BY DREW SINCOCK
The cold didn’t stop hundreds upon hundreds of fans from lining up outside The Fillmore before the doors opened. They were all excited as the line continued to grow in anticipation of tonight’s show. It’d been 3 years since the fans had seen I Prevail perform live, with an even more prolonged 5-year hiatus since Pierce The Veil last hit this stage. They were finally back in Charlotte, NC.
Fit For A King was a fantastic opening act for the show. The metalcore band formed in 2007 out of Tyler, Texas made it very clear they were here for a good time. They started off their set with “Eyes Roll Back”, “When Everything Means Nothing”, and “End (The Other Side)”. They kept the crowd engaged, especially bassist Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary who spent plenty of time interacting with the fans. Between his spin kicks, traversal of the venue all the way to the bar in the back, standing atop it while playing), jumping off speakers and his crowd surfing mid-set you never knew what to expect. I highly recommend seeing them live if you have the opportunity. You can find them on Instagram here.
Pierce The Veil has had a big year in 2022 with their first performances in half a decade due to a hiatus and an upcoming album slated for early 2023. Tonight frontman Vic Fuentes assured the crowd “That really sucked and we promise to never do that again. We’re back.” From the very first second of Pierce The Veil’s set fans were absolutely ecstatic screaming the verses back to the band. They opened up with “May These Noises Startle You In Your Sleep Tonight” and “Hell Above” which seamlessly flow into one another. I’ve seen Pierce The Veil perform numerous times over the years and they have never once disappointed. It was amazing to see them have the same energy they always have, especially bassist Jaime Preciado who is also always jumping off speakers and keeping you on your toes. To close off their time on stage, they went with the fan-favorite track “King For A Day”. Their next album The Jaws Of Life is set to release on February 10th, 2023. You can find them on Instagram here.
Pierce The Veil’s Setlist: May These Noises Startle You In Your Sleep Tonight // Hell Above // Pass The Nirvana // Bulls In The Bronx // Caraphernelia // Circles // Texas Is Forever // A Match Into Water // Hold On Till May // King For A Day
I Prevail’s sound is a harmonious combination of post-hardcore, metalcore, and pop-punk. Formed in 2013, in Southfield, Michigan the band has released 3 studio albums with their most recent being TRUE POWER released on August 19th, 2022. They kicked off their set with the first 5 tracks of the new album which really set the pace for the night. The band is composed of Brian Burkheiser (clean vocals), Eric Vanlerberghe (unclean vocals), Steve Menoian (lead guitar), Dylan Bowman (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), and Gabe Helguera (drums). I Prevail really gives it their all when they perform and they leave it all on stage. It was a very engaging performance between the stacked setlist, fantastic lighting, and don’t forget tons of cryogenics. I will not be hesitating to catch them live again. You can find their latest album TRUE POWER here. You can find the band on Instagram here.
I Prevail’s Setlist: 0:00 // There’s Fear In Letting Go // Body Bag // Self-Destruction // Bad Things // Scars // Hurricane // Judgement Day // Breaking Down // Paranoid // Choke // Fake // FWYTYK // Come And Get it // Gasoline // Bow Down
