Pierce The Veil @ Ancienne Belgique (Brussel, BE)
Last Sunday I got into an AB full of a mix of goths and emos, mostly girls, as I have never seen before in the venue. Already queuing for a while before doors open, the true fans took their front row space and waited patiently for the show to start. When Pierce the Veil set foot on stage, it was “a lo grande” as we would say in Spanish, with the song “El Rey” from Vicente Fernández at it’s maximum volume, and followed right away by “Death of an Executioner”, the first song of their newest album, “The Jaws of Life”, that also give name to their tour. Vic Fuentes's powerful vocals and the band's tight instrumentation rapidly captivated the crowd who sang along almost every tune. The setlist was a perfect blend of fan favorites and newer tracks, keeping everyone on their feet and singing along throughout the night. The performance had a touch of grandeur with it, with the small gas canons that went off at the beginning, and from which we were advised to stay, and all the platforms that all the members were using often, to get closer to the crowd and jump around. Some highlights of the night came along with songs like “Emergency contact”, that frontman Vic dedicated to his daughter and wife. They were also constantly acknowledging the role of the audience on their success, like for songs like “Holding on Till May”, becoming a tune to hang on to every moment even when it’s hard to, or even giving one of their guitars to a fan they saw singing along to every word of every song. There was also an acoustic moment with “Bulletproof love” that was followed by an all-red crescendo with “Hell Above”, leading towards the end of the performance, that ended with “The Jaws of Life”, right before the encore. Dayseeker and Holding Absence were the perfect support acts for the night, even joining forces during Dayseeker’s performance, with Loocas Woodland joining Rory Spencer on stage.
Pierce The Veil
Dayseeker
Holding Absence
Setlist for Pierce The Veil:
Death of an Executioner
Caraphernelia
Circles
Karma Police
Pass the Nirvana
A Match Into Water
Emergency Contact
Hold On Till May
Resilience
Bulletproof Love
Hell Above
The Jaws of Life
Besitos
King for a Day
Zondag, 31 maart 2024, Ancienne Belgique (Brussel, BE) | Foto's & tekst: Cristina Vergara