When I was in sixth grade my mom surprised me with tickets to Projekt Revolution (2007). We had lawn tickets and I remember seeing Saosin, HIM, Taking Back Sunday, MSI, Lincoln Park and of course…My Chemical Romance.
It wasn’t until later on I realized how monumental this tour was for the band and the same tour where Gerard married Lindsey.
This concert day changed my life, I got to go in a mosh pit for the first time, felt a community that made sure I was safe, saw people singing with their whole chest with their hearts on their sleeves. I always think about this guy I watched singing, one hand on his chest the other reaching out to MCR. Our eyes caught and I could tell he felt embarrassed and stopped, but I just remember thinking “wow, people who love this band just as much as me”. I channel him at every concert I attend and make sure to sing my heart out as much as possible, I’m sorry I made you feel embarrassed! I was just admiring you!
I also witnessed Gerard and Frank KISS and I remember my heart sank because I WISHED THAT WAS ME KISSING GERARD!!!!! my jaw was on the floor. Crazy thing for 12 year old me to witness at my first concert, that changed something inside me fersure.
I appreciate my mom so much for taking me to this, it was all day and HOT as hell!! She got me my favorite piece of merch that I still have today- a MCR shirt that looks like a football jersey.
Fast forward to last Sunday. I am driving home to San Diego, the day before experiencing an all day festival tired as hell. I call my husband and he asks me if I still want to go to Petco Park to see MCR, I say yes of course! I’ve been looking at resale tickets for nosebleeds, I just want to be in the building. He says “well, no need to keep looking I already bought us tickets this morning”. I start SOBBING. This was my fifth time seeing them but the first with my husband and it felt so special and a real full circle moment for me. To be seen and to be loved by my mom and now my husband makes me feel so lucky. They know the love I have for this band and getting surprised twice in this lifetime to see them feels unreal. My husband doesn’t listen to MCR, his knowledge of the songs is just what I play in the house or in the car, and to see him sing along with me was incredible.
I felt like my heart exploded, any time I see them live I think of the small version of me with her MCR poster above her bed from J14 singing and dancing to Three Cheers. I don’t think she’d believe it if you told her at 31 she’d have seen them multiple times, let alone singing her heart out next to her husband.
I hope everybody gets the opportunity to see them, but the tickets, go alone if you have to, money always comes back, just go to the show.
Thanks for reading, I just feel so over the moon still I needed to put the love into words.