PVRIS kicked off the celebrations on 10 years of their first album White Noise with a true hometown show in their native Lowell on January 10th. Usually content to describe their close-enough Boston concerts as hometown shows, this time around they attracted local and international fans alike to a uniquely cozy one-off show at Taffeta Music Hall. The fan-friendly pricing of $10 per ticket was certainly an appealing draw as well, if the distinct aesthetic of repurposed historical mills wasn’t enough. Band lead Lynn Gunn remarked with amazement to see the familiar faces of hardcore PVRIS fans gathered in her hometown, and she took time throughout the evening to comment on how overlooked and underappreciated Lowell is. She even prodded at the city’s amusingly modest slogan “There’s a lot to like,” adding “I think there’s a lot to love!” as she reiterated her joy to have gathered so many new visitors.
The concert itself retained all the energy of a typically much larger PVRIS performance, condensed into Taffeta’s 400-cap space. In fact, the enthusiasm was significantly greater than normal, given that the crowd was overwhelmingly composed of the most intense fans who had managed to snag tickets in the 2 minutes they were on sale before the sell out. PVRIS offered a refined setlist similar to their most recent tour in summer of last year, featuring a balanced mix of both old and new songs, though fittingly there was a greater sampling of White Noise tracks seamlessly woven in. As with other PVRIS setlists of late, some songs appeared in half-length form, but if the crowd was bothered by the band’s economical approach to cramming more material into the show, it wasn’t apparent. Every single song elicited loud crowd accompaniment, proving that the room was indeed packed with diehard fans. In addition to the stellar performance, the lucky audience was given a “cryptic” announcement of a forthcoming tour and re-release of White Noise featuring collaborative remixes as the 10-year celebration continues.
For the beaming superfans who made the journey out to Lowell to catch PVRIS at such a special hometown show, there was a lot to love indeed.
Check out all of Greg’s photos from the show below.
