15 years after setting foot in Spain for the last time before their breakup in March 2013, My Chemical Romance returned to Madrid to perform The Black Parade in its entirety to mark its 20th Anniversary.

You might think this is just a cash-grab nostalgia tour with nothing interesting to show — and, evidently, nostalgia plays a key role in a tour supporting such an influential project — but absolutely not. We're talking about frontman Gerard Way, who had already planned out The Black Parade as the culmination of the band's journey before releasing their debut album. Way "justifies" this tour by amping up the theatrics, madness, and hyperbole of the LP with a brand-new tour storyline that serves as a sequel of sorts to both the seminal emo rock opera and the death of the "Black Parade" persona at The Black Parade Is Dead! Concert in Mexico City in 2007.

The punk rockers take the stage in Black Parade attire; they're apparently trapped in an institution or prison and forced to take a “medication,” which seems to turn them more complacent to orders from those above, much like the "cuppliance" in the Black Mirror episode “Fifteen Million Merits.” An announcer introduces the band to their "session for today," which starts by observing a rendition of “Over Fields,” the national anthem of Draag, the fictional authoritarian country that the New Jersey-natives have crafted as the setting for the story that's about to unfold — with its own made-up language and alphabet, “Keposhka,” created by Nate Piekos.

The presentation is very Orwellian and over the top, with a robotic eye watching the crowd at all times; stony-faced officials, guards, and nurses (they provide backing vocals and string accompaniment) standing still as statues on stage; propagandistic speeches about the power of leaders and the importance of following orders; and CCTV footage of the characters imprisoned and going insane. There’s one instance after “This Is How I Disappear” where the eye comes down and takes a photo of the band and the crowd. And a glimpse of rebellion from Way when he flips off the vigilant eye before playing "Teenagers."

It’s an outlandish experience that criticizes authoritarianism and fascism, yet it's also aware of its own extravagant mise-en-scène and parodic tone. Way sings “Welcome To The Black Parade” from a lectern, rallying the crowd like a leader. A character named The Clerk has a silly dance with Way in between songs. A snarky, golden-age American animation-style cartoon serves as the background visuals for “Teenagers” (even the omniscient eye turns cartoon-drawn).

“Mama” hits the mark on the boundless eccentricity that the music of the 2006 album excels at: a full display of the best of Way’s theatrical singing, growls, and vocal quirks that have made him a charismatic singer since the group’s nascent stages. There's a bridge where Way plays with a dagger and engages with the audience for a "magic trick" where we have to help him count down to make a nurse with a black eye patch called Sylvia disappear. Way sarcastically points out how she’s “totally not an evil fucking nurse at all!” All of this segues into the opera verse of the track (sung by the nurse, played by Charlotte Kelso, who’s a real-life soprano) and an extended outro.

“Famous Last Words” is a full-throttle pyrotechnics spectacle reminiscent of the official music video. A reprise of the “Welcome To The Black Parade” outro is stitched in during the final stretch of the track, which is just the icing on the cake. Even the hidden track “Blood” is given the spotlight with an über-gory and visceral conclusion where Way stabs the aforementioned Clerk to death.

There are currently two different storylines you might get at each stop on the tour. In Spain, the concept was the same as at the previous show in Italy and on the Latin American tour earlier this year. It's supposed to be a prequel to the main storyline, Long Live The Black Parade, which is substantially different: A mock execution is carried out in which the audience has to decide the outcome and vote “yea” or “nay" using a sign they were given at entry. In Madrid, however, we were given postcards which were later referenced during one of the dictatorial speeches. There might even be a new storyline brewing for the upcoming leg of the tour; we can't know, and they won't tell you beforehand.

In the second half of the concert, the marching band removes their make-up and costumes; the grand spectacle is over, and they're their candid selves now, moving over to a small platform in the center of the pit, as if they're back to the early days of playing small venues and bars — only now tens of thousands of people are singing along. The band sets the mood for the B-stage set by kicking things off with the ominous 2022 single and only new song following their reunion, "The Foundations of Decay," accompanied by a fitting and striking sunset view. It is immediately followed by the opening riff of the fan-favorite "Thank You For The Venom" off of Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.

Needless to say, they play staples like "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)," "Helena," and "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)." Three choruses unanimously chanted by a vigorous crowd that had endured the stifling heat the whole afternoon. It's the proof of their skillful songwriting and their catchy, straightforward, heartfelt punk rock that perfectly works in the B-Stage, stripped of any high concept.

It stood out to me how comfortable they were with picking and choosing anything from their catalogue, and how much that excited them after all these years. They were stoked to play rarities like the Conventional Weapons' salvaged song from The Black Parade sessions, "The World Is Ugly." Way repeatedly expressed his enthusiasm for performing tracks such as the Danger Days B-side "Zero Percent" and their debut's cut "Our Lady of Sorrows" – an enthusiasm corroborated by a loyal crowd that roared no matter what the emo stars offered them: a deep-cut, a B-side, or a demo.

Below, find a brief overview of Mogwai's opening set and a few videos of the act: