After a successful tour across North America,
PVRIS and
Lights concluded their tour in Chicago with a nearly sold-out show at The Riv. Throngs of fans lined up outside the theatre hours before doors opened to get a front-row spot, and despite the rain, the crowds spirits were up as they ran to the barricade. PVRIS and Lights have been on tour together for the past month and have been playing their biggest hits as well as some of their b-sides. For their final show of the tour, both bands pulled out all the stops and gave incredibly energetic performances.
Lights at The Riv, 10.22.17
Lights came onstage first, dressed in one of her own band shirts and knee high socks. The Canadian artist has really pushed herself with the release of her new album,
Skin & Earth: alongside the full-length album, she designed a six-issue comic book with each issue being released up until the end of the year. Similar to Coheed and Cambria, Lights has created a concept album that reaches far beyond music; the visuals and story of
Skin & Earth are beautiful and perfectly coincide with the album. It's hard to believe that the singer/songwriter/comic book artist is 30 years old. Her waif-like frame and long red hair make her a dead ringer for a teenager at Hot Topic, yet her lyrics and stage presence make her seem like she's been doing this for decades. For her final show with PVRIS, Lights was energetic, happy, and maybe a little drunk. "We did some shots backstage," she giggled between songs, much to the delight of the crowd. "I can't believe it's our last night!" Playing her biggest hits like "Portal" and "Up We Go" as well as new songs from
Skin & Earth, Lights had the crowd dancing and singing along to every song.
PVRIS at The Riv, 10.22.17
It's hard to believe that PVRIS have only been a band for five years. Their climb to fame was incredibly quick following the release of their first album,
White Noise, in 2014. Touring with such emo rockers as Pierce the Veil and Sleeping with Sirens, PVRIS gained a lot of attention from audiences that might not listen to their music otherwise. Although they're more of a synth-pop band, PVRIS have some songs that make them feel like the perfect arena rock band. Their newest album,
All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell, was released in August of this year and has already climbed to #4 on the U.S. alternative chart. For their final show of this tour, the band opened with the first track of their new album, "Heaven", which features lead singer Lynn Gunn at the piano. Gunn shines as the band's front-woman and commands PVRIS' audience to stay in the moment. Several fans at the barricade brought rainbow pride flags for the band to hang up on their mic stands. By the end of the night, the otherwise black and white stage was adorned with color.
