To start the night I Prevail headbanged to their heart’s content, and knowing that they had a fairly strong fan base in Atlanta was nice. I was glad to see that one of the openers were on the heavier side. The guys in I Prevail were having so much fun up on stage it was hard not to get into their music. I danced and sang to every song they played, even their covers of Pantera and Taylor Swift. The ambiance of this band is incredible and lived up to my expectations. Drummer, Lee Runestad, created that heart pounding feeling that you take with you long after they finished up. Dylan Bowman stole the show for me though. He kept pumping up the crowd and leading us to jump and move. As vocals and guitar he did phenomenally and made for quite the show to watch. Both leading vocalists, Brian Burkheiser and Eric Venlerberghe, has so much enthusiasm and energy. I Prevail was the perfect choice for opener because they accomplished what every opener should aim to do and created an atmosphere that got the crowd’s’ hearts beating a little faster and hyped for the show to continue.
Neck Deep have always put on great shows that encourage both weeping and flamboyant dancing. I like seeing them for this reason because their music switches up emotions so quickly that no matter what you are feeling before their set, by the end you are content with life. I have always thought that a good set leaves you with a nice warm and fuzzy feeling and Neck Deep never cease to amaze me and create this feeling perfectly. My favorite part of this set was watching how passionate Matt West, guitarist, was. His facial expressions had so much joy it would have been very difficult to see and not smile as well. Their set seemed to fly by much to my dismay. There was a huge shooting star with Neck Deep painted in the middle above Dani Washington’s drum kit that I absolutely loved. Washington also put so much passion and happiness into the air that it was difficult not to love being there in that moment. The passion of this band is one of the most redeeming qualities of it. Shows can still be great to hear, but the crowd participation and animated stage presence go a long way in making a show go from good to fantastic. The guys in Neck Deep for sure push toward the fantastic sets.
Finally Pierce the Veil took the stage. The famous white curtain went up and the entire crowd went nuts. As the screen lit up with Misadventures-equ drawing counting down to the entrance of the band the crowd got louder and louder pushing us to almost crushing against the barricade. When they finally dropped the curtain the stage was set up like a crash landing of a spaceship. Each of the members walked out of a part of the split spaceship in their spacesuits. I absolutely adored the opening, it was a fun little bit that added to the excitement to see them again. Their entire set was spent jumping up and down, dancing, and having a blast. I kept having to remind myself that this was real because throughout the entire show it felt like a really good dream. I had so much fun and the feeling of feeling free was right up there for a vye for one of the best nights of my life. I imagine that this is how I feel after every concert, but something about this time was different. The crowd was so into the music; we were all there for the same reason and that was to make an unforgettable night. Confetti flew out of cannons a few times and the technical team for this set was on point. They did a fabulous job with making the show unlike any other I had ever been to. Vic Fuentes’ vocals were clear unparalleled. His voice has always been phenomenal, but this time they sounded so much better than ever before. Because of my placement in the crowd I heard the bass and vocals of Jaime Preciado was so pronounced and I could really appreciate them like never before. The beats drummer Mike Fuentes produced were so heart pounding that I could feel my entire body moving to the beat automatically. Guitarist Tony Perry made quite an impression because reserved as he is there is a certain pull to pay attention to him. His playing skills are spectacular. Overall I would have to say this tour will be one I remember forever. From the feeling the show created to the music itself this will be one of the tours of 2016 you will regret not catching.
Written by Ashley Long
