Another Eternity Tour
September 29th, 2015
The Boulder Theater
Boulder, Colorado
Purity Ring
HANA
This was, for me, the show that I never thought I’d get the chance to see. So many pieces had to fall into place to make this trip possible, and, against all odds, it finally happened. I couldn’t think of a more majestic venue than The Boulder Theater for the show to happen in.
Having HANA open on the second leg of the Another Eternity Tour was a real treat. I’ve been a fan of HANA’s music for almost a decade now. Her music as Hana Pestle was a staple on my iPod during the mid-2000’s. It was because of former Evanescence guitarist and founder Ben Moody that I was drawn to Hana’s ethereal voice.
Hana’s setlist showcased her current musical style, and focused on new music the Montana native has written. A few Japanese style umbrella’s were hung around the stage, and on either side of Hana’s keyboard. The stage lights were dimmed and Hana’s set was bathed in shades of green, purple and red. This young woman knows how to captivate a crowd. Even though very few of the fans packed into the Boulder Theater were familiar with Hana’s music, she gave everyone the chance to sing-along as she covered The Eurythmics’ “Here Comes The Rain Again”. Hana put her won spin on the classic track, and really made it her own.
Even though Hana is touring as a solo act, her stage presence far surpassed that of many musical groups currently touring now. Looping several beats, or using the drum pad on her keyboard during each of her tracks, Hana was in complete control of her music and the crowd.
In the future, hopefully she’ll add some of her older tracks into her set. As Hana’s set progressed, more and more fans packed the theater. By the time Hana had sung her last note and thanked the fans for their support, the venue had officially been sold out.
You can find Hana’s videos on her youtube page; https://www.youtube.com/user/hanapestle, and follow her on Snapchat at hanatruly.
Having already set their stage up earlier in the day, there was a brief intermission between Hana and Purity Ring’s set. An announcement was made about not using the flash on your camera or cellphone because it would interrupt the effects of Purity Ring’s stage light. The house lights burst in flashes to accentuate the point.
When the house lights dimmed, and Corin Roddick’s hedron lined DJ Booth/Drumkit burst to life for “Stranger Than Earth,” the crowd’s response was deafening. Tonight’s show would be the first of two hosted at the Boulder Theater, and we were ready for Purity Ring’s set.
To see vocalist Megan James dance and twirl around the stage as Corin Roddick controlled the music was awe inspiring. It’s difficult to put into words the level of escape that Purity Ring’s set gave their fans.
For over an hour, The Boulder Theater was a giant dance party. While the hedrons on Roddick’s DJ kit responded to his drum strikes, ceiling to floor length tear LED drop strands hung on either side of the stage and burst to life in bright waves during each song.
As James spun and whirled around the stage, the LED lights enhanced each song be blinking in order either up and down, or side to side. During several of the songs, the lights shifts diagonally in shades of green and blue, thrusting into the music like waves crashing onto the coast.
The musical journey that Purity Ring took us on was incredible. The band’s stage setup was so simple, but took on one of the most complicated light shows I’ve ever seen in a concert. I can’t imagine the time and energy it took to program the LED lights to match the keyboard and drum strikes of each track. So much could have gone wrong during their set by having such an elaborately timed light show, but the band pulled it off without a snag.
For their setlist, the played every track off of their sophomore release, Another Eternity, and half of the tracks off of their debut Shrines. Roddick even surprised the crowd by playing a portion of Belispeak ii before James stepped on stage for the album version of Belispeak. Hearing these tracks in their album order gives us a sense of where the band is evolving musically. Hearing tracks from both albums played live tells us a totally different story. The journey that James and Roddick took us on tonight was one of darkness and light, loss and redemption. The crowd responded to each track as the band had hoped they would. Swaying slowly during Obedear, Sea Castle and Stillness In Woe, and bouncing about like lunatic during Crawlersout, Dust Hymn and Heartsigh.
The highlight of the evening though came as James told the crowd that they didn’t do encores, and we would have one last chance to join the band for the party during the last two songs of the evening. The screams and cheers were deafening as Roddick struck the chords for Fineshrine, and didn’t let up until the final notes of Begin Again.
As with many of their fans, I was introduced to the band’s music through a friend. Since then, the friend and I have parted ways, but I will always appreciate him introducing me to Purity Ring. Having the chance to see the band live was spectacular and raised the bar on what I would consider to be a truly live concert experience.
Purity Ring setlist;
Stranger Than Earth
Heartsigh
Repetition
Obedear
Lofticries
Push Pull
Belispeak w/ Belispeak ii intro
Crawlersout
Bodyache
Sea Castle
Dust Hymn
Flood on the Floor
Stillness in Woe
Fineshrine
Begin Again
