Concert Review: American Vanity, First to Eleven Play Jergel’s in Pittsburgh

YouTube titans First to Eleven recently played an outstanding show at Jergel’s Rhythm Bar and Grill in Pittsburgh, PA. The band played a strong medley of their best cover songs backed by strong visuals and high-level fan interaction. Supporting First to Eleven was the newly rebranded American Vanity, formerly known as Burn the Jukebox, of TikTok fame.

American Vanity was originally known as Burn the Jukebox and sports one million followers on TikTok. In a surprise and sudden move, the band announced that they were rebranding to American Vanity on January 1st, to focus on a new sound and switch away from the cover song style that previously defined them. Supporting First to Eleven was the band’s first live show since the rebrand.

Unfortunately, the rebrand is not without growing pains. The band’s press contact listed on their links page on Instagram redirects to a for-sale advertisement stating Americanvanity.com is available for $8,695 as of the time of writing. The band was noticeably absent from the venue floor before the show and did not bring a merch table or actively engage with fans after the show. Prior to the show, this author would like to note that a fan who saw the setlist remarked to the author, “Where are their originals?”

Indeed, upon coming out, the band started with “Use Somebody” before proceeding into "Dear Maria" followed by "Beautiful Disaster". At this point, American Vanity deviated significantly from their posted setlist, swapping out the poppy “Everybody Talks” instead for Hole’s “Celebrity Skin”. This was a welcome change to the lineup, as Virginia’s vocal style makes for a better fit with the raw vocal styles of Courtney Love or Shirley Manson of Garbage fame. The band continued with "Even Flow," noting that it was their favorite to play. Luke Hoff showed powerful vocals during this, with the band moving on to "Sweetness" and then the Foo Fighters’ “Everlong”. The band deviated from the setlist then, opting to skip “Sex on Fire” and move straight to Radiohead’s “Creep”. “Zombie,” “Be Quiet and Drive,” and “Helena” rounded out the band’s night. Noticeably absent was the band’s original “Not Me Being Crazy” and their new upcoming single “Lifeline” (out Jan 23rd, according to the band’s social media).

First to Eleven followed American Vanity with a quick setup and brought forth tremendous energy. The quartet—consisting of Audra Miller on vocals, Ryan Zimmerman on guitar, Trevor Vogt on bass, and Sam Gilman on drums—operated with a polished precision that set the tone for the rest of the night. Lead singer Audra Miller shone with an ever-present smile and emotive eyes and hand gestures that communicated raw emotion and an eagerness to own the songs they're covering in a manner reminiscent of how Johnny Cash covered Nine Inch Nails’ iconic “Hurt”.

The seamless nature of their set is likely a result of the band's extensive experience balancing their viral cover success with their original project, Concrete Castles. Audra, Sam, and Trevor have already proven their ability to pivot identities, having successfully launched original albums and toured nationally under the Concrete Castles moniker.

Notable covers in the band’s 19-song set included Metric’s “Black Sheep,” Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8ter Boi,” Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” and Guns N' Roses’ iconic “Sweet Child o' Mine”. Fan interaction was at a high for the band with the front row of the stage filled and packed with people jamming to the music. Lead singer Audra encouraged this by holding her mic out for a fan to belt out lyrics, prompting joyous laughter from the singer that momentarily broke her composure in the best way. First to Eleven wrapped the night with a rousing cover of "Sweet Child" before packing up to meet their 10 PM end time and then gathering at their merch table to socialize and visit their fans.

First to Eleven goes on tour in March with Boyce Avenue and will be hitting legendary spots such as the House of Blues in San Diego, The Observatory in Santa Ana, and the Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix, Arizona. If you get a chance and are in the American West/South, we strongly recommend seeing them live.