Photos by Erin Christie
Synth-heavy alt rock outfit PVRIS recently migrated over to the West Coast, a sign that they’d ascended the ranks and somewhat outgrown their local surroundings. Even still, no matter where they’re based, one thing’s clear: they’ll always be a Boston band at heart, and each time they return to their hometown, it’s more memorable than the last. As part of the long-awaited tour in support of their most recent album, Use Me (released last August via Warner), the group hit the famed House of Blues Boston this time around, their show happening directly across the street from a packed Fenway Stadium, overflowing with rowdy Sox fans. As a result, a motley crew of Doc Martens-clad concert-goers and riled up baseball fans littered the sidewalk between the Kenmore Green Line stop and Landsdowne Street that night, each walking toward destinations literally a sidewalk apart, and to events that they’d no doubt been anxiously awaiting.
Once I eventually made my way through the venue doors and entered a room packed wall-to-wall with bodies, I had to take a moment to simply ogle at the fact that what I saw wasn’t a hazy fever dream of a distant memory. This was my first larger-scale outing since March of last year, and despite my lingering anxiety regarding the close proximity of the hundreds of people before me, the scene still relaxed the months-long build-up of tension in my shoulders, encouraged by the fact that that moment was proof of the industry making its way back.
When PVRIS finally took the stage later that evening, welcomed by the roar of an eager crowd, it felt like returning home after a long hiatus. It had been months since I’d set up camp in a photo pit where fans on barricade could scrutinize my every move as I darted back and forth, attempting to get the best shot I could. That said, the three-song interlude I spent just inches away from the epicenter of energy in the room felt surreal, and I welcomed the opportunity with open arms, especially considering the weight of this particular tour.
In the time since I last saw them, PVRIS have been through the ringer. With experiencing a tricky lineup change just before the release of Use Me, lead vocalist Lynn Gunn took initiative and stepped forward as the sole creative force behind the project, choosing to no longer downplay her role and let others take credit for her art. Despite facing an unbelievable amount of pressure given her current circumstance, she gripped the reins without a second’s hesitation, a testament to not only her unwavering strength in the face of adversity, but her confidence in herself as a creative. All things considered, this tour essentially serves as a reintroduction to PVRIS, and it’s fitting, then, that Lynn would step forward with such finesse, knowing that these dates mark the beginning of a new chapter wherein she has unadulterated control.
Silhouetted by pulsing strobes, Lynn made the stage her bitch that night, controlling the evening’s unfolding performance with the grace of a skilled puppetmaster. While bassist Brian MacDonald — who has been an integral part of PVRIS from the very beginning — still plays a huge part in terms of translating their material into a live setting, she takes center-stage, both literally and figuratively, and she’s clearly at home in the glow of a spotlight. As she and the band launched into deep-cuts from PVRIS’ first record and seamlessly slipped back into newer material, it was also clear that though PVRIS itself has grown and changed over time, they’ve been pro’s at releasing utterly entrancing material from the very start, and Lynn’s captivating stage presence — defined by her ability to traverse between razor-sharp siren calls and aggressively delivered quips, drenched in emotion — was as evident as ever.
In addition to a killer setlist of spine-tingling hits, the evening also hosted a fair share of heartwarming moments, having been a hometown show, after all. An age-old tradition, Lynn directed a question at the Boston crowd, calling back to dozens and dozens of hometown shows from years past: “Chunky or Smooth?” (that night, smooth PB came out on top). Later, she led the room in singing “Happy Birthday” to her father, who sat with the rest of the bands’ loved ones on the balcony. Small moments such as these were a reminder of the community that is fostered via music in general, with live shows serving as an environment wherein listeners can stand shoulder-to-shoulder and sing along to the songs they know by heart, and musicians can truly connect with the people that support them. Especially after such a long time away from environments such as this, it was moving to not only see such a powerful live performance, but to also witness the joy emanating from the crowd throughout the evening.
Ultimately, welcoming back live music with a band that has overcome so much and that I have quite literally grown up with — I started listening to them all the way back when they released their first single! — was the ultimate pick-me-up, the culmination of everything I’ve been missing for the last year and a half. Throughout the fall, bands will continue to shake off the dust and perform live for the first time in over a year, and my heart rate is already quickening at the thought of experiencing something like this again. Live music is truly such a remarkable phenomenon, and it’s a relief to see it slowly but surely becoming a regular part of life again.
