READING, PA—Shinedown, Three Days Grace and P.O.D played an action-packed show at the Sovereign Center.
P.O.D opened things up with “Lost In Forever.” Their set was good for the most part, but there were a few things that cast a shadow over it. The first was the fact that lead singer Sonny Sandoval, at times, was almost screaming the lyrics and at one point, spit on stage. I found that gross and vulgar.
Three Days Grace came out opening with their hit song “Chalk Outline,” but really struck a chord with the audience on their third number, “Pain,” for which they received great audience participation. The stage had a futuristic, post-nuclear war look and there were flames coming out of trashcans.
On “High Road,” fill-in lead singer Matt Walst and drummer Neil Sanderson were very much in sync. Bassist Brad Walst (Matt’s brother) and lead guitarist Barry Stock were dead-on and very active the entire show.
A highlight of the set was a piano and drum solo. Touring keyboard player Dani Rosenoer tickled the ivory.
Their set closed out with “Never Too Late,” “Break Stuff” (Limp Bizkit cover) and “Riot.”
Shinedown opened up with drummer Barry Kerch on stage and lead singer Brent Smith, guitarist Zach Myers and bassist Eric Bass in the crowd performing “Enemies.” The band then reunited on stage, as they were all dressed to impress in suits (except Kerch) to bang out “Devour” and “Unity.” Those two songs ignited the rest of the concert. Between the strong vocals, sweet guitar licks, booming drums and a great video presentation, the crowd was stoked.
“The Crow And The Butterfly” was acoustic and Smith really shined on this song. “Save Me” had some bad (but good) basslines. At one point, Smith got philosophic about rock ‘n’ roll.
“How many times has it been there for you when you needed it most? It’s a way of life,” Smith stated.
Fans really seemed to agree with what Smith was saying, and the rest of the show was amazing. Cascading fireworks were included as the show ended with “Sound Of Madness,” “Second Chance,” and a medley of tunes including “She Talks To Angels,” “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Simple Man” (Skynyrd cover) and “Bully.”
Shinedown have a chance to be special, and they seem to be on the rise with no end in sight.
