LIVE: PIERCE THE VEIL wsgs I The Mighty & Movements – June 11, 2016 (Detroit, MI)

Venue: St. Andrews Hall

City: Detroit, MI

Date: June 11, 2016

Review and Photographs by: Mike Hubbard

I love it when bands go back to their roots and play venues smaller than what their popularity would usually warrant.  Such was the case when I caught Pierce the Veil heading the Misadventures tour with support from I the Mighty and Movements in a sold out show at St. Andrews Hall in Detroit.  PTV exploded with 2012’s Collide with the Sky, touring almost non-stop including headlining gigs on Warped Tour and a major presence at the 2015 APMA’s.  Demand for new studio material from them built until they finally released their follow up Misadventures on May 13, 2016, after which they promptly returned to the road to promote it.

But before I get to the headliner’s set, I have to talk about the supporting acts.  First up was SoCal newcomers Movements.  It’s really cool when bigger bands bring lesser known bands out on tour.  Often times it seems like those lesser known bands are lesser known for a reason; they aren’t that good.  The highlight of their career is that they went out on tour with a famous band, and you never hear from them again.  Then there are bands like Movements, who seem to have just about everything they need to hit it big, but need big-time tour experience and exposure.  Fresh off the release of their first EP, Outgrown Things, released in March on Fearless records, Movements are the real deal.  Their brand of post-hardcore mixed with spoken word vocals got the sold-out crowd going.

Next up was I the Mighty.  I really don’t know why these guys aren’t bigger than they are.  Musically they really pulled it all together with 2015’s full length release Connector, and their tunes translated well live.  From the soulful vocals of Brent Walsh to the vocal harmonies of bassist Chris Hinkley to the layers of sound from lead guitarist Ian Pedigo to the jazz-inspired drums of Blake Dahlinger, the band put on a set worthy of headlining venues such as this.  Bass players rarely get much love, but I really need to call out ITM’s Hinkley.  Vocal harmonies are so hard to do live, and he nailed his, blending so well with Walsh, while at the same time playing a funky base in lock with drummer Dahlinger’s alternating jazz/swing and rock back beats.  To top it off, Hinkley seemed to be having the time of his life on stage, stirring up the crowd while jamming with his buds in the band.  It all added up to killer set.

As great as Movements and I the Mighty were, most folks were there to see the headliners, Pierce the Veil.  Excitement built as the crowd packed in.  The front rows of fans along the barrier were predominantly female, reflecting the core PTV fans.  Supporting their new release Misadventures led the band to deck out the stage in a design reflecting the album’s cover.  Once the band entered the stage the crowd erupted as vocalist Vic Fuentes belted out the opening line to the album’s first track, ‘Dive In’.  But that was far from the only track played from the new album, in fact the entire album was played front to back, only interrupted by the inevitable swapping out of guitars mandated by the need to play the songs in order of the album’s track list.  The boys mixed things up a bit by having Vic play a solo acoustic version of the track ‘Today I Saw the Whole World’.  Throughout the set the band played up to their adoring fans, having a blast feeding off the energy generated by the crowd.  As the last chords of album closer ‘Song for Isabelle’ played, the audience wanted more, and PTV delivered, playing flawless renditions of favorites from their previous album, ‘Bulls in the Bronx’, and ‘King for a Day’.  Much of the crowd was singing along with Vic throughout the tracks from Misadventure, but when they ripped into ‘Bulls’ the whole audience was screaming along at the top of their lungs to the point you could hardly hear Vic over the voices of the fans.  This ended the show on a high-point for the band and fans alike.

This was my fourth time seeing PTV and they were on top of their game.  This was my first time seeing both Movements and I the Mighty, and their performances made a fan out of me.

PIERCE THE VEIL LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Pierce The Veil Setlist: Dive In – Texas is Forever – The Divine Zero – Floral & Fading – Phantom Power and Ludicrous Speed – Circles – Today I Saw the Whole World (acoustic) – Gold Medal Ribbon – Bedless – Sambuka – Song for Isabelle – Bulls in the Bronx – King for a Day

I THE MIGHTY LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

I The Mighty Setlist: Lady of Death – The Lying Eyes of Miss Erray – Psychomachia – Speak To Me – Playing Catch with .22 – Four Letter Words – Slow Dancing Forever – Failures – A Spoonful of Shallow Makes Your Head an Empty Space – The Dreamer

MOVEMENTS LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries