 hours and 20 minutes.
8/6/25: Something I was curious about was whether every show had fake blood when the clown kills Gerard, and according to the video from the second to last slide on this instagram post from @heyitscaleigh it looks like it's been going on since Seattle! Here are some gifs by @rubbish78 on tumblr.
KEPOSHKA
Keposhka is a fictional alphabet created by Nate Piekos with direction from Gerard Way for MCR's 2025 Long Live The Black Parade tour. It is the alphabet used in DRAAG, on the rules displayed on the screens before shows, on the merch, and in during-show advertisements.
Nate Piekos released an article on Blambot detailing the font's creation, which was un-published and republished on 7/21/25 with edits. Keep scrolling for a log of real-time updates to the article!
This translation guide for Keposhka is from jetblckhotelmirror on reddit and tumblr.
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As I've practiced, I noticed that some letters just fit together nicer than others. Since "MCR" fits together so nicely and is lowkey readable, and other words....look ugly LMAO...I thought it likely that they prioritized certain words looking nice over others during the creation of the font. And it turns out that I was right!
Since there's no standardized font yet for posting online, I am also curious how much people's handwriting styles will influence the development of differing styles of handwritten Keposhka. Or what shortcuts people are using to make the letters flow easier? I've found, for example, that the characters for "h" and "a" fit together well if stacked, but take up a bothesome amount of space if spaced out. I wonder if a standardized/fan-canonized handwriting will emerge since people might be learning from each other instead of the original article.
PIEKOS ARTICLE UPDATE LOG
08/11/25: New info about the YEA/NAY signs and Keposhka Red added the end of the article!
08/24/25: New info about the CHICKEN/FISH signs coming to the article next week!
08/26/25: New info added about the CHICKEN/FISH signs added to the end of the article! Piekos teased that the single torn CHICKEN/FISH sign found in the Philly parking lot that may or may not have been "planted by the band, or a complete accident. I'll never tell," he said. I'm gnawing at my enclosure. WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT WAS ON PURPOSE. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU KNEW ABOUT IT. HOW MUCH OF THIS IS ORCHESTRATED IM LOSING MY MIND
