There’s been a lot of talk recently about My Chemical Romance creating their follow-up to 2010’s Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. During the group’s Oct. 30 performance at the Hollywood Bowl, frontman Gerard Way announced that MCR are indeed planning to “make a new record” and “probably not [do] any shows” in 2027. If that weren’t cool enough, the group also gave a Danger Days B-side its live debut and reunited with The Used vocalist Bert McCracken!
MCR’s 2027 Plans + Other Show Highlights
Way’s announcement came after MCR finished “DESTROYA” during the second half of their set.
“You know, sometimes shit will sound, like, intentionally vague, when really it’s just to protect everybody’s feelings involved,” Way began, adding: “So, yeah. Next year, we wanna go make a record.”
Following a massive burst of applause, Way continued:
We’re probably not doing any shows [in 2027]. There’s no secret code to that. I mean, maybe if we get really rusty when we’re making something, we’re like, “Alright, let’s call the band ‘Helena’ or something and show up.” But, you know, seriously. We want to go do that and then hopefully, we’ll see you guys in 2028.
You know, ‘cause that’s some other shit I just wanna get out of the way, man! Let’s have fun. You deserve to have fun! You don’t wanna be stressed out, thinking, like, “Oh, what does this number on his box mean?” We actually don’t really do that shit. Do you know how much of that shit is coincidence?
You can see Way’s announcement below (shared by TikTok user Common Revolt).
Gerard Way Announces MCR’s 2027 Plans
Immediately after that, Way introduced the live debut of Danger Days B-side “We Don’t Need Another Song About California”:
This is a song that Frank [Iero, rhythmic guitarist] wrote the very first parts of and it was – I think we were outside . . . and we were fucking working on [it] and he had this really sick lead riff thing. It had some lyrics from other stuff and – anyway, it ended up a B-side but it’s fucking beautiful. It’s a beautiful song [and] we’ve never played it live before. It’s called “We Don’t Need Another Song About California.”
Per setlist.fm, MCR also began their encore by doing “You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison” with The Used vocalist Bert McCracken on stage for the first time since 2005. McCracken sang on the studio version, and their team-up here makes sense given that Way joined The Used for “Buried Myself Alive” for the first time since 2005 during their set earlier that night (according to setlist.fm).
You can see fan-shot footage of both songs below (shared by YouTuber Lila):
MCR – “We Don’t Need Another Song About California” (Oct. 30, 2026)
MCR – “You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison” (Oct. 30, 2026)
READ MORE: My Chemical Romance Adding One-of-a-Kind Art to Signed ‘Black Parade’ Albums
Other MCR News
Last week, Loudwire reported on My Chemical Romance adding “1-of-1 art variants from one of the band members” to the recently released 20th anniversary edition of The Black Parade.
As we explained:
The hard-to-find doodles are apparently being included in copies of the deluxe edition of the album that was sold through My Chemical Romance’s online store and signed by the band. . . . The deluxe edition of the album includes prints of artwork by James Jean, the artist responsible for The Black Parade’s cover art. . . . A Reddit user this week uploaded a photo of his signed album insert. Jean’s print titled The Patient was surprisingly modified to look like the title character from the 1994 movie ‘The Crow.’
Eventually, Iero got wind of the discovery and clarified on Instagram that the “crow variant” was created as a “loving way of collaborating with the masterful James Jean.” Iero also mentioned (via Loudwire): “I will let you know there are other variants out there. 13 total. All different, all 1 of 1. Hoping to see them pop up from time to time.”
This past Friday (Oct. 30) – and prior to their final two nights at the Hollywood Bowl – MCR put out an animated short film (Prelude to The End) that sparked theories regarding possible hidden messages.
As Loudwire wrote at the time:
Prelude to The End is a nearly eight-minute animated film that follows a girl named Astrid who appears to be in a mysterious school that is led by some questionable characters. It’s dark in the same vein as the presentation for ‘The Black Parade’ album. The project is a collaborative effort between My Chemical Romance and visual artist and actor Lauren Tsai. Fellow musicians Phoebe Bridgers and Billie Eilish are among the voice actors, along with Japanese video game producer Hideo Kojima.
One major theory is that the film confirms that MCR’s upcoming album will be the long-rumored The Paper Kingdom (which, we wrote, is “an album [MCR supposedly recorded] in 2012 before the entire project was scrapped and the band broke up”). Other common theories are that the tracklist to their new record is hidden within the film due to “numbered phrases” appearing on screen and that MCR are breaking up again.
Given Way’s confirmation about MCR’s 2027 plans, it’s safe to say that the last option is no longer a possibility.
Are you excited to hear that MCR are officially working on a new album next year? Are you disappointed that they’re “probably” not doing any shows as a result? Let us know!
Also, keep scrolling to read about 35 bands that are “dad rock” now (and there’s nothing you can do about it), including MCR!
35 Bands That Are ‘Dad Rock’ Now (And There’s Nothing You Can Do About It)
Dad rock comes for every band sooner or later.
Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll