My Chemical Romance played ‘Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back’ for the first time in nearly four years during their show at Anfield stadium last night (Tuesday June 30), as they paid tribute to Liverpool FC. Watch the footage below.
Gerard Way and co. delivered a 25-track set at the huge concert to kick off their current ‘Black Parade’ UK tour, which also includes upcoming dates in Glasgow and at London’s Wembley Stadium.
After wrapping up playing their 2006 third album ‘The Black Parade’ in full, the band returned for a run of tracks from their wider career from the B-stage.
The middle of this segment saw MCR dust off ‘Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back’ from their fourth and latest record, 2010’s ‘Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys’. It marked the first airing of the track in almost four years, with it previously featuring in the set in October 2022 (via Setlist.FM).
Fan-shot videos of the performance have since emerged online (watch below), and My Chemical Romance treated the crowd to favourites such as ‘I’m Not Okay (I Promise)’, ‘Helena’ and ‘Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)’, too.
MCR also nodded to Liverpool FC as they performed at the team’s home ground. Way donned an old-school Steven Gerrard shirt, reading “Gerrard 8” on the back, as guitarist Frank Iero appeared to sport the club’s 2025/’26 black goalkeeper jersey.
“Frank got me a top with my name on it,” Way reportedly told the audience, according to a fan on Reddit. A recording of Liverpool FC anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ is said to have been played over the PA to close out the night.
Before the show, LFC fan Iero shared a video of some customised Liverpool football shirts for the band at Anfield, featuring the number “26”. He posted the hashtag “UpTheReds” on Instagram.
“It’s hard for me to really process or put into words how special today is or how much this all means to me… maybe because this week has been so incredibly overwhelming, packed with dream come true experiences, with so many people to praise and thank, and the show hasn’t even happened yet,” Iero continued.
“In the coming days I hope to be able to make more sense of it all and form a few semi-eloquent sentences, but for now I think it’s best I just leave it at: Tonight’s our night, Liverpool…”
Elsewhere on Reddit, one fan reacted to Way making a “very cool reference” to Gerrard, who played for Liverpool FC from 1998 to 2015.
Gerard wearing a Gerard jersey for anfield
byu/PossibilityPowerful inMyChemicalRomance
NME gave My Chemical Romance’s Anfield concert a glowing five-star review, writing: “An already jubilant crowd are treated to ‘Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)’ that practically leaves the floor vibrating, and a rendition of ‘Save Yourself’ that sees Gerard break out in an intense dead-eyed stare and almost guttural growl.”
It added: “Shared glances between the band make it obvious how much fun is being had up there. With all of the energy concentrated to the small stage they strut around, they could get lost in the throng, but instead they command it. It’s an assured performance that highlights how much more is being offered here than pop-punk nostalgia, the grit of Way’s vocals always remaining the main attraction.
“Later, as the crowd lights up Anfield for ‘Helena’ as the set draws to a close, the fans, in all their finery and facepaint, grasp each other’s hands and twirl. From above, it looks like the dead are dancing. They’re dying in gloom and having fun doing it.”
MCR are set to release a deluxe edition reissue of ‘Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys’ next Friday (July 10), and recently shared their cover of Pulp’s ‘Common People’ from the collection.
Their three shows at London’s Wembley Stadium are scheduled for next Wednesday (July 8), Friday (10) and Saturday (11).
After wrapping up their UK and European ‘Black Parade’ shows, the band will play a series of huge dates in the US, with support from the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Pierce The Veil, Modest Mouse, Iggy Pop, Sleater-Kinney, The Breeders, Babymetal, Jimmy Eat World and The Mars Volta, before heading to South America.
Find any remaining tickets here (UK) and here (North America).