Pierce the Veil
Toyota Pavilion, Concord
June 25, 2025
Photos by Raymond Ahner
There was a palpable sense of excitement as the sold-out crowd at the Concord Pavilion heard “El Rey” by Jose Alfredo Jimenez play over the PA system, a signal that Pierce the Veil were about to hit the stage.
The band is seemingly bigger than ever, with 12,500 fans showing up in the middle of the week to see them play. Opening with the stomping “Death of an Executioner,” Pierce the Veil ripped through an 18-song set that reaffirmed the band as one of the biggest in the rock world.
As the crowd volume began to surge louder, the band tore into the frantic “Bulls in the Bronx.” Anchored by a speedy guitar riff from Vic Fuentes, the piece was the perfect display for new touring drummer Loniel Robinson’s blistering playing.
Moving all over the kit with ease, Robinson’s fills pushed the song along until its mid-way breakdown, which featured a smooth Latin jazz guitar solo from Fuentes.
Next up was another new track from Pierce the Veil’s comeback record, The Jaws of Life, “Pass the Nirvana.” The piece rode a grooving bassline from Jaime Preciado and featured Fuentes effortlessly shifting from clean singing to unclean screams.
The first real curveball came in the form of a cover of The Pixies classic “Where Is My Mind,” where Pierce the Veil played the opening verse and chorus before transitioning into the mid-tempo ballad “Floral & Fading” from 2016’s Misadventures, which had plenty of gorgeous lead guitar work from Tony Perry and another strong bass performance from Preciado.
Later on, Preciado and Perry swapped their electric instruments for acoustic guitars as the band played a short unplugged set. Fuentes took to the mic to thank all the fans for supporting the band for the past 18 years, before the band broke out a deep cut from their 2007 debut record A Flair for the Dramatic, “Yeah Boy and Doll Face.”
A few songs later, and it was back to electric guitars and booming drums for the final five songs of the main set. After a short break, Pierce the Veil came back on stage for a three-song encore, ending the evening with their best-known track, “King for a Day.” Since the song features Sleeping With Sirens singer Kellin Quinn on co-lead vocals, and SWS was the opening act on this tour, he came on stage to sing his parts.
For a band that has been around for nearly twenty years to command such a large venue is a testament to the talents of Fuentes, Perry, and Preciado, who have returned with a vengeance after a hiatus of over five years.
Based on Wednesday’s performance, it’s not likely they’re going anywhere anytime soon.
Pierce the Veil setlist:
Death of an Executioner | Bulls in the Bronx | Pass the Nirvana | I’m Low on Gas and You Need a Jacket | I’d Rather Die Than Be Famous | Where Is My Mind? (Pixies cover, snippet) | Floral & Fading | Yeah Boy and Doll Face | She Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty | Today I Saw the Whole World | Wonderless | May These Noises Startle You in Your Sleep Tonight | Hell Above | Emergency Contact | Circles || Encore || Disasterology | Hold On Till May | King for a Day (with Kellin Quinn)
