Pierce The Veil and The Used brought their co-headlining Creative Control tour to NYC’s beautiful Pier 17 venue on Monday evening. The venue is outdoors and on the rooftop of a building in the city’s Seaport Neighborhood, making for a memorable night of music with an Empire State Building backdrop.
Currently on her first tour is DeathbyRomy, a Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter who opened the night with her blend of dark pop. Romy showed off her vocal range with tracks “I Feel Like a God,” “Vicious Bliss,” and “No Mercy” before bringing her friend and fellow artist Caroline Carr on-stage to close her set with “Fiending for a Lover” and “Day I Die.”
British rockers Don Broco were next to take the stage with “Pretty” and “Everybody” as vocalist Rob Damiani pranced on-stage, owning his mullet and baggy pants – fitting for the band that somehow blends 80’s hair metal and 2000s pop punk. Drummer and backing vocalist Matt Donnelly rocked out with “Come out to LA” as guitarist Simon Delaney and bassist Tom Doyle joined in the fun for “Gumshield” and “Bruce Willis” before closing with “T-Shirt Song” during which Damiani tossed t-shirts into the crowd and fans whipped their own shirts fresh from the merch booth above their heads.
Emo legends The Used released their ninth studio album Toxic Positivity last month, and their stage set-up was reminiscent of the album cover, decked out in pink roses. Consisting of vocalist Bert McCracken, Jeph Howard on bass, Joey Bradford on guitar, and Dan Whitesides on drums – the band of over 20 years has a large discography which they worked into their set; ranging from “A Box Full of Sharp Objects” and “The Taste of Ink” from 2002’s The Used to “Giving Up” from Toxic Positivity. Throughout their set, vocalist Bert McCracken encouraged a circle pit while also reminding the crowd to back up and be mindful of those close to the barricade; as well as commenting on his own struggles with anxiety and depression and how his fans help him through.
The rest of their set touched on 2004’s In Love And Death with “Take It Away,” “I Caught Fire,” and “I’m a Fake” to 2007’s Lies for the Liars with “The Bird and the Worm” and “Pretty Handsome Awkward.”
Pierce The Veil made their long-awaited return in March with “The Jaws Of Life,” their first studio album in seven years. Fans were excited to sing the new songs live, as well as the bands classics that cemented them as leaders in the scene.
The San Diego band was founded in 2006 by brothers Vic and Mike Fuentes, although the band has recently gone through a lineup change with Mike leaving the band, and Pierce The Veil bringing on drummer Lionel Robinson (of the band Letlive) for this tour. The trio consists of Vic Fuentes on vocals and guitar, Tony Perry on guitar, and Jaime Preciado on bass.
Pierce The Veil started their hour-long set with new tracks “Death of an Executioner” “Emergency Contact” and “Pass The Nirvana” before playing popular tracks “Southern Constellations,” “The Boy Who Could Fly,” and “Caraphernelia” from 2010’s Selfish Machines. The band did not forget 2012’s Collide With The Sky as they performed “Bulls in the Bronx” and “Hold on Till May” during which Vic chose a fan from the crowd to join him onstage. Their interaction was touching as he sang to her directly, and he even gave her his guitar to take home. The night closed with fan-favorite “King for a Day,” also from Collide With The Sky.
Photos by Ann Storlie (@ast_lie) and Website
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