It was a cold, dreadful Tuesday night, but post-hardcore fans couldn’t resist to see Pierce the Veil perform at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. PTV co-headlined the World Tour alongside Sleeping with Sirens. Accompanying them were special guests, PVRIS and Mallory Knox.
The first act to hit the stage was alternative band PVRIS. The up and coming music group from Lowell, Massachusetts definitely got the crowd jumping in position with their songs from their debut album, White Noise. Front woman Lyndsey Gunnulfsen’s vocals were phenomenal. The singer has one heck of a strong voice box, combing soft vocals with screaming. The band performed “Smoke,” “Mirrors,” “Fire,” “St. Patrick,” and “My House.”
Next up was Mallory Knox, and it was their very first time playing in New York. The five-piece alternative rock band from Cambridge showcased songs from 2012’s Signals as well as recent singles. Members Mikey Chapman (lead vocals), Joe Savins (guitar), Sam Douglas (bass), Dave Rawling (drums), and James Gillett (guitar) brought the audience to their knees with hard-hitting vocals and anthemic elements. Their songs strongly attracted the audience as they began singing along to the chorus. The combination of melodic vocals, loud drums and guitars left New York fans wanting more. Mallory Knox’s setlist includes: “Wake Up,” “Shout at the Moon,” “Beggars,” “Getaway,” “Ghost in the Mirror,” “Death Rattle,” and “Lighthouse.”
Hammerstein Ballroom is comprised of a ground floor, a mezzanine, and a balcony. During the small break before Pierce the Veil’s set, the entire venue was packed to the brim. Teens, parents, and even grandparents filled the room from top to bottom. The ground floor was exceptionally crowded as some people in the front row began to opt out and leave the premises. I found it disconcerting to see a young lady wearing an oxygen tank and aided by an EMT. Aside from the troublesome lurking in the coat check area, majority of the people were having the time of their lives.
Before PTV’s set, a huge white curtain dropped down between the stage and the front row. The curtain portrayed the girl from the Collide with the Sky album cover. Fans were unsettled at that point, cheering on for the band to come on stage. Although a fellow photographer said that the band does the same thing every time, I was blown away by how PTV graced the stage. The curtain was still up, and bright lights pierced through it from behind the stage. Each member had their silhouette shine through the curtain, which was pretty epic. The band started off with bursts of white confetti that engulfed the stage and floor.
In true PTV fashion, they brought down the house, from their enigmatic presence on stage to the quality of musicianship that only comes with a solid portfolio of experience. PTV (Vic and Mike Fuentes, Jaime Preciado and Tony Perry) has been a mantle piece in the home of the heart of post-hardcore for nearly a decade. To watch them play (for the first time) is like conjuring the spirit of my high school self and letting myself be completely enthralled in the moment, remembering where my love affair with music began.
PTV’s setlist is as follows: “May These Noises Startle in Your Sleep Tonight,” “Hell Above,” “Caraphernelia,” “Bulls in the Bronx,” “Disasterology,” “Hold On Till May,” “Props & Mayhem,” “I’m Low on Gas and You Need a Jacket,” “A Match Into Water,” Mike Fuentes Drum Jam, “Bulletproof Love,” and “King for a Day” featuring Sleeping with Sirens’ Kellin Quinn. And if it weren’t for Quinn joining PTV on stage for their last song, “King for a Day,” I would be looking for an encore.