Pierce The Veil – Riverstage
Pierce The Veil – Riverstage
Written by Bella Cockle
Photos by Vincent Shaw
Brisbane brought the heat for the first night of Pierce The Veil’s I Can’t Hear You tour in Australia. The Riverstage’s surrounding parklands were inundated with fans in record-breaking queues before gates opened.
This tour brought over two powerful US supports in Jack Kays and Movements. To a packed amphitheatre, Movements set the tone for a fun and energy-filled night. Frontman Patrick Miranda announced that the group had spent the last year writing a new album, three years after their last release Ruckus!. As a show of sincerity, the band debuted an entirely new song “Dissolve Me”, which had recognisable elements of midwest-emo nostalgia. Movements last toured with Pierce The Veil in 2016, “they were the first band to introduce us to big crowds like these, now here we are 10 years later” Miranda reminisced. The band dipped into the generous spread of their discography for the established fanbase in Australia; from “Full Circle” with it’s powerful spoken-word bridge to “I Hope You Choke!” and its heavy yet vibrant beats.
Firing onto the stage through the thickest plume of red-tinged smoke you’ve ever seen after a suspenseful intro, the Pierce The Veil boys lit it up for “Death Of An Executioner” then straight into peak emo classic “Bulls In The Bronx”. All gas, no brakes. Thrashing into “Pass The Nirvana” from their latest record, the crowd joined frontman Vic Fuentes in a “I CAN’T HEAR YOU” chorus. The energy on stage at this point was astronomical, only mirrored back tenfold by the sold out, buzzing crowd.
This tour was designed to honour the roots of the band and celebrate the hights they’ve reached over the last 18 years together. Without a doubt, this setlist felt personally curated for Australia, we saw a huge list of tracks that were Australian firsts which was an unbelievable experience for those of us who have been longstanding fans. I was contemplating how tough it must be for bands to fight for their relevance after so long in the industry, and across such volatile times, but the response to this band and their new music proved that this love was unconditional. It was heartwarming to see so many young fans screaming at the top of their lungs, the love wasn’t restricted to just the people who grew up with Pierce The Veil and the scene.
For the first time in Australia, the band played “I’m Low On Gas And You Need A Jacket”: a track so beloved by the audience, it was almost entirely crowd led. A snippet of a Pixies “Where Is My Mind” cover incorporated into “Floral & Fading” took us all by surprise, but it was pulled it off so seamlessly we were only left thinking “how do they nail it every time?”
A short break let the crew bring out some stools for an intimate session of “I Don’t Care If You’re Contagious” and “Wonderless”; both tracks we were thrilled to be Australian debuts as well. It felt super raw and emotional as you gazed past all the showmanship and attitude of a rock band and witness the passion in the lyrics and audience engagement. Putting the foot back on the pedal, Fuentes replaced his red jacket with some fiery red backlights that somehow stoked the fire even more. The megaphone came out for a sick intro into “Hell Above” which had the pit in a total frenzy.
The band brought out some absolute heat for the encore, three total classics that formed part of their huge success in such a niche and dedicated fanbase. The huge screens on stage pitched the question: “Can we create something beautiful… and destroy it?”
Dedicated to every person who felt that Pierce The Veil’s music saved their life, they skilfully played “Hold On Till May” supported by a full audience chorus that sung through the tears.
Just when you thought we couldn’t regress any further into the scene-era, they topped it off with a wicked finale of “King For A Day”. Vic needed no feature support here, the band energy and the thousands of fans on the hill carried it through to a wild instrumental outro with Vic sliding his ringing guitar along the metal staging in pure rockstar fashion.
The boys stayed out for as long as possible after the set to throw out picks, drumsticks, set lists and show their love to the massive number of fans that joined them for an epic night.
