Initially scheduled for 2020, it seemed like longer than two years for this gig to come around! The first date was canceled like many other gigs at the time were, due to covid 19. Then, in 2021, the re-scheduled gig was canceled due to the ongoing restrictions making it impossible to bring an overseas band into the country for a big show still. Then, just when things were looking good for attempt number three, with just days to go…there was a case of covid 19 within the band’s inner circle, forcing yet another postponement!
Finally, by the 4th of July, the band was officially in the country on tour, and it was Adelaide’s turn to finally see the Black Veil Brides up close at The Gov.
By the time the day of the gig arrived, it felt almost too good to be true and I half expected it to be called off at the last minute. Thankfully when I turned up at the venue, I saw the biggest lineup I’ve ever seen outside The Gov. The line seemed to snake down the road for miles and I wondered how they could possibly fit everyone inside. Word was out that this was a sell-out show but there still seemed to be many more people there than I had imagined.
By the time I got inside, support act Wolf and Chain had already started their set. Their self-proclaimed emo style was going down perfectly with the mostly twenty-somethings crowd. Reminiscent of Panic! At the Disco or Taking Back Sunday, Wolf and Chain’s high-energy set seemed a good fit for the crowd in attendance. My observations so far regarding the tastes of the crowd seemed to be vindicated when right after this opening set, the whole room sang along word for word to My Chemical Romance’s Black Parade as it rang out from the DJ booth. This sure seemed to be a crowd who were keen to make up for lost time and make the most of this long-awaited event.
So far, the night had been running right on schedule. The headliners were due at 9 pm and sure enough, as soon as I noticed it was time, the lights went out to announce the arrival of the Black Veil Brides. As each member of the band arrived on stage, there was a huge roar from the crowd. When front-man Andy Biersack entered last, it sounded like an arena-sized crowd as opposed to the large club that we were actually in. Opening with Faithless from their 2014 self-titled album, the band matched the crowd with an arena-worthy performance right from the start. Guitarists Jinxx and Jake worked the entire stage, snaking around past each other, combining synchronized moves for effect when needed. Andy, despite sounding like he had a little croak in his voice at times, was the consummate front-man, commanding the attention of the room and managing to perform to every pocket of the audience spread throughout the venue. The band worked their way through a very high-energy set that covered the band’s career from Knives and Pens from their 2010 debut, through to Scarlett Cross from their latest album The Phantom Tomorrow. Relatively new bassist Lonny Eagleton held down the bottom end of the sound and looked as though he fit in well, managing to swap stage positions often seamlessly with Jinxx from opposite ends of the stage as though they had worked together for much longer than they actually have. There was very little chatter from Andy between songs as the band worked their way through the set-list, however, he did draw attention to a fan in the crowd who had apparently been to every Australian show so far and had apparently asked them earlier why they never played their song Stolen Omen. The band decided to give it a quick run-through during soundcheck and added it to the set as per the fan’s request. Later in the set came Wretched and Divine from the album of the same name and Fallen Angels from their Set the World on Fire album (two of my personal favourites). At this point, the band said their goodbyes and exited the stage. This must-have given drummer Christian Coma some relief as there had been no lull in the set at any point and he’d been smashing the drums like a madman the entire time.
After the short obligatory break with the crowd demanding, ‘one more song!’ the band returned to the stage to finish the night with the aptly titled In the End to close the show.
As soon as this song was over, the band exited the stage for the final time, the house lights came on, and everyone shuffled their way outside to head home.
I’m sure there were a lot of people at this gig feeling satisfied with the night’s performance and relieved that it had finally happened. Personally, I felt it was a great performance and definitely worth the wait but it certainly could have gone on for quite a while longer. With six full-length albums released, there was no shortage of great songs from the Black Veil Brides back catalogue to fill a set longer than the hour played during this show. Now that the world appears to be somewhat back to normal again, here’s hoping we see the band back in Australia again soon with a longer set.