The Black Parade is the third studio album by American rock band My Chemical Romance, first released on October 23, 2006, through Reprise Records.

My Chemical Romance began The Black Parade World Tour on February 22, 2007, in the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire.

The Black Parade received generally favorable reviews from critics, with the limited edition boxed set also earning a nomination at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in 2008.

The record was reissued as The Black Parade/Living with Ghosts on September 23, 2016, in celebration of the tenth anniversary of the album's release.

[1][2][3] This is based on singer Gerard Way's notion of death appearing to a person in the form of their fondest memory, in this case seeing a marching band as a child.

[4][5] On stage, the band donned black marching uniforms similar to those worn by the Beatles for the album Sgt.

[5] The video Welcome to the Black Parade directed by Samuel Bayer and stars Lukas Haas as "The Patient" being taken by death while the band performs on a float.

Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Queen's A Night at the Opera (1975) and David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) are noted as major influences for the album, especially when comparing the album's opening track, "The End.

Looking back at the creation of the album, guitarist Frank Iero was "blasé about people hating on the band for this decidedly 'non-scene' record":[10] "When we did Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, we didn't fit in," he said.

Never was it a case of, 'Don't put that melody there because Hardcore Chuck, who took me to my first show at Fairfield American Legion Hall, is really going to be bummed at me.'

I don’t care: If I had to work at McDonald's for the rest of my life to play shows and ride in a van on tour?

[35] On October 21, the band was the musical guest on an episode of Saturday Night Live, where they performed "Welcome to the Black Parade" and "Cancer".

[38] In Japan, the album was released on an enhanced CD, and also contains the song "Heaven Help Us" and a music video for "Welcome to the Black Parade.

[47] My Chemical Romance began The Black Parade World Tour on February 22, 2007, in Manchester, New Hampshire's Verizon Wireless Arena.

[56] Bob Bryar suffered injuries relating to his wrists during the tour which led to the cancellation of the show at the University of Maine on October 27, 2007.

[57][58] Following the November 11, 2007, show in Newcastle upon Tyne, Frank Iero left the tour to return home after learning about a family member's illness.

The tour is set to begin at Seattle's T-Mobile Park on July 11, 2025, and conclude at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on September 13.

[61] Dan Martin from NME compared the album to Green Day's American Idiot, positing that "it's a piece of work that will challenge every preconception you ever had about the people who made it.

[70] Entertainment Weekly stated that "On their third studio album, a musical H-bomb of an effort, the Jersey quintet combine the rock-opera pomp of Queen with the darker, dirtier tones of their screamo past: Call it a Bro-hemian Rhapsody.

Even without its broad concept — a dying cancer patient seeks revenge and redemption — Parade stands as one of the most cohesive, engaging rock records of 2006.

"[8] Robert Christgau gave the album a two-star honorable mention saying, "In prog, a good sense of humor means so much.

[96] The Black Parade has been considered an important album on the emo, punk rock, and pop-punk music genres,[97][98][99][100] as well as a defining work for the band[99][97] that made them a global phenomenon.

[101] In 2016, Luke Morgn Britton of NME described The Black Parade as an album that "exploded the boundaries of its genre".

[98] Terry Bezer of Louder shared similar thoughts, writing that The Black Parade became a "way of life that changed the cultural landscape of the world".

[97] In 2017, Clint Hale of Houston Press described The Black Parade as a "rock opera done right" and a "truly great record", the latter of which he believed most bands were unable to create, and that the album was "impossible to forget".

[108] In 2008, British tabloid newspaper The Daily Mail attacked My Chemical Romance over the popularity of The Black Parade, accusing them of promoting suicide and describing emo culture as a "cult".

[111] In response, more than 300 fans of the band protested outside of the newspaper's office in London, criticizing the newspaper for its inaccuracies, and accusing it of taking advantage of the death of a young girl to prove a point, as well as an older audience that they believed was naturally more hostile towards alternative cultures.

[101] It was included in Rock Sound's 101 Modern Classics list at number nine,[117] and, in April 2019, was named the best album released since the publication's launch in March 1999.

[79] All tracks are written by Bob Bryar, Frank Iero, Ray Toro, Gerard Way and Mikey Way.Notes Additional musicians