I Prevail with Pierce the Veil, Fit for a King, Yours Truly @ Myth 9-16-22
Review & Photos by Scott Cornell
Yours Truly, a four-piece hailing from Sydney, Australia took to the stage in front of a sold-out Myth crowd in support of their sixth studio album is this what i look like?. Vocalist Mikaila Delgado exuded confidence and kept the concertgoers engaged during the short opening set. The crowd was agreeable and warmly embraced Yours Truly. Heads bobbed with the beat throughout the venue and when engaged the crowd responded resoundingly. The high energy and level of anticipation for the night's upcoming acts hung in the air as fans continue to stream in. Guitarist Teddie Winder-Haron played feverishly while bouncing between the platforms stationed at the front of the stage. Yours Truly’s unique melodic and heavy mix of pop-punk was a strong pick as the opener for such a heavy bill.
Fit For A King a four-piece from Dallas Texas brought the heavy and kicked off the crowd surfing. Early in the set, front man Ryan Kirby’s vocals didn’t make it into the main mix until well into the first song. Despite that, the band and fans persisted, determined to make the most of the moment. It was made clear that Fit For A King has a strong local fan base by the sheer volume of those singing along and numerous bodies being dumped into the hands of security. Concertgoers on the floor bounced along with the relentless low end of Fit For A King’s ferocity, At times fans were so in sync that the many appeared to be a single cohesive unit. Fit For A King makes what they do look effortless and incredibly fun. A circle pit opened up late as the tempo of the set sped up. Bassist Ryan "Tuck" O'Leary was incredibly entertaining with his facial expressions, guitar whips, and jump kicks from the platforms. O’Leary surfed during their last song of the set while guitarist Daniel Gailey stood tall and played while being fully supported by the fans beneath.
Pierce The Veil continued to elevate the energy within the Myth to a fever pitch. Circle pits were ever present as a constant stream of crowd surfers flowed over the barricades. Intense and energetic, Pierce The Veil gave the crowd an impeccable performance, full of crowd interaction, sing-alongs, and clapping. With little prompting, spontaneous singing and synchronous hand waving filled the air throughout the set. At times, potentially by design, the fans seemed to overpower the sound system. Eric Vanlerberghe, I Prevail vocalist joined Pierce The Veil for “Caraphernelia” during which CO2 blasts were deployed for the first time.
Frontman Vic Fuentes asked the crowd if they liked fast music and exuberantly the crowd reacted with full-volume screams as Pierce The Veil broke into “Texas”. “A Match into Water” followed with more use of the CO2 blasts. Conscious of the heat and intensity of the environment, Fuentes didn’t start the next song until he got a thumbs up from security after a concertgoer fainted. After a five-year touring hiatus Pierce the Veil is back on the road and better than ever.
I Prevail, a five-piece originating from Southfield, Michigan, touring in support of their third full-length studio album True Power present themselves with a challenge at every stop. If the response for the openers is remotely similar in other cities as it was in Minnesota, I Prevail needs to bring their A-game every night or risk being overshadowed. I Prevail‘s setlist was cleverly crafted to embrace the ubiquitous intensity that the openers cultivated. Kicking off the set with seven heavy and fast songs like “Body Bag”, “Self Destruction” and “Judgement Day”.
I Prevail vocalist Brian Burkheiser took a moment and spoke of his struggles after a vocal chord injury just before “Breaking Down”. Quietly after, stagehands wheeled a white upright piano on stage for “Doomed”. Placing two slower tracks in the middle broke up their set, giving everyone a chance to catch their breath. In turn, that gave I Prevail the opportunity to ramp up the tempo of the night again. Strobes were placed behind a stage-wide video grid that displayed track accenting visuals.
Lasers streaked over the countless body surfers and the persistent circle pits that shifted amongst those on the floor. CO2 blasts were used sparingly but added an element of surprise. Each member shone in their own right and during “Paranoid” drummer Gabe Helguera was given an opportunity to show off his percussion prowess. Burkheiser and Vanlerberghe along with guitarists Dylan Bowman and Steve Menoian bounced about the stage like a handful of tossed super balls, leaving no inch of the stage unexplored.
I Prevail exceeded the expectations of the challenge they presented themselves with. The five-piece brought a top-notch, ferocious A+ spectacle to a sold-out crowd in Minnesota. Catch this tour if there’s a stop near you and if tickets are still available. There’s definitely something for everyone that enjoys the hard rock & metal genres and is pleasantly full of surprises.
