For the second night in a row, a sold-out crowd packed the floor of the House of Blues in Orlando for Pierce The Veil.
Destroy Boys was the first of three supporting acts, kicking things off at 6:30 PM. A large banner with the band’s name surrounded by illustrations of eyes hung center stage, the design reminiscent of the cover art of 2018’s Make Room. The crowd embraced the punk-rock music, moshing along to songs including “I Threw Glass at My Friend’s Eyes and Now I’m On Probation” from the 2017 album Sorry Mom and new single “Shadow (I’m Breaking Down),” released in July 2023.
Fans cheered as a banner plastered with the Dayseeker logo rose, signaling the start of the next set. Two light towers situated in front of the backdrop silhouetted the band as they walked onto the stage, opening with “Dreamstate.” Vocalist Rory Rodriguez told the crowd before “Homesick” that, while the band was normally known for their sad songs, this was a happy one. After the passing of his father, Rodriguez wrote the song about someone who helped him navigate the loss. While the rest of the set featured a few songs from the 2019 album Sleeptalk, the majority was pulled from 2022’s Dark Sun, including fan favorites “Without Me” and closing number “Neon Graves.” One last time, the Dayseeker banner was replaced with L.S. Dunes’. While the placement effectively cut the stage in two, the smaller space did not hinder frontman Anthony Green who jumped around the stage, screaming along first to “Permanent Rebellion.” Green’s charisma during and between songs was noticeable and the frontman earned points with locals in the crowd by mentioning the best part of his day, which was remembering he had a Florida shirt and wearing it to the show. Throughout the set, guitarist Frank Iero, founding member of My Chemical Romance, understandably garnered attention from the crowd with fans yelling their appreciation for him. The band’s music, however, remained central to the set. With only one album released, most of the tracks from 2022’s Past Lives were played, and many fans in the crowd could be heard singing along with every song. Both singles released in 2023, “Old Wounds” and “Benadryl Subreddit” were played, along with favorites from Past Lives “2022” and “Bombsquad.” The last set changeover was spent speculating about the upcoming headlining set, from which songs would be played to who from the crowd would be invited onto stage. When the lights died down, the talk was replaced with cheers and screams as green light flooded the stage and sirens sounded, introducing Pierce The Veil’s first song “Death Of An Executioner.” After crowd favorites “Pass the Nirvana” and “A Match Into Water,” vocalist and guitarist Vic Fuentes paused to introduce a very important song. “Hold On Till May,” from the 2012 album Collide With The Sky, was already an important song for the band but, Fuentes explained that the fans had turned it into something even bigger. Across the pit, signs were held up with different messages about how each fan “held on,” alluding to deep, personal connections to the song. Before the bridge, Fuentes invited a fan, Ariana, to join him onstage. He thanked her for letting the band be a part of her life before gifting her his guitar.The remainder of the set was dense with hit after hit. Older staples including “Hell Above” and an acoustic rendition of “Bulletproof Love” were standouts before a strong finale of “Besitos” and “King For a Day” in the encore. The end of the show was punctuated with confetti cannons, CO2 blasters, and streamers. Fans remained on the floor after the last song, dancing with the streamers and soaking in the final moments of the night. Bassist Jaime Preciado joined them in celebration, throwing water into the crowd before hopping climbing on the barricade to meet fans and say goodnight.
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