Pierce The Veil – Rod Laver Arena
After last playing around Australia in 2023, Pierce The Veil’s brought their massive I Can’t Hear You World Tour to our shores. As their biggest Aus headline shows to date, the San Diego post-hardcore giants took on Rod Laver arena for a sold out show; delivering a career-spanning show full of nostalgia, catharsis and some absolutely wild mosh pits.
Opening duties fell to Washington DC’s Jack Kays, marking his first tour since April after a year spent working on new material. His raw set cut through the early crowd with tracks like Caffeine and SLEEP WHEN I’M DEAD. There’s a looseness to Kays’ live presence – part vulnerability, part unpredictability, and all political – that made unreleased songs like I’ve Got a Gun and If I Don’t hit harder than expected. With a new album in the works, Jack Kays delivered a performance that made him one to watch.
By the time Movements took the stage, the room had filled out as the fan faves kicked off their support set. From the opening pulse of You’re One of Us Now, the Orange County outfit had the crowd locked in. Patrick Miranda’s vocals carried both grit and fragility, especially during Kept and Colorblind, where the band’s signature introspection cut through the arena’s scale. New song Dissolve Me teased an evolving sound, but it was the emotional heavy-hitters that landed strongest. Where I Lay was introduced as a song for anyone who’s ever felt like an outcast – a sentiment that visibly resonated across the crowd. By the time Daylily closed their set, with phone lights illuminating the arena, Movements had transformed Rod Laver into something far more intimate.
As José Alfredo Jiménez’ El Rey played on, Pierce The Veil launched into the pounding Death of an Executioner – a one-two punch that immediately established the vibe for the night. From there, it was chaos in the best way possible. Bulls in the Bronx ignited the first pit of the evening, while Pass the Nirvana‘s grunginess brought around a build-up that had the entire arena on edge before erupting.
The moving I’m Low on Gas and You Need a Jacket and the chaotic I’d Rather Die Than Be Famous only encouraged louder, more relentless crowd participation – and Melbourne delivered. Playing a snippet of the Pixies Where Is My Mind?, frontman Vic Fuentes encouraged the audience to put their phone lights up for Floral & Fading; lighting up each and every inch of the arena.
With Fuentes telling us ‘Let’s take it back to the beginning’, their breakout track Yeah Boy and Doll Face transported the room back nearly two decades. Stripped-back versions of Selfish Machines’ She Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty and I Don’t Care If You’re Contagious were enough to send waves through the crowd, before older hit Wonderless had the audience joining in on a callback.
Taking a brief break, the suspense built throughout the venue, before the band re-emerged for the powerful May These Noises Startle You in Your Sleep Tonight and its follow up track, Hell Above. With the set starting to come to its inevitable end, newer tracks So Far So Fake and Emergency Contact showcased a band that continues to evolve without losing its emotional core. The latter, dedicated to a fan attending their first show, was a standout moment of connection in a night full of them. Closing the main set with the upbeat Circles felt almost too polished, which is exactly why the encore hit as hard as it did.
With lyrics ‘Can we create something beautiful / and destroy it?’ flashing onscreen, older hit Disasterology reignited the pit instantly, but it was the softer Hold On Till May that brought the arena to a mass singalong. With the band giving a shoutout to those whose lives were saved by music, it became a collective release – thousands of voices carrying a song that has clearly meant everything to so many. And then, of course, King for a Day. No closer could have matched its energy. It was loud, chaotic, and completely unrelenting – the kind of ending that leaves your ears ringing and your voice gone.
For a band nearly two decades into their career, Pierce The Veil aren’t just riding nostalgia – they’re amplifying it, reshaping it, and proving it still matters. If this show was anything to go by, their connection with Australian fans isn’t just intact – it’s stronger than ever.