Connecticut heard rock band Pierce the Veil loud and clear Wednesday as they rocked the stage at Hartford’s Xfinity Theater. As part of the second leg of their North American tour, the Hartford show was the 47th date of their “I Can’t Hear You” world tour, which kicked off in May. The band supported openers Like Roses, Ecca Vandal and Health.
The venue was packed, from the pit to the lawn. The band Like Roses entered the stage to start off the night. The Bay Area emo/pop-punk band opened with their song, “Splenetic,” and gave the audience a taste of the high energy that lasted through the show. The band’s lead singer, Amy Schmalkuche, delivered powerful vocals alongside the sounds of lead guitarist Devin Zamora, bass player Kayla Gonzalez and Aaron Seminoff on the drums.
The Melbourne, Australia-based singer, Ecca Vandal, took the stage shortly after. The South African born singer-songwriter and rapper delivered an energetic presence by interacting with the crowd as she danced all over stage. Delivering a powerful performance of a unique, avant-garde sound, and an energy that transferred to the crowd, she performed some of her hit songs such as “BLEED BUT NEVER DIE” and “CRUISING TO SELF SOOTHE.”
The rock band Health was the final opener of the night, and started their set with their song, “IDENTITY.” Other songs were “ORDINARY LOSS” and a cover of Deftones’ “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away).” Their performance included dramatic lighting and smoke stage effects that paired with their electronic style of rock music.
And then the lights dimmed and the sound of José Alfredo Jiménez’s song “El Rey” filled the venue, and the audience erupted in screams and cheers. Soon after a curtain appeared, which showed symbols of the band’s various albums.
As it dropped, the crowd’s cheers went wild as the band started to play their song “Death of an Executioner.” They also played, “Bulls in the Bronx,” “Pass the Nirvana,” “I’m Low on Gas and You Need a Jacket” and “I’d rather Die Than Be Famous”. They even covered the song “Where Is My Mind?” by the Pixies, which transitioned into their song, “Floral & Fading.”
The band’s co-founder and lead vocalist Vic Fuentes said a few words about the tour itself and what it means to the band.
“Now this tour is all about celebrating our roots and our history together over the last 18 years,” Fuentes said. “So why don’t we take it back to the very beginning,” he said, just before playing their song, “Yeah Boy and Doll Face,” from their 2007 album, “A Flair For The Dramatic.”
After playing a snippet of their song, “She Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty,” they moved on to “Wonderless.” Fuentes then pulled out a megaphone to shout the lyrics of “May These Noises Startle You In Your Sleep Tonight,” where he said “This is the street youth rising” before performing their song “Hell Above.” They performed their current most popular song on Spotify with over 100 million streams, “So Far So Fake.”
Before he began their song, “Emergency Contact,” Fuentes thanked the crowd and introduced his band members, guitarist Tony Perry, bass player Jaime Preciado and drummer Loniel Robinson, who he referred to as his “emergency contacts up here on stage tonight.” Fuentes also dedicated the song to his wife who was back home with their two children.
The band wrapped up with “Circles,” before jumping into an encore performance of “Disaterology,” “Hold On Till May” and one of their most famous songs with over 500 million streams on Spotify, “King For A Day,” which served as a flawless conclusion to the show.
Before singing “Hold On Till May,” Fuentes thanked the crowd once more and said, “We just got to tell you that we love you, we are inspired by you guys. We are inspired by your creativity, your self expression, your passion. You guys amaze us. Keep being loud, keep making noise out there.” In the middle of the song, Fuentes paused and said, “Hartford lets break it down for one moment please, we just want to ask you guys really quick, how many people out in this crowd can say that music has saved their lives,” before the crowd erupted in cheers.
Though Pierce the Veil closed off the Xfinity Theater’s concert lineup for the year, the second leg of their North American tour will finish on Oct. 30 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The Xfinity Theater’s event lineup continues next year in June as they host rapper Machine Gun Kelly’s “Lost Americana” tour and country singer Riley Green’s “Cowboy As It Gets” tour. For tickets and more information visit their website, xfinitytheatrehartford.com.
