Periphery is scheduled for Boeing Center at Tech Port this Friday, Nov. 13, on a bill that pairs the band's metal-and-electronics mix with Australian prog metal and two other openers.
Guitarist Misha Mansoor spoke with the San Antonio Current's Mike McMahan by Zoom from his home in Los Angeles ahead of the date. The Current lists a 6:30 p.m. start, a $54.84 price, the venue at 3331 General Hudnell Drive, and the phone number (210) 600-3699.
The Friday Bill
The venue lists Ne Obliviscaris, the Australian prog-metal act, alongside Greyhaven and Ando San. Its event page identifies the show as part of the A Pale White Dot US Tour.
The listing establishes the bill and date, but the show is still two days away; it does not say how the night will unfold.
From Air Base to Event Center
According to Port San Antonio, community leaders transformed the former air base into an industrial complex in 2001. Its timeline says Boeing Center opened in 2022 as a 130,000-square-foot center for innovation.
A Sound With No Fence
Periphery formed in Washington, D.C., and its members have played together for two decades, according to the Current’s interview with Mansoor. He described the band’s aim as making music that is not confined to metal or melody.
Mansoor pointed to the self-titled debut as a statement of that range: "There's everything from extremely heavy, death metal-ish and black metal-ish parts, to electronic, beautiful poppy parts and clean stuff," he said.
The Current also highlights vocalist Spencer Sotelo’s role in that contrast, describing his harsh vocals as formidable and his clean singing as central to the band’s melodic identity.
Mansoor told the Current that Periphery is often associated with the early djent scene and suggested the band’s use of electronics may have influenced other artists. He cited the rhythmic complexity of intelligent dance music and drum and bass, as well as Meshuggah and Aphex Twin, among his interests.
From Shared Songs to a Lonely Record
Periphery has also varied how it builds its records. On the 2014 Clear EP, each member contributed a song; the 2015 release Juggernaut was a narrative-driven double concept album.
A Pale White Dot arrived in May with loneliness as its central theme, the Current reports. Mansoor did not detail the studio process behind the change in the published interview.
Feel Instead of a Chart
Mansoor told the Current that the band does not chart or transcribe its songs for live performances, relying instead on feel. The playing can vary from night to night, he said, and usually takes a few shows to settle into what the musicians want; after about a week on tour, the band typically reaches what he described as performance autopilot.
Mansoor also emphasized drummer Matt Halpern’s role in shaping the performance, describing his work as both technically demanding and musical.
The Current’s concert listing gives Friday’s start time as 6:30 p.m. at 3331 General Hudnell Drive, with tickets at $54.84 and the venue phone number at (210) 600-3699. The band’s account suggests the songs may not sound exactly the same from one show to the next.
