Concert Recap: The "True Power" Tour, ft. I Prevail, Pierce the Veil, Fit for a King + Stand Atlantic, Myrtle Beach, SC (November 15, 2022)

Tuesday, November 15 was a dream come true for modern rock fans in the Carolinas as I Prevail brought their blended brand of post-hardcore nu-metal to the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Celebrating the release of their third full-length album, True Power (released August 19 via Fearless Records), the metal Michiganders brought along their friends in Pierce the Veil, Fit for a King, and Stand Atlantic to join in the festivities, making for a can't-miss concert that showcases just how sonically diverse rock and metal music can be.

The first band to take the stage was the Australian pop-punk quartet Stand Atlantic, the group that I was personally the most excited to see. Don't get it twisted, I was hyped for all the bands on the bill, but Stand Atlantic has become one of my favorite bands in recent years, only for that fondness to be even further solidified after the release of their latest album, f.e.a.r. (released May 6 via Hopeless Records). Needless to say, their opening set didn't disappoint, aside from the fact that it was too short.

Starting off with the Pink Elephant album closer and fan-favorite "Hate Me (Sometimes)," Stand Atlantic perfectly set the tone for the night as frontwoman Bonnie Fraser immediately got the crowd on their feet with their upbeat musicality and high-energy stage presence. From start to finish, the band kept their foot on the gas and the crowd on their toes as they swept through career classics like “Jurassic Park” and “Wavelength.” Due to the fact that they just released one of the best albums of the year a little over six months ago, more than half of their set was dedicated to playing cuts from f.e.a.r., such as standout singles “pity party” and “hair out.” They even teased the opening chords to “Silk & Satin” from Pink Elephant before playing f.e.a.r.’s “deathwish.” Some of the songs were played in a different key and tuned down half a step, which has become common practice for a lot of active live bands over the years – while it’s normally not my favorite thing, it worked remarkably well for Stand Atlantic, with the tonal switch matching the lyrical content of the songs almost better than the original versions. Long story short, Stand Atlantic sounded amazing and did an incredible job of getting the crowd started off on the right foot, and they continue to be a bucket list band to see in a headlining position.

Stand Atlantic Setlist:

1. Hate Me (Sometimes)
2. Jurassic Park
3. hair out
4. Wavelength
5. switchblade
6. pity party
7. deathwish
8. molotov [OK]

After Stand Atlantic’s pop-punk rager of a set, it was Fit for a King’s turn to unleash their metalcore savagery on the South Carolina crowd. Hot off the heels of the release of their new album, The Hell We Create (released October 28 via Solid State Records), the band kicked things off with the hard-hitting and chaotic “Eyes Roll Back,” feeling like a TNT detonation as the crowd erupted with moshing and stage-diving from corner to corner. The band members themselves seemed to feed off the crowd’s energy, with bassist/vocalist Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary appearing to use his bass as a diagonal hula hoop when he wasn’t playing it, just to give one example. Lead vocalist Ryan Kirby was in top form as well, with his screams sounding as filthily beautiful live as they do in the studio.

Around the midpoint of their set, Kirby spoke to the crowd and said something to the nature of "we know you're not here to see us," but I'd beg to differ — supporting slot or not, they just put out a stellar new album that caught the attention of several people, myself included, and given the way the crowd reacted to them, it's safe to say there were more than a few attendees who showed up exclusively for them

Fit for a King Setlist:

1. Eyes Roll Back
2. When Everything Means Nothing
3. End (The Other Side)
4. Falling Through the Sky
5. The Price of Agony
6. Times Like This
7. God of Fire

Following the hardcore intensity of Fit for a King, the time came for emo icons Pierce the Veil to mark their regional return after a five-year touring hiatus. Here's what I'll say — I've been to my fair share of shows and seen more bands than I can remember off the top of my head, but no crowd compares to what I witnessed during Pierce the Veil, and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. Those were the most loyal fans I've ever seen at a concert, from their deafening applause between songs to their singing along during them. I'm not exaggerating when I say the crowd was louder than the band, and they were singing at the top of their lungs for every single song, from start to finish. Vocalist Vic Fuentes shared that sentiment, commenting between songs that they were the rowdiest crowd of the tour to that point.

Pierce the Veil have a new album on the horizon (The Jaws of Life, out February 10 via Fearless Records), with the lead single “Pass the Nirvana” making an appearance in their setlist. For the most part, their nine-song set was heavy on tracks from their 2012 magnum opus Collide with the Sky, such as the staples “King for a Day” and “Bulls in the Bronx.” Even for a very casual fan like myself, the next-level participation from the crowd really amplified the experience of the band’s set, and I hope I find myself in an audience like that again.

Pierce the Veil Setlist:

1. May These Noises Startle You in Your Sleep Tonight
2. Hell Above
3. Pass the Nirvana
4. Bulls in the Bronx
5. Caraphernelia
6. Circles
7. A Match Into Water
8. Hold On Till May
9. King for a Day

Even with the rabid fan reaction, Pierce the Veil was still a taste of things to come with headliners I Prevail waiting in the wings. Instantly starting with the True Power album opener “There’s Fear in Letting Go” as they walked onstage, they had the audience in the palm of their hands from the jump. Their stage setup consisted of risers across the entire back half of the stage, along with an elaborate array of lights, from floodlights and fresnels to strobes to lasers, making for a wildly engaging aesthetic presence. However, no spectacle is completely impactful without some substance, which came in abundance in the form of the musicians. Not only was the dynamic vocal tag-team of Brian Burkheiser and Eric Vanlerberghe on point, but the guitar duo of Steve Menoian and Dylan Bowman and drummer Gabe Helguera held things down without missing a beat, figuratively and literally.

I Prevail’s setlist began with the first five tracks of True Power, before branching out into highlights from past albums like “Scars” from their 2016 debut full-length Lifelines and “Hurricane” from their 2018 Grammy-nominated second album Trauma. Other highlights included the band teasing a cover of Slayer’s “Raining Blood” before ripping into their own single “Judgement Day,” their performance of the atmospheric single “Breaking Down,” and encoring with their Grammy-nominated single “Gasoline.” The energy onstage from Burkheiser and Vanlerberghe was palpable, and the audience was giving that same enthusiasm back from song to song. I’m always impressed when seeing a metalcore band or any group with harsh vocals live in concert for the fact that those singers are able to replicate that same intensity that they put on their albums night after night when they hit the road, and I found myself in absolute awe of Vanlerberghe’s screams throughout the night. Sure, his highs and mid-range screams were present as one would expect, but his lows and gutturals were on full display, and Vanlerberghe should undoubtedly have a place in the conversation of determining the best screamers in the scene today. To sum things up, this was my first time seeing I Prevail (as well as the supporting bands) live, and it definitely won’t be the last.  

I Prevail Setlist:

1. 0:00/There’s Fear in Letting Go
2. Body Bag
3. Self Destruction
4. Bad Things
5. Scars
6. Hurricane
7. Judgement Day
8. Breaking Down
9. Paranoid
10. Choke
11. Fake
12. FWYTYK
13. Come and Get It

Encores

14. Gasoline
15. Bow Down

To match the greatness of their latest album, I Prevail put on an insanely phenomenal performance, and it was a great night of live music as a whole. Regardless of subgenres, if you’re a fan of modern rock and metal music in any capacity, this is the tour for you. There’s truly something for everybody on this tour, and it’d be really difficult to have a bad time at this show. The “True Power” Tour has a few shows left, ending with two shows in Detroit November 22 and 23, and I can’t recommend going enough if there’s a show near you.

For videos from the show, click here

Support the bands by checking out the links below:

- Stand Atlantic: https://www.standatlantic.com/

- Fit for a King: https://fitforakingband.com/

- Pierce the Veil: https://piercetheveil.net/

- I Prevail: https://iprevailband.com/

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