[Review] Pierce The Veil / Bear Tooth@ Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide 24/07/2023
Review By Suzanne Blacketer
From a venue upgrade to a sold out show I was not surprised to see hundreds of people lined up when I arrived at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. I’m not the biggest fan of a huge snaking lineup but when it’s for a gig of one of your favourite band’s you suck it up and jump on the end! Starting the week with a Monday night gig featuring Beartooth is about as awesome a start as you can get. Add Pierce The Veil and Dayseeker and you are in for a belter of a night.
Starting off the evening Orange County lads Dayseeker enter the stage to a roar from the crowd as punters continued to fill what little space remained in the venue. Opening with Dreamstate, which is also the opening track off their new album Dark Sun sees heartfelt lyrics delivered amongst melodic guitar riffs and crushing drums. Encouraging us to have a good fucking time the band lead into Crooked Soul as the screams of the female fans go up an octave. Songs off the new album are peppered in amongst older crowd favourites like Sleeptalk. Rory laughs telling us that even though they are known as a sad song band their song Homesick is about being happy. Taking a moment to reflect Rory spoke about his father, about how he has always written songs about him and his dad’s battle with Parkinson’s disease and cancer, which sadly took his life in 2021. He dedicated Beyond Grave to his dad to which the crowd applauded. Dayseeker had the audience captivated from the first note with Rory Rodriguez’s powerful and emotive vocals taking us on a journey full of highs and lows. An awesome set from the opening act, setting the tone for the rest of the night.
Four years ago, this week I was in Brisbane seeing the very same band that was next on the bill. Beartooth holds a special place in my heart, as many of their fans will attest, their lyrics hit hard but also provide comfort and direction when things become overwhelming. As the first notes of Devastation echoed around the AEC the vibration in the air changed. A shirtless Caleb Shomo pranced and whirled around the stage, as he radiated an energy so high it pulsated out through the crowd elevating and electrifying us. For the next hour Beartooth took no prisoners. Hammering us relentlessly with all our favourites – Disease, The Line, Hated, Body Bag and newer single Sunshine. Caleb reflects on how his life has changed over the last four years, mentioning that anyone familiar with the band will know that the subject matter over four EPs has not been the most positive, leading us into the bands newest single that is only days old – Might Love Myself. He talks about how he has been alcohol free for nineteen months and the positive effects it has had on his life. He also shares with us that even when everything is going well anxiety can still occasionally rear its ugly head, telling us that not long before coming onto the stage he suffered from a panic attack. Connecting with the audience is something that Beartooth do extremely well. Everything about this set was just so damn wholesome and my heart is full.
Seven years’ worth of ear-splitting screams heralded Pierce the Veil’s arrival on stage. The band has obviously been missed by the Adelaide contingent of fans and I think that the band may have just missed us. Exploding into Death of an Executioner my eyes continually darted from one side of the stage to another as three bodies used every spare space they could find. Relief came between songs as the stage darkened while we prepared for the next onslaught. Touring Australia to celebrate the release of their latest album The Jaws of Life, PTV have brought the party spirit with them. Bulls In The Bronx and Pass The Nirvana revved the crowd up no end, helped along be confetti, streams of smoke and a crazy good light show. Vocalist Vic thanked the crowd for selling out the show, telling us it had been way too long, and they had missed us. Vic thanked us for being there, apparently, we were supposed to ease our way into the gig, but we just turned it all the way up. Yes Adelaide! After a quick check to make sure that we had brought along our Emergency Contact we were back into moving our bodies. One lucky young lady named Charli was invited onto the stage for a sing and dance and was gifted Vic’s guitar leaving her speechless. Well-rounded after a decade of playing together their energy was infectious and exhilarating. The Boy Who Could Fly, Caraphernelia and finishing with the huge tune King For A Day, music certainly does make the world go around. As the last note echoed through the arena and the lights slowly brightened, a few thousand sated punters meandered on home, hearts full, because music is life.
