27

Only true My Chemical Romance fans will understand the frustration or elation of trying to get tickets to their concert – after all, opportunities like this don’t come around often.

The band based out of New Jersey in the US had a one-day concert planned on 30 April 2026. However, all the available 60 000 tickets were snapped up within 90 minutes from the point of going on sale, prompting the organisers to hold a second show on a different day, owing to the high demand.

Azizul Ammar must be a hardcore fan of the rock band, so much so he put in the effort to recreate his own predominantly Malay versions of fan favourites. He even resorts to renaming the band ‘Kimiaku Romen’ which is a playful, colloquial, direct translation of the band’s name.

For some reason, the Malay lyrics go well with the song he had chosen – ‘I Don’t Love You’, to express his frustration, sadness, and anger about being unable to secure tickets to see his favourite band, after having made several attempts to go onto the Internet, including having to borrow a neighbour’s iPad as a backup device. Desperate times call for desperate measures, huh?

Somehow, the organiser of the upcoming concert must have heard him (and other voices of Malaysian fans) because not long after that, news got around, stating that there will be an additional show for Malaysian fans, which means the band will be spending two days in Malaysia, singing for fans. So, in response, Azizul Ammar came up with the next cover – singing to the tune of ‘Teenagers’, expressing his elation over the latest update. Azizul Ammar, who goes by the handle @armadaammar, also took the opportunity to say: Serve you right, scalpers! Get out! Give the ones deserving, and if you’ve already bought yours to watch on the first day, let the others have a chance, please.

My Chemical Romance’s lead singer is Gerard Way and its fanbase is primarily the millennials. The band was formed, following the 11 September 2001 attacks, which saw the fall of the World Trade Centre, which, in turn, also prompted Way to experiment music more closely.

My Chemical Romance, the band name, was inspired by a 1996 book title, linked to a Scottish author. Mikey Way, the lead singer’s brother suggested the name. The Way brothers have both Italian and Scottish ancestry.

On a slightly larger scale, My Chemical Romance’s songs are known to have helped the level of English of Malaysian males, whose spoken and written language(s) at home are other than English. This is according to posts on Threads, a microblogging site that requires users to have an existing Instagram account as a prerequisite before registering for an account.  As revealed by these blokes who possibly grew up in the 90s, ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ by the band became the medium through which they learned to more accurately use the past tense – proof that songs can be used in the teaching of grammar, provided the song has grammatically correct lyrics – without needing to sacrifice melody and rhythm.

Even then, My Chemical Romance’s goth-tinged aesthetic and rather theatrical vocals are contributory factors as to why the band is also likeable amongst females.  

My Chemical Romance consisted of brothers Gerard Way (vocals), Mikey Way (bass guitarist), Ray Toro (lead guitarist, backing vocalist) and Frank Iero (rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist). In 2013, the foursome decided to disband. Ex-members include James Dewees (2007-2012), who contributed more than 30 songs to the band’s fifth album and also extensively to the band’s live sound design as well as Bob Bryar (full-time drummer) (2004-2010), who passed away in 2024.

In 2014, Gerard Way, also a comic book artist, released his first solo album. In that same year, despite being disbanded, the band released a collection containing their greatest hits.

In 2019, the band reunited in Los Angeles and had their merchandise line released. In 2020, they had a total of three concerts in England.

In 2022, My Chemical Romance had a new song released.

The much-awaited 2026 concert will be a platform where there will be a double reunion – one for longtime fans of the band, especially for those who don’t have the means to travel outside Malaysia, another for the members themselves to have a memorable return visit to the country.

My Chemical Romance last performed in Malaysia at Stadium Merdeka in 2007, as part of their ‘The Black Parade’ tour. Thousands of fans were in attendance.

Tickets pertaining to band’s show on Day Two (1 May 2026) will go on sale on 1 August 2025.

Ticket prices range between MYR299 and MYR1099, which exclude ticket fee and extra booking rates. These purchases are also subject to the sales and services tax (SST).

The venue for both days has been set – Stadium Nasional Bukit Jalil.

Until the next post, we’ll carry on!

NOTE: Malaysia was a former British colony, which is why the products of the English-medium schools established then are able to function in the language up to a certain extent/level of proficiency. Post-independence and following a series of events in the 1960s, there was a switch made to the medium of instruction in these otherwise English-medium schools. The policymakers in the 1970s’ then made Bahasa Melayu (Malay) a compulsory pass for all schoolgoing children up to when they reach 17, failing which, they will have to sit for a Bahasa Kebangsaan paper at either pre-university or university level, which is apparently tougher than at the SPM level.

Malaysian citizens who go through other forms of schooling outside what is prescribed by the government of Malaysia (and choose to continue their tertiary level in a private institution within Malaysia) will eventually have to sit for the compulsory Bahasa Kebangsaan paper, as they are offered at all types of universities, colleges, and schools. Owing to the multicultural make-up of Malaysia, the Chinese and Tamil-medium schools still exist to accommodate those who prefer to be products of schools that mainly operate in languages that are other than the national language.

At the international school level, the Bahasa Melayu paper is at a level much lower than the SPM level, making it a must for students of international schools in Malaysia to sit for the Bahasa Kebangsaan paper at pre-university or university level.

As of 2022, international students who choose Malaysia as their destination of study are required to have some form of proficiency in Malay to survive in Malaysia and are therefore required to take/sit for the relevant subjects/papers.