Words and Photos by MJ Rawls
A sold out show and a line that wrapped around a block of Irving Plaza was a clear indicator that fans were ready for a new headline tour from San Diego’s own, Pierce The Veil. As the first chords of “Dive In” played and confetti rang out and showered the crowd only fueling the hysteria that built up during the previous two days – New York was ready. Before the tour began, the band set out to play their newest album Misadventures in it’s entirely. The album was released on May 13th, so fans did have some time to get acclimated to the eleven track release. It’s something to listen to an album, but to see it played live – that’s another experience that will make you fall in love with an album. With the influx of anniversary tours that are abound, it’s refreshing to see that a band is doing this format with a new album. Every chorus, every scream, and every part that might hit close to home. At last year’s Warped Tour, fans were as lively as ever, thirsting for some type of new music after the band released the first single in three years, “The Divine Zero.”
Post-hardcore band, Monuments performed tracks from their newest EP, Outgrown Things during a short set under the guise of blue and green lighting. They are a good up-and-coming band that are working to build their following with each and every tour. I, The Mighty, riding the momentum of their 2015 release, Connector brought a more upbeat, almost dancy like element to the show. Bass guitarist Chris Hinkley beckoned fans to get moving as the band played cuts like “Lady of Death” and “The Lying Eyes of Miss Erray” put a spotlight on the improved song writing of the band as a whole.
There are some trademark things that will make a Pierce The Veil show stand out on it’s own. The bright lights within the background of the band which highlighted the Misadventures art that seemed to heighten the frenetic pace of the concert. Bassist Jaime Preciado leaning over his elevated platform to revel in the constant cheers of the crowd. This was a show where there wasn’t an instance that a person thought about standing still. The band played through their recent album – “Floral & Fading” maybe a new crowd favorite down the line. “Today, I Saw The World” had a nice wrinkle where lead singer/guitarist Vic Fuentes started it as an acoustic number to only bring the whole band out for the entire melody after.
It was business as usual. Their previous tour, the co-headlining tour with Sleeping With Sirens was only the tip of the iceberg as far as where Pierce The Veil can go. There’s a thirst for post-hardcore music out in the musical realm and this tour more than satisfied the craving. We screamed, we crowd surfed, and sweated throughout the night and every penny spent was well worth it.
