Texas is Forever! Pierce the Veil at The Espee

Emo is not dead! A week into their Jaws of Life Tour, Pierce the Veil was welcomed to the Alamo City with open arms. Texans…no, San Antonians know how to show up! The show sold out minutes after the tour was announced in mid-July.

On the US leg of the tour, Destroy Boys, Dayseeker and rock supergroup L.S. Dunes are opening for the band.

Destroy Boys kicked off the night with a high-energy performance that is sure to get everyone hyped for the show that is to come. Lead singer Alexia Roditis and guitarist/vocalist Violet Mayugba understand how to command a crowd.

Next up was Dayseeker. Their set was more poppy than the grunge punk and Riot Grrl energy Destroy Boys brings to the table. I found their sound didn’t quite fit with the rest of the lineup, but the quality of musicianship and lyricism is beautiful.

Besides PTV, L.S. Dunes was who I was most excited to see. Formed during the COVID-19 Pandemic, this post-hardcore supergroup is fronted by Circa Survive, Saosin and The Sound of Animals Fighting vocalist Anthony Green, with My Chemical Romance guitarist Frank Iero, Coheed and Cambria guitarist Travis Stever, bassist Tim Payne, and drummer Tucker Rule from the Thursday. Green is a showman at its best and knows how to keep an audience engaged. The band opened with “Permanent Rebellion,” their first single released in 2022 and a personal favorite.

The lights dim, Vicente Fernandez’s “El Rey” hits the PA system and starts echoing around the venue… PTV is ready to hit the stage.

You know you are in for a good show when even the photographers are singing “Llorar y llorar, llorar y llorar” at the top of their lungs with the crowd.

Last summer, I traveled to Kansas to see them co-headline with The Used on the Creative Control Tour. We’re not in Kansas anymore…it’s something special to hear a predominantly Latino crowd singing along to “El Rey.”

The band opened with “Death of an Executioner,” the opening track off their fifth studio album, “Jaws of Life.” This song along with “Emergency Contact” are personal favorites of mine from the new album.

As a photographer and music aficionado, my goal is to capture how I experience music. I couldn’t help but become overtaken by the moment to sing along with frontman Vic Fuentes while shooting pictures. This didn’t go unnoticed. Fuentes caught me singing and pointed to me during “Circles.” See pic below.

PTV’s set was a perfect mix of nostalgia and new music. A fan favorite is “Hold On Til May,” for many this song symbolizes not losing hope and to keep fighting even if it is hard. During this song, Fuentes pulls a fan onstage and serenades them, gifting them with the guitar he plays the song with.

“Hold On Til May,” is the halfway mark of their set. The band then slows it down playing “Resilience,” “12 Fractures” and an acoustic version of “Bulletproof Love.” Allowing fans an opportunity to see a different version of the band. Just when people get comfortable with the acoustic set, Fuentes brings the energy back up with “Hell Above.” The stage goes black and Fuentes comes out with a bullhorn, commanding the stage once again.

Ending with “King for a Day,” Pierce the Veil kept the crowd entranced throughout their performance. The voices of the crowd harmonized perfectly with Fuentes’ voice is moving. Shows like these remind me why music is the ultimate connector. The ability to create connection and community between a group of people for a brief moment, especially during a time when the world feels like it is trying to divide us is hugely important.

Don’t worry if you missed Pierce the Veil this time. They will be back in San Antonio this summer. We just have to ‘hold on til May’ (actually June).

Until then…Besitos por Pierce the Veil!

Setlist: