I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: November 25, 2023] Pierce the Veil

My son and I saw Pierce the Veil this summer in Asbury Par–on a storm-filled evening in which the opening band was dropped entirely and every other band did a shortened set (PtV played 7 songs).

This tour was, technically, I think, part of that tour–all for the new album.  But instead of it being a double-headline bill, PtV was the main headliner.

They played like it.

And the crowd responded in kind.

I’ve been to a lot of shows where the audience is 100% into the band, but after my two PtV shows, I’d have to say their audiences have to be the most intense.  Everyone knows every word to every song.  The people behind me even brought their small children with them.

For this show they played more than twice as many songs as when we saw them last time–although they did not play “Bulls in the Bronx” a song that I love.  But that’s fine.

While this tour is for the new album (they played six songs from it), they did not shy away from older songs at all.

The set was mostly loud rockers.  Starting with the opener “Death of an Executioner.”  They followed it with a song from their debut album–with angry vocals, the kind of which they don’t really use anymore.

I don’t actually know a lot of their songs all that well, but I really enjoyed “Circles”–these guys know their way around a chorus.

I love the intensity of “Pass the Nirvana” with the screams of “I can’t hear you!”

I know the album Collide with the Sky best because that’s what my son played a lot (it’s how I found out about the band).  So I was pretty excited to hear “A Match into Water.”

Last show singer Vic Fuentes he asked if everyone had come with their emergency contact.  He did this time was well, but singled out his wife and daughter for mention for this super catchy song.

They shifted gears to their quieter song “Hold on til May.”  Vic invited someone on the stage to sing with them.  He seemed  to be searching for just the right person.  He called a young woman (Ashley) on stage.  He gave her a hug (ad the women around me swooned) and then said that he had recognized her from coming to so many shows on this tour.  He was so appreciative that he wanted to give her his guitar.

Wow.

He sang some of the song with his arm around her.  It was a very cool moment to witness.

After that they played a bunch of songs that they didn’t play when we saw them last time–a mix of songs from different albums.  The new “Resilience” which features a quote from the movie Dazed and Confused.  It’s a quieter song and fed nicely into the acoustic version of “Bulletproof Love.”

This led to a series of loud rocking songs.  Two from Collide, the roaring “May These Noises Startle You in Your Sleep Tonight” and “Hell Above.”

They ended the set with two new songs, “So Far So Fake” and “The Jaws of Life” (the only song  that warranted their backdrop to show something.

A lot of people flooded out of the arena after this even though the band was clearly going to play an encore or two.

The encore opened with “Bestisos” from their debut.  It’s a frenetic song with wild guitars and fast vocals.  And drummer Lionel Robinson (who was as intense as anything) got a (thankfully brief) drum solo before the song was over.

And then they ended with my favorite (and I guess everyone’s favorite) song a ripping “King for Day.”  It got the whole room moving and the confetti and smoke was a nice touch.

When the show was over, Tony Perry on lead guitar threw his guitar across the stage to his roadie–a serious throw from one side of the stage to the other.  Moments later Jaime Preciado on bass did the same thing with his instrument. Both were safely caught.

It seemed, perhaps a little weird to go to see the same band just a few months after seeing them, but this show was so much better there was no question that we made the right choice in seeing them again.

 

Reading 2023	Asbury Park 2023
El Rey [Vicente Fernández song] (recording)	El Rey [Vicente Fernández song] (recording)
Death of an Executioner  ∉	Death of an Executioner  ∉
Caraphernelia ∇	Bulls in the Bronx Ø
Circles  œ	Pass the Nirvana ∉
Pass the Nirvana ∉	Emergency Contact ∉
A Match into Water  Ø	Hold On Till May Ø
Emergency Contact ∉	Caraphernelia ∇
Hold On Till May Ø  (Vic recognised fan named Ashley from previous shows, pulled her up on stage and gave her his guitar)	King For A Day Ø
Resilience ∉
Bulletproof Love (Acoustic) ∇
May These Noises Startle You in Your Sleep Tonight Ø
Hell Above Ø
So Far So Fake ∉
The Jaws of Life ∉
encore
Besitos ∇
King For A Day Ø