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pierce the veil line new rock

Hundreds of people line up to attend the free Pierce the Veil concert at Frank's Place in Downtown Fresno Wednesday. Photo by Ben Hensley

published on March 16, 2023 - 1:09 PM
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New Rock 104.1 and Frank’s Place partnered to host an intimate acoustic set for rock band Pierce the Veil on Wednesday, drawing attention, excitement and confusion for a fair amount of fans.

First announced last Wednesday via Instagram, New Rock 104.1 and Frank’s Place, located in Downtown Fresno, promoted the free event for all ages as part of the “Soundhouse Concert Series.”

Hundreds of people lined up around nearly a whole city block to see Pierce the Veil, which is preparing to embark on a world tour beginning March 27 in Guadalajara, Mexico. The last time the San Diego band played Fresno was at the Rainbow Ballroom in 2016.

There was some confusion for fans hoping to get into the show. A post from New Rock earlier this week announced lines would begin forming at 3 p.m. Despite that, concertgoers began lining up as early as 7 a.m., prompting Frank’s Place to adjust procedures on the fly, eventually reserving first-come, first-serve attendees with hand stamps.

pierce the veil
The line for Pierce the Veil began to form around 7 a.m. — long before the 3 p.m. time announced by promoter New Rock 104.1. Photo by Ben Hensley

 

“We had to find a way to pretty much calm the line down without causing a riot,” said Richard Juarez, director of operations at Frank’s Place. “We did a stamping system for the first 120 people that were actually here.”

The capacity for the event at Frank’s Place — part of the Warnors Theater complex — was set at 250 people.

Eventually, the venue had two lines to handle — one for early-arrived, stamped concertgoers and one for non-stamped guests.

“There were already quite a few people here and we weren’t supposed to line up as early as we did…so they stamped everybody who was here,” said Mystyka, a concertgoer in line for the show. “If everyone gets in and there’s still room, they’re going to let in whoever else can fit.”

The decision to branch into two lines took place at around 11 a.m. according to Mystyka.

Other concertgoers, however, claim the hand stamping started as early as 8 a.m.

“If you’re going to put out rules and a statement saying you’re not allowing camping at 3 p.m. it should stay that way,” said Selena Saiysane, who left her job at around 2:30 p.m. to claim a spot in line — a line she believed wouldn’t form until 3 p.m.

“They said that the line starts at three and that they would be enforcing that the line starts at three and that any line starting before three would not be honored,” said Devon Kurtti who also arrived around 2:30 p.m. “That is not what happened.”

Both concertgoers were not able to attend due to capacity limits.

John Ostlund, owner of One Putt Broadcasting, the parent company of New Rock 104.1, said the decision to stamp hands was not made by the radio station. Ostlund, who said the station has held more than a dozen other concerts in their “Soundhouse Concert Series,” added that the station’s options are often limited due to the fact that concerts in the series are free.

“You’ve got a national touring act coming to town; our goal is to make it as available as we can to as many people as possible,” Ostlund said. “Maybe we should do it in the Warnors Theater instead of Frank’s Place.”


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