CAMDEN, NJ—The 2015 MMRBQ featured a ton of talent for an all-day event. The bands featured were Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, Stone Temple Pilots, Breaking Benjamin, Seether, Halestorm, The Pretty Reckless, Rival Sons and Cold Roses. Here are some of the highlights:
Halestorm
They opened up with “Loves Bites.” The song had a gritty, hardcore sound and a great tempo. Lead singer/guitarist Lzzy Hale had a leather coat on in muggy 80-degree weather and she was cool.
Joe Hottinger was tremendous on the lead guitar and Josh Smith on the bass. Drummer Arejay Hale was the engine. They continued on with “Freak Like Me,” “It’s Not You,” “Amen” and “Scream.” They closed things out with “I Get Off,” “Apocalyptic” and “I Miss The Misery.” They worked up the crowd into a lather with a 100% pure adrenaline set.
Seether
The band Seether has a lot of fans in the area and they were boisterous. The group had a very solid, consistent sound. They opened up with “Gasoline,” and then they played “Fine Again.” The next song was “Broken” and the crowd sang along with lead singer, Shaun Morgan, shining on guitar as well. Dale Stewart was terrific on the bass and John Humphrey accentuated a great set. They closed things out with “Remedy.”
Breaking Benjamin
There was a lot of buzz for Breaking Benjamin. They opened up with “So Cold” and the audience knew every word. For “Unknown Soldier,” they honored service men and women. A classy thing to do.
On the song “Blow Me Away,” the guitar work of Jasen Rauch was tight and the vocals were terrific all set long thanks to Benjamin Burnley.
After that there was a covers medley and “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The Nirvana hit was very well-received.
After this set the weather got iffy and there was a lengthy rain delay. Many people got wet, including me!
Stone Temple Pilots
Now the show was heading into the unknown since Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington was now replacing Scott Weiland on lead vocals for a legendary band.
Chester was sharp during the opener “Vasoline” and the superb drumming of Eric Kretz was evident. “Wicked Garden” was next and during “Sex Type Thing,” both Dean and Robert DeLeo shined.
During the 14-song set, Bennington had time to hug some fans in the pit. The song “Down” really jazzed up the crowd and the band closed it out with “Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paperheart,” “Piece Of Pie” and “Dead And Bloated.”
As rigor mortis was setting in for me, my night was over. The show was a huge success for anybody who bought a ticket. The weather was mostly good and the vibe was peaceful.
