Frank Iero and the Future Violents at the House of Blues

Rock music has always been an integral part of my life, with my childhood soundtrack consisting of bands like Green Day, My Chemical Romance, and Linkin Park. As I have grown older and my taste in music has grown more eclectic, I keep finding myself gravitating back towards rock, with Frank Iero and the Future Violents being one of the artists most often played on my Spotify these days.

  In support of their new album “Barriers”, Frank Iero has been on tour this summer (with former Thursday lead singer Geoff Rickley serving as the complementary and phenomenal opening act as a solo artist), making various stops across the country and showing the world what he’s been up to. On August 7, 2019, the band performed at the House of Blues San Diego with an energy unparalleled by many other bands I have seen. This was my second time shooting Frank Iero and my experience far surpassed my first encounter with Iero as a solo artist.

Frank Iero, formerly known for being the backup vocals and rhythm guitarist for rock band, "My Chemical Romance," is now touring for his project titled "Frank Iero and the Future Violents."

Compared to my first time seeing them, this time around Frank and the Future Violents were all wearing matching uniforms, displaying a more unified and consistent image. The group also seemed more in tune with each other compared to the first time I saw them, constantly giving each other very subtle cues and interacting with each other in the middle of songs. Everything seemed more methodical and cooperative this time around, and now that the album Barriers has been available in full for over 2 months, it was great to see the audience actually singing along to all of the songs and head banging in unison.

The group performed as one, with sounds that complemented each other and wearing similar outfits on stage.

If there was ever any doubt that Frank Iero could ever be a front man after being one of the 5 members of My Chemical Romance, then this new album and tour has proven that he is fully capable (and successful) at engaging an audience, keeping up the energy, and writing melodic, emotional, and catchy rock songs with tracks like Fever Dream, No Love, and Great Party arguably being the best on the album. I hope to get the chance to see the Future Violents again soon, and as more and more people begin to shift their perception of Iero as “the former guitarist of My Chemical Romance” to “Frank Iero the Solo Artist," I wish for nothing more than for others to really appreciate the art he and his collaborators have been cooking.

Singer Geoff Rickley opened up for Frank Iero and the Future Violents for their show at House of Blues San Diego.

Written by: Alex Vasquez

Photos by: Alex Vasquez