8 April 2026 – Riverstage, Brisbane – words and pictures by Clea-marie Thorne
Riverstage is meant to be the easy one. In, out, river breeze, bit of space to move. Not tonight.
Add in the current fuel and public transport chaos across Brisbane and it is a perfect storm. Everyone driving, everyone queueing, no one moving. What should be a cruisy Riverstage run is turning into a full endurance test before the first note even lands.
I am sitting in a line of cars outside QUT watching the clock bleed out, engine running, not moving, hearing a whole set of the opening act drifting across the river that I am not at.
Tonight (8 April) Pierce The Veil are bringing their I Can’t Hear You World Tour to Brisbane. While first guest artist Jack Kays is somewhere up ahead doing his thing, I am stuck 150 metres from the car park like it is a sick joke. You can hear the crowd reacting, bits of bass, the shape of songs carried on the air, but I am watching brake lights instead of a stage. Two hours and ten minutes of that. Proper cooked.
By the time the car is finally coughing its way into a spot, it is a scramble. Grabbing gear, chasing accreditation, then legging it into Riverstage and straight to the loos because dignity is hanging by a thread. I am already feeling like I have missed the opening chapter. Capturing support acts is important to me and I am only missing a couple ever.
With dignity intact, I am catching the tail end of Movements. Part of one tune, then three full songs. That is it. It is enough though to know they have the place in their hands. ‘Full Circle’ is in motion, thick and pulsing, sitting low in the chest. The crowd is focused, fans exchanging energy with the band. No warming up, they are already there.
Then ‘I Hope You Choke!’ is kicking in and the energy is spiking, bodies pushing forward, voices getting sharper, a bit more bite in it. By the time they are hitting ‘Daylily’, it is turning into something else entirely. Proper singalong. Arms up, voices cracking, fans yelling every word at the stage. Part conviction, part devotion. It is feeling like people are carrying something inside and letting it out all at once, in unison. I am wanting more, but what I am getting is enough to know they are delivering without question.
No time to dwell because the tense anticipation for the headliner is shifting the whole place up a notch. Cameras out, lenses on, straight into work mode. I am taking in the expanse of punters filling every square metre of the outdoor amphitheatre. I am hearing the lines to get in are the longest most people have ever seen here. At least my car has a seat and my admiration for those in the pit is levelling up on account of their dedication.
Pierce the Veil – Riverstage – photos by Clea-marie Thorne
Pierce The Veil are opening with tape. ‘El rey’ is rolling out across the venue like a strange calm before the drop and then it is on. ‘Death of an Executioner’ is kicking the whole thing awake, just taking us straight into that tight, cutting energy they have built their name on.
Vic Fuentes (vocals, guitar) is on from the first note. Voice sharp, cutting clean over everything, that familiar strain sitting right where it should. Tony Perry (lead guitar) is carving through riffs with a relentless mix of precision and grit, Jaime Preciado (bass) is all movement, dragging energy from one side of the stage to the other, and Lionel Robinson (drums), with his many cheeky smiles, is holding it all together with an unyielding drive.
Pierce the Veil – Riverstage – photos by Clea-marie Thorne
‘Bulls in the Bronx’ is cracking the pit open early, bodies starting to move properly now, and ‘Pass the Nirvana’ is following with more bite live than it has any right to. It is heavier, looser, a bit dirtier around the edges. ‘I’m Low on Gas and You Need a Jacket’ is shifting the tone, crowd volume jumping, people around me screaming every word like it is muscle memory.
They are killing us with this hot as lava setlist. ‘I’d Rather Die Than Be Famous’ is rolling straight into ‘Where Is My Mind?’ which is landing surprisingly well, the crowd leaning into it instead of checking out. No lull. No dip. Me, I am stoked with this cover. Missing the Pixies last tour is still stinging and hearing this live is hitting that spot.
Pierce the Veil – Riverstage – photos by Clea-marie Thorne
Mid set is stacked. ‘Floral & Fading’, ‘Yeah Boy and Doll Face’, ‘She Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty’ are all landing one after the other, no breathing room. It is a constant push. ‘I Don’t Care If You’re Contagious’ and ‘Wonderless’ are pulling that older energy forward and the reaction is instant, like a switch flipping across the crowd.
‘May These Noises Startle You in Your Sleep Tonight’ is bleeding straight into ‘Hell Above’. The screen is washing red and it is chaos. Proper chaos. The kind where you stop trying to track individuals and it just becomes movement and noise and bodies colliding.
Newer cuts like ‘So Far So Fake’ are sitting comfortably in the set, no drop in engagement. Not only taking us through band member introductions, for this next one Fuentes is dedicating ‘Emergency Contact’ to his loved ones at home. It is hitting our hearts and the whole place is lifting with it. Phones up, voices louder than the mix for a moment, everyone locked into it together. The energy is climbing again as ‘Circles’ is keeping that momentum rolling. Big chorus, bigger response. Bliss.
Pierce the Veil – Riverstage – photos by Clea-marie Thorne
They are ducking off and coming back quick to chants for one more song. No dragging it out. It is feeling unpretentious, which is part of their charm.
‘Disasterology’ is kicking the encore into gear and we are straight back in it. Fuentes is asking how many people in Brisbane can say that music has saved their lives and the response is deafening. He is leading into ‘Hold On Till May’, its lilting melody pulling everything inward. Not quiet, not really, but heavier. People are singing like they need something from it, not just along for the ride. Goosebumps are rising as we collectively cry out “Darling you’ll be okay!”
Now they are making their move to finish it properly with the one fans have been hoping, wishing and waiting for. ‘King for a Day’. No surprise, but it does not need one. It is absolute bedlam as they are closing out. Every voice, every bit of space filled, people climbing on shoulders, shouting, losing it completely. It is the release the whole set has been building towards.
Pierce The Veil are playing to a venue that is chock-o-block, no side stage monitors, no pyro or confetti, just a lengthy digital backdrop, some fog, tasteful lighting and risers. Not basic by any means, but not overblown either.
Pierce the Veil – Riverstage – photos by Clea-marie Thorne
Pierce The Veil are fully engaging with a totally banging setlist for their fans. Only a handful are leaving before the final notes are ringing out. That in itself is saying something.
Walking out, it is still a mission. Bottlenecks, slow shuffle, everyone wrecked and buzzing at the same time. Conversations everywhere, people replaying moments, voices shot and a vibe that is lifting us.
It is not a perfect run for me. Missing a full set and most of another stings. But what I am catching is undeniable. Pierce The Veil are locked in, sharp, loud and still carrying that chaos that made people fall for them in the first place. Solid.
Brisbane shows up. They always do.
Next time, unless there’s no other option, I am definitely ditching the car.
Pierce the Veil – Riverstage – photos by Clea-marie Thorne
