Just got home... so thought i'd post about the concert last night.

Three bands were on the ticket, Lucid, Jet Black Stare and of course, Shinedown. Lucid are a local band who were called on because Red couldn't make it to this performance. So Jet Black Stare took Red's place in the lineup and Lucid was the first opening act.

Lucid, they're good for a bunch of guys past their 30's. I've heard them before since they are local and a friend of my brother is the singers daughter.

Jet Black Stare, didn't so much enjoy them. The guy came up wearing a Metallica shirt, and the lyrics made Hinder seem like Pantera. The sound was terrible. They had a 4 piece drum set (good move), but it was mixed so bad that the drums were way to high and the guitars were burried. The guitars being buried is also due to the fact that they just aren't that good. You couldn't distinguish between one guitar and the other most of the time.

Then Shinedown comes on. Me and a guy i met there took bets on what song they'd open with and we were both right. They opened with Devour, and then followed that up with Heros. The mixing was terrible in the beggining, and didn't improve too much throughout the show. The drums were way too high, and the vocals were way to low. Even for a guy with such a powerful voice, there were times where you could see him singing and giving it his all, but we didn't hear a bit of it. The vocal and drum situation improved a little throughout the night.

First thing i noticed was how fucking insane this singer is. He looked like he was possesed the whole time he was up there. He talked to the crowd a lot throughout the show. At one point, he started talking about how Shinedown has been getting more press attention. He said, it seems like amost every interview "some dumbass asks the question, well how do you feel that rock is dead?" "I don't know about him, but you guys look very much alive tonight." Which led him to start thanking the fans and saying that they would be nothing without us. He also said that we are one and the same, and he is no better than us, and we are no better than him.

They played a very strong set, and the band was pretty tight the whole night. The singer really steals the show though. He takes charge of the stage. I haven't seen a crowd that wild in that venue since the Zombie concert. They ended with 45, and then for the encore did Second Chance and Fly from the Inside. Before Second Chance, he talked about how it is their second single that will be released September 8th, and they will perform it on Jay Leno (i think) Sept 5th (know the date for sure). He also talked about how the song is about his mother and father, and how when you tell someone you want to be a singer, you get laughed at. He looked at the audience and said, "I'm not looking down on any of you. I'm looking dead at you. And i see one thing in all of you, determination, and i see a lot more determination than you think you have."

Before If You Only Knew, he talked about how when he started writing, he vowed never to write any words about love, because he built up walls all the way around him. Then he said, "Well around January of writing this record, i got a call from my now fiance, and she asked, "How would you feel to be a father?" and i told her, i don't know, i've never felt that way. Well now i have an 8 month old beautiful daughter. This song is about her and my future wife."

Another highlight was the extra stuff the added onto their songs. Before Save Me, they added this whole little jam, with singing, that explained the story of the song a little more. Before 45, he talked about his love of stars, and how that comes from his mother. He talked about how when his mother passed away, she told him that she would never really be gone. That whenever he saw just one star in the sky, he could look up at it and know that it's her, and she's looking down on him. Then he dedicated the song to anyone who ever lost someone, and told us to look up at the stars and know that they are looking down on us, and they are proud.

He dedicated I Dare You to all the service men and women who are overseas, and all their family in the audience that night.

If these guys come near you- GO FUCKING SEE THEM!

I know i will be seeing them again. I got sick part way through and had to move out from the middle of the floor to the side so i didn't throw up on anyone. If their tour comes anywhere near me, i'm going. Especially since they are going on tour with Avenged Sevenfold and Buckcherry in October. 

Pics and possibly 2 crappy video clips to follow.