The World Tour: Pierce the Veil and Sleeping with Sirens

If you know me, I almost always describe the concerts that I go to as unforgettable, but it's true! Last night was unforgettable for a different reason - Pierce the Veil and Sleeping with Sirens are currently co-headlining their own tour and their third stop was in Tuscon, Arizona. Co-headlines can be tricky because people try to figure out who is really headlining the show (I don't understand why it can't just be both - that's why is says co-headlining). However, from what I heard about the two previous shows, the bands alternate who preforms first and last. For the show I went to, PTV went first and then SWS. Anyways, that's just a little thing that I thought I would point out. I think it was a genius idea for these bands to get together.

Meet and Greet

There was no way that I could pass up the opportunity of getting VIP tickets to this show. VIP included a meet and greet with both PTV and SWS including a photo with each, a poster signed by both of the bands, a cool VIP badge, and early admission into the venue. 

I walked into the meet and greet room and there they were. I saw Kellin (lead singer of SWS) first and a giant smile took over my face. I just couldn't stop staring at him. He saw me smiling in line and he looked right at me and smiled back. I took a picture with SWS first and I had a little speech prepared to tell them but I completely forgot it. I was wearing a shirt made by Anthem Made, Kellin's clothing line and the entire band recognized it! They actually cheered and were so happy that I was wearing it! I didn't see anyone else with an Anthem shirt so I felt special. I told Kellin that I was a huge fan of the brand and I gave him a hug. I was going to tell him how much the song 'Satellites' means to me and how it is really underrated. 

Next I met PTV and I think they could tell that I was kind of nervous. They were super nice and talkative, asking me how my day was going and how excited I am and other things. I was kind of surprised that they were all around my height and I'm not that tall. I told them about how excited I was for the show and that I've been looking forward to it for what feels like a long time. After that, I picked up the poster that was signed by them all (side note: I think it was really dumb that we got our signed posters before the show because I had to carry it for the next 5 hours in a giant pit of people so of course it got bent and tore a little bit).

This Wild Life and Beartooth

This Wild Life

There were two opening acts, the first was This Wild Life and the second was Beartooth. I haven't heard any of their music before the show. TWL performed an acoustic set which was really nice except for the people trying to mosh to an acoustic set. I really wasn't expecting the sound that came out of TWL - a band composed of two guys, one (the singer and acoustic guitarist) has a giant beard and the second (backing vocals and acoustic guitarist) is tattooed from head to toe. The vocalist's voice was really smooth and mellow, I really don't understand how people could have started moshing.

Beartooth was the exact opposite of TWL. This was your typical heavy hardcore band. This was the kind of band people mosh to. It really wasn't my favorite - too heavy for me. They even encouraged people to form giant circles to mosh in. During the show, a couple of people started to crowd surf and one person went directly over me - hitting my head with their shoe in the process. All part of enjoying a concert like this in a small venue, I guess. 

Pierce the Veil

Pierce the Veil

Where do I begin... They opened with the song with "Hell Above" which led into one of their most well known songs, "Caraphernelia." I was on the left side of the stage, right in front of Jaime (bassist). Without a doubt, I rocked out to PTV the hardest. As soon as they came on stage, I was beyond pumped. A concert is 5000x more enjoyable when you know all the words to every song (compared to trying to rock out to the opening acts, whose songs I have never heard before). 

Jamie, Vic (lead singer, guitarist), and Tony (guitarist) all had roughly 20 extra picks on their stands which they kept throwing into the audience which I thought was really cool. Also, Mike (drummer) threw his drum sticks into the crowd at the end of their set. What I love about seeing bands like PTV and SWS is that their sound is raw music. I always try to see if I can hear a difference between a band live and in the studio. PTV actually sounded better live - which is a huge feat for a band. Vic's range is vocals didn't fail to amaze me. It's crazy how he can go from singing sweetly to belting out lyrics, and sound amazing the entire time. 

Vic Fuentes

PTV performed one acoustic song ("I'm Low on Gas and You Need a Jacket") and it blew me away. It was just Vic, a guitar and the audience. He had the audience sing the last part of the song and I caught a picture of him with a huge smile on his face while he listened to us. I love moments like that where you can see the happiness on the face of an artist, doing what they love and enjoying it. 

Before they started their second to last song, "Bulletproof Love," they invited someone on stage. Vic actually sang the intro of the song to her while she sat on stage. How amazing is that? PTV did a really good job at making this concert personal and being interactive with the crowd. They performed way better than I would have expected (and my expectations were already pretty high since they sound great in the studio). 

PTV ended the night with a personal favorite, "King for a Day." I couldn't have picked a better song to end their set, especially since the song featured Kellin (lead singer of SWS). The first time I ever listened to this song was the first time I ever heard Pierce the Veil. I was a little slow getting into their music because it's kind of different from what I usually listen to, but as soon as I heard their albums in entirety, I was hooked. This was definitely my favorite song of the night. The lighting was perfect (they started out with police lights lighting the stage, I already knew what song it was by then), the sound was perfect (the way Vic and Kellin alternate verses and how well their voices go together), their performance was perfect (the way they moved all around the stage - they didn't favor one side or the other). 

Sleeping with Sirens

To my surprise, a lot of people left after PTV finished. It's not like PTV is better known - I thought that the two bands were equal in their amount of popularity. Although, I did see that there were a lot more PTV shirts. Maybe the Arizona crowd just favors PTV more than SWS. Honestly, I was more pumped to see SWS because I have been listening to them longer than I have been listening to PTV. However, at the end of the night, if I had to choose whose performance I enjoyed more, it would have to be PTV.

There was a really cool intro video that was played before the band walked on stage. I have to find it on YouTube or somewhere because I really liked it. It introduced all of the members in the band and they were all messing around in the video, making funny faces and just goofing around. The video led to SWS's first song of the night which was brand new called "Kick Me." Kellin surprised the crowd (well at least he surprised me) by announcing that "Kick Me" will officially release on Monday (tomorrow!!) along with its music video. Thanks, Kellin.

Quick shout out to the other guys in the band who do not get enough credit. Kellin is the face of the band since he is the lead singer. Justin (bass guitar) and Jack (lead guitar) were the most energetic and were constantly making me laugh just by the way they were acting and messing around with each other on stage. I couldn't really see Gabe (drummer) but he sounded great. I only really noticed Nick (rhythm guitar) during the acoustic songs because he stayed put on the right side of the stage while I was on the left side. Justin and Jack (and maybe Nick, I couldn't see) had a bunch a picks that they were throwing out into the crowd like Vic, Tony, and Jaime were doing.

The next song was one of my favorites called "Congratulations." Kellin's voice is so unique, I really can't compare it to anyone else. If you have never heard it before, it is really high-pitched but it is part of what makes him a great singer. He was super energetic on stage, jumping and running around, unlike the crowd, who had stopped moshing and everyone was kind of just standing there and bobbing their heads. I was really surprised! I thought more people would be going crazy during their set! Kellin urged everyone to form a circle and start moshing so that helped wake everyone up.

Sleeping With Sirens

SWS performed two acoustic songs: "Part Two: Roger Rabbit" and a Goo Goo Dolls cover, "Iris." It was just Kellin on vocals, and two acoustics guitarists, Nick and Jack (I think). Kellin did a really nice speech before both songs, saying how he loves to watch music bring so many people together and he encouraged us to go start our own bands. Kellin beat boxed during the first acoustic song and I was so happily surprised. Kellin used to be in a few smaller bands (Closer 2 Closure, Our Name in City Lights, Screenplay) and he used to beat box a lot more frequently. The reason it was a surprise was because in the studio version of the song he doesn't beat box so I'm glad he added his own twist to the live version. "Iris" has always been a famous cover for SWS, but I didn't even imagine the possibility of them playing it live. 

After playing one more new song, SWS ended the night with "If You Can't Hang" as their encore. Another really popular SWS song and a perfect way to end the night. I liked that the entire band stood at the front of the stage and took a bow at the end, I wish PTV would have done that too.

What made me enjoy PTV just a bit more was for a few little reasons. My favorite SWS songs happen to be their less well known songs which they didn't play, but that didn't really take anything away from the show. Also, the lighting for SWS wasn't that great because it was hard to see the guys on stage at times. I think the crowd not being as pumped also had something to do with me liking PTV a little bit more that night.

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I realize that this was pretty long post but hey I had a lot to talk about. I hope it doesn't sound too choppy, I was writing about it throughout the day. Aaaand I just have to mention that I am 18 now :) woo!


x Nikole

(I was listening mostly to PTV while writing this)