Pierce The Veil Ascend To New Heights, Big Venues With ‘I Can’t Hear You Tour’

Most anyone paying attention to the music industry can tell you that much of the business is cyclical: artists and genres rise only to be bumped out of the spotlight because of the next big trend, which invariably doesn’t last. But there are those who refuse to completely fade away, and if they have built a strong foundation, they can return bigger and better than ever.

Meet Pierce The Veil, who formed in 2006 and went seven years without putting out an album, only to be fiercely welcomed back by fans with open arms when they returned with 2023’s acclaimed album Jaws of Life. The new album catapulted them to a success they hadn’t experienced in their nearly two-decade career while demonstrating the lasting market power and influence of the 2000s alt-rock scene. Today, they’re career is hitting new touring and chart heights

“I’m just very thankful that our team is in a really good spot, and we’re really just taking it all in,” Jaime Preciado, bassist and backing vocalist for Pierce The Veil, tells Pollstar. “It’s just amazing for us to see what we’re watching happen in front of us. I don’t know, man. There’s something in the water right now, and it’s awesome.”

That awesomeness includes The San Diego collective just wrapping the first North American leg of their Live Nation-promoted “I Can’t Hear You World Tour,” selling out amphitheaters and arenas across major, secondary and tertiary markets, including shows at iconic venues like New York’s Madison Square Garden and the Kia Forum near Los Angeles. The remarkable 28-date run grossed $22,167,682 and moved 372,316 tickets, according to Pollstar Boxoffice, including a three-night stand at the Forum that hauled in $3,5566,966 off 40,812 tickets. Recently, their single “So Far, So Fake” went viral on TikTok, which propelled it into the Billboard Hot 100 and it currently resides at No. 4 on Billboard Alternative chart. The video (below) is now up to 3.4 million YouTube views.

For millennials who want to relive the days of seeing pop punk, post-hardcore and emo acts from their high school and college days, it’s especially awesome. Many of them have followed along with the band as they graduated from the Warped Tour stage and moved on to becoming big draws at major festivals like Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza.

Pierce The Veil not only performed at those festivals but did so with preferential stage times, playing just before major headliners blink-182 at Lolla and The Strokes at ACL. The band always found ways to build momentum off such opportunities, not only reconnecting with its millennial fanbase but also Gen Zers who are discovering 2000s’ alternative rock acts through the festival circuit or streaming playlists. (On Spotify, the band has more than 10 million monthly listeners and is featured in playlists titled “Emo Forever,” “Hard Rock” and “Big On The Internet.”)

“When you start seeing high school kids wanting to be in bands again, that to me is like the canary in the coal mine because they’re like, ‘Guitars are cool again,’” says James Throgmorton, who manages the band and is founder of Opera Ghost Management. “Rock is on an upswing, and there’s something happening.”

It’s a movement that has sharply risen post-pandemic with festivals like When We Were Young taking the torch from the Warped Tour and becoming one of more popular rock events. And the bands headlining them are proving that the fashion and music from the early part of the 21^st century was never “just a phase.” It’s spawned ventures like Emo Nite, which puts on events in small venues promoting the culture with music from bands like Pierce The Veil, My Chemical Romance and Avril Lavigne.

“I remember this vivid moment when I saw a young kid dressed like I used to dress in high school,” recalls Pierce The Veil lead singer and guitarist Vic Fuentes, “and I was like, are the ’90s coming back right now?’ Is this really happening?’”

Music charts and box office figures prove that it really is happening, as does Pierce The Veil’s trajectory through L.A. venues over the past three years. The trio comprising Fuentes, Preciado and guitarist Tony Perry went from headlining a show at The Wiltern (2,300 capacity) in October of 2022 to supporting blink-182’s 2024 stadium trek, including a sold-out show at SoFi Stadium that moved 50,492 tickets, to headlining three(!) sold-out nights at the Kia Forum in the summer.

Throgmorton, who also co-manages blink-182, says that Pierce The Veil supporting the stadium tour in 2024 “really felt like gasoline” and “blew the roof off.”

“I remember saying to the merch company, ‘Hey, with blink, we’re a little behind what we were doing last year. Is there an issue merch-wise?’” Throgmorton says. “The merch company then goes, ‘Well, the truth is Pierce is eating into your per-head per night because they’re doing so well.’”

It was a special moment from Pierce The Veil, whose members grew up listening to blink-182, and sharing the stadium stage with their San Diego heroes not only gave them something to aspire to but also an experience of performing in front of large crowds and knowing what it takes to headline massive shows.

“What prepared us for all these things is the slow rise we had as a band and the baby steps we’ve done, opening up for this band and ending up playing the same venue,” Fuentes says. “Then we do a headliner, and we just keep leveling up. Blink allowing us the opportunity to play a stadium for the first time, only a handful of bands in the world get to do that in their life. We are so thankful for that moment and for blink-182 opening that door for us. Seeing that world was huge for us.”

It’s a world the band couldn’t have envisioned stepping just three years ago as they returned to the music industry following a four-plus-year hiatus. They took a break from the road in 2018 and returned in September of 2022 to open for I Prevail. A year later, Pierce The Veil dropped The Jaws of Life, their fifth studio album and first since 2016’s Misadventures. The band released a deluxe version of their latest LP in May, featuring the single “Kiss Me Now,” which is eligible for Grammy consideration in categories such as Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance.

The album was well-received by critics lauding the band’s willingness to explore different genres while maintaining their signature post-hardcore sound. The recording process was unique for Pierce The Veil, too, who moved into a New Orleans home that was converted into a studio and bonded in a way they hadn’t before.

“We’ve never done something like that,” Preciado says. “As soon as the producer would leave, we would just switch gears and be like, ‘Alright, let’s talk about life and watch some movies or just hang out.’ It was one of the most positive experiences. … It was much needed to have that closeness.”

The band members dug deep into their youth on their latest LP, harkening back to bands they listened to in their youth from various ’90s alt-rock scenes, including grunge and pop punk, and exploring themes of perseverance and finding the light after darkness.Playing songs from the album has been somewhat therapeutic for Pierce The Veil, not only because it gave the band affirmation and support from fans after being away for some time, but also because they went through their own dark journey this year. Their long-time agent, David Shapiro, who they viewed as another member of the band, and friends from Sound Talent Group died in a tragic plane crash following a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden, a watershed moment in their touring career that will forever be tied to tragic loss.

“It was so symbolic and crazy when it all happened after we played Madison Square Garden. It was our first time playing [the arena],” Fuentes says. “It was this pinnacle moment for the band, especially with Dave, who has built us.

“It was a tough thing to navigate,” Fuentes adds. “It was really difficult. Live Nation had grief counselors at every single show for anyone who needed it. Man…the highest highs and lowest lows, but at the end of the day, it was an incredible tour, and everything continues to just outdo the last thing. We can’t complain, but we definitely miss our friends. It’s something we never thought we’d have to deal with.”

It happened only four shows into the “I Can’t Hear You World Tour,” and it was also a difficult moment for Throgmorton, who began managing the band in 2023.

“We talked about it, and the band was like, ‘Look, I think the way for us to honor Dave is to finish this out,’” says Throgmorton, who told the band to sleep on it before making a final decision. “Then we talked the next morning, and they wanted to keep it going and keep the focus on honoring Dave, doing what he would have wanted them to do.”

What the band has done in just a matter of months is remarkable, with its most ambitious tour to date, and it almost didn’t happen in the way it did. The trek was originally planned as an anniversary tour celebrating 2012’s Collide with the Sky, but Throgmorton challenged that idea when he joined the team.

“I’d been managing them for a couple of days, and I got on the phone with everybody and was just like, ‘I hate to shit in your cereal and be that guy, but I don’t think you should do an anniversary tour,’” Throgmorton recalls. “’Are you waiving the white flag? Are we celebrating the past? I think you need to go out and just do a big tour, not rely on an anniversary.’”

He couldn’t help but be that guy after seeing Pierce The Veil’s potential. Throgmorton became a genuine believer when he saw the band play a sold-out show at the Fresno Convention Center in Central California on Dec. 5, 2023, which was a Tuesday.

“There’s 7,000 people coming to see them,” he says. “I don’t think anybody understood where they were at and what’s going on with this band because I watched them in Fresno, a city that not many tours visit, and they were there on a Tuesday pulling this many people. Everybody was dressed up in different outfits from their favorite records, lined up round the block all day, and I saw this because my hotel was right across the street.”

Having worked with blink-182, Throgmorton is no stranger to the Warped Tour culture founded by Kevin Lyman and cultivated by the alternative rock scene of the ’90s and 2000s, which created a rebellious yet introspective group of fans who not only yearned for the guitar riffs that conjured their urge to mosh in the pit but also wanted to be seen, emotionally and physically, through their fashion.

“There’s been a definite feeling of resurgence, and I think there’s a wave that a lot of these bands are able to ride, but without true culture and meaning, you kind of ride the wave and fall off,” Throgmorton says. “I think bands like My Chemical Romance, Pierce The Veil and Twenty One Pilots ride the wave and grow because they have that; they impact people and touch people. I would say there’s probably as much crossover with Pierce The Veil fans as there is with blink-182. They’re at this really cool cross-section where you can see the culture and community building that those bands have done.”

That culture is a guiding force for Pierce The Veil, who understand that their music represents something bigger than themselves and has contributed to the (post-hardcore, emo, pop punk, rock or whatever term you prefer) culture that has not only managed to stay alive but is thriving with a new legion of followers, helping bands ascend into arenas and stadiums across the world.

“We can make music and try to put on the best show we can, but the bigger picture is that it all comes from a whole community, a whole movement, and it’s incredible to watch it all unfold before our eyes as we started this cycle,” Fuentes says. “It went from seeing fans wear our band’s T-shirts to wearing themed costumes. The self-expression and creativity is awesome, and I say this on stage because I want them to know that they’re inspiring us and what we create.”

Born out of the San Diego scene and being one of many bands to rise through the ranks with help from Warped Tour are one of many badges Pierce The Veil wear with great pride. Another badge they’re proud of is the fact that they are of Mexican descent, giving Latino rockers visibility that is much needed in today’s world. Spanish-language music plays before and after a Pierce The Veil concert, and the band finds ways to incorporate Latin sounds into their music.

“We’re very proud of our roots and our families,” Preciado says. “Something about us being the black sheep at a tour or a festival or whatever, I always love that. Growing up in San Diego, we were the only Mexican family on the block. It was a little challenging at times, but I love it.”

The SoCal band isn’t close to calling it a year just yet. Following ACL, Pierce The Veil is set to perform in U.S. venues like The Zoo Amphitheatre in Oklahoma City, Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center, Addition Financial Arena in Orlando and iThink Financial Center in West Palm Beach before going down south for three shows in Mexico. The band closes out 2025 with a South American leg and keeps it going in April 2026 with concerts in Australia.

And Throgmorton says more announcements are on the way, especially with the resources behind Pierce The Veil’s new agents. The band revealed to Pollstar that they have signed with Creative Artists Agency for representation in all territories except Europe and the United Kingdom, an organic transition for the band having met Darryl Eaton, CAA’s co-head of global touring, multiple times over the past few years.

Fuentes and Preciado were surprised to hear stories about Eaton, who created Warped Tour alongside Kevin Lyman, and they were friends before becoming partners.

“He would come to our shows and celebrate the wins and support us,” Fuentes says. “He came into our lives at a moment when we needed him the most, and he was just a positive figure. When it came time to work with a new agency, it was a no-brainer that he could fill that role. … I think we’re more grateful than anything that he was around, and this all worked out because we really needed somebody we could trust.”

Preciado adds, “It was like two degrees of separation with him. [Eaton] was just there. I didn’t know he was the main booker for Warped Tour. So, he was in our lives whether we knew it or not.”

A successful global tour, signing with a major agency and being billed at the top of posters promoting notable festivals are just the beginning for resurging Pierce The Veil, whose milestones over the past year have taken them out of the “under the radar” category and cemented them as a legitimate touring act. The wave of success, however, doesn’t faze the band, especially under the guidance of Throgmorton. The experienced manager says the band isn’t resting on its laurels, and he’s expecting much more in 2026 and beyond.

“I think it all says that the band has arrived and they are a mainstream headline act,” Throgmorton says. “I think next year, you’re going to see them as a festival headliner, and that’s where it breaks open.”

Having played blink-182 and The Strokes before their sets in major festivals, that breakthrough is just around the corner.