On October 17th Bullet For My Valentine finally made their return to Pittsburgh after many years. Their show was held at Stage AE with support from Of Mice & Men and Vended.
Kicking off the show was the Iowa based metal band Vended. They are most well known for the group’s frontman Griffin Taylor, the son of Slipknot’s Corey Taylor. Simon Crahan, the bands drummer, is also the son of Slipknot’s Shawn Crahan. The bands other members consist of Cole Espeland (guitar), Connor Grodzicki (guitar), and Jeremiah Pugh (bass). Their set was a perfect way to get the night started as chaos immediately formed as soon as their first song began. The pit was already full for their set and over half of the audience was moshing throughout the band’s performance. Vended certainly did not disappoint as they were full of energy with incredible music, easily making them a band everyone in the room would remember.
Up next was the iconic Of Mice & Men, who have been in the scene since 2009. They formed in Mesa, California and the members consist of Aaron Pauley (vocals), Alan Ashby (guitar), Phil Manansala (guitar), and Valentino Arteaga (drums). They played songs that highlighted many parts of their history, ranging from songs off of their latest album “Tether” to old classics such as their hit “SECOND & SEBRING”. The crowd never let up during their set, especially during this song. The band visibly shared the crowds enthusiasm and smiles never left their faces.
When it was finally time for Bullet For My Valentine to take the stage, the entire venue was packed. Everyone was incredibly antsy for their set, especially after all of the anticipation built up for them from the openers. The band has been a staple in the scene for years and consists of Matthew Tuck (vocals, guitar), Micheal Paget (guitar), Jaime Mathias (bass), and Jason Bowld (drums). They kicked off their set with “Knives”, creating the highest energy of the night that never let up. The crows was incredibly responsive to the band through screaming lyrics back at the, crowdsurfing, and moshing. They played all of everyones favorites including “Your Betrayal”, “Tears Don’t Fall”, “Don’t Need You”, “Waking The Demon”, and many more. There were several times throughout their set where Tuck made it very clear how much the band loves Pittsburgh and the crowd really made them show that by the end of the night. They were supposed to end with “Waking The Demon” as they did with every show before this one, but when they threw out their setlists and got off stage very few people left and there was an overwhelming chant of “one more song!”. After this went on for several minutes, the band came back out with shocked expressions and had a short conversation trying to decide what to do. Eventually they caved in and got their instruments, playing one final song that was never supposed to be on the set. That song was “Hearts Burst Into Fire” and the crowd went absolutely insane. This was such a beautiful moment for both the band and all that were in the audience. I think I can speak for everyone when I say I’m incredibly excited for the band to return in 2025.
Live from the Pitt 