Technical difficulties don’t deter Archers fans from a night of rock

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Thursday’s show at the Thunderbird was just the second night of Archers’ Temporary High Tour Part II. While technical difficulties plagued the early acts, the performers took everything in stride and fans showed why Pittsburgh has such a great music scene. 

The first to take the stage was Baltimore’s Dead Eyes, ahead of the release of their debut album on October 10. While their entrance was marred by an initial lack of sound, they quickly patched things up and proceeded to prime the crowd for the evening. Their heavy riffs and high energy had the crowd moving, with many fans singing along. Dead Eyes may be new to the game, but they are quickly earning fans throughout the genre.

Following Dead Eyes, Of Virtue took over. However, they too had some sound problems. While vocalist Tyler Ennis worked to get things back in order, guitarist Damon Tate and drummer Ryan Trinh kept the fans entertained, even leading an acapella rendition of “I Want It That Way” with the crowd. But once the sound sorted, Of Virtue proceeded to rock the crowd with their dual vocals, catchy riffs, and stage antics. Though their set was cut a bit shorter than planned fans were quickly swept up in the energy and left wanting more.

Picking up where Of Virtue left off, Pittsburgh frequent fliers Nerv took over. In their third local show in recent years, Nerv has built up a solid fan base willing to come back time and again. Opening their set with their recent release, “Chaos,” the band didn’t let up on the high intensity show until the very last song. A number of fans sported Nerv shirts and sang along with every song. It’s clear they will always have fans in the city.

Finally, it was time for the headliner, Archers. Veterans of the rock scene, Archers know how to work the crowd. Singer Nathanael Pulley’s broad vocal range was on point, switching from smooth harmonies to screams and back seamlessly. Meanwhile each band member showed off their talents with tight timing and balanced riffs. Fans sang along with new and old tunes, with Archers bringing vocalists from the opening bands to join them on stage late in the set. They returned for a two-song encore of fan-favorites “Blanket Fort” and “Bitter.”

All of the musicians that evening stayed to mingle and chat with fans, who were more than happy to hang out and visit the merch tables. In fact, this show really shows what makes the Pittsburgh music scene special. Despite unexpected pauses in the show and some sound hiccups, fans were patient and traded good-natured banter with the performers. Concert-goers were not hesitant about buying out shirts and records, then staying to have their items signed. It was also obvious that the bands appreciated the support and enjoyed themselves and will be welcomed back anytime.

​Review/Photo By: Aarika MacIntyre