Another Eternity: A Night With Purity Ring at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, WI
Photo by Tyler Dennen
By Madalyn Dellenbach
I remember back to my high school days when I first discovered who Purity Ring was. They first caught my attention in 2012 when they had released their track Ungirthed. To say I was completely captivated would be an understatement. From the atmospheric melodies, to their raw, poetic lyrics - they have this way of resonating with you long after listening, giving you this feeling that their music was unlike anything you had ever heard in your entire life. I immediately found myself listening to them in my car every morning on my way to school, and even on those late night drives to nowhere in particular just to clear my head. Before I knew it, they became a very important element in my life, becoming not just my favorite artists - but my rock and my safe haven.
After many hours spent in my room watching live performances and interviews, I found myself dreaming of the day I would be able to make one of their tour dates in Milwaukee. Finally, in 2016, I saw they announced their Another Eternity Tour with the other supporting artist Lydia Ainsworth. I had to go. Despite not having much money in my bank account, I knew that whatever Purity Ring had in store for me was priceless. My partner and I both bought tickets the night they announced the tour and anticipated the day of June 1st show at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee.
June 1st. At last - I woke up completely energized and full of anticipation. I had been waiting for this moment for five years; I was finally going to experience Purity Ring’s live performance in person. Before hitting the stage, the first thing that caught my eye upon walking into the theater was their gorgeous stage set up. Lights were strung vertically in rows that went all the way up to the ceiling and dropped down to the floor, illuminating the entire stage. In the center was the setup for Corin - a full set of interactive light cocoons so that when he tapped on them, they lit up different colors and cued whatever sounds he wanted them to make during their set. The amount of effort they put into their stage production was beyond admirable and completely amplifies those same feelings you get when hearing their music.
When the time came for them to come on, the stage filled with smoke - the sound of people cheering and lights flickering made it feel like the room was shaking as they opened up with my favorite track off of their new album, Heartsigh. I instantly felt goosebumps take over my entire body, I threw my arms up in the air, and closed my eyes. Looking back at it now, I cannot believe how beautiful and memorable that moment was and I’m positive I was tearing up the entire set. Megan’s vocals were absolutely beautiful as she sang the entire time without a backtrack, and Corin completely killed it during the entire performance, playing those gorgeous light cocoons and dancing the entire time.
Seeing Purity Ring for the first time is something I will never forget. All of my friends surrounding me, seeing them smile, and sharing those occasional glances during songs that spoke holy shit I am so happy right now complimented the endless amounts of dancing we all did made it a completely euphoric night for everyone in the room. I left feeling so at ease, like I completed one of my biggest life missions. I will definitely be seeing them again, and if you haven’t seen or listened to them, check out a tour date near you.