August 12th, 2021
Stir Cove, Harrah’s Casino – Council Bluffs, Iowa
Gates at 6 pm, Show at 7:30 pm.
Tickets $45 – $65 at www.ticketmaster.com
The Better Life 20th Anniversary Tour
- 3 Doors Down
- Seether
Its been a long time coming for a few thousand people who walked through the gates of Stir Concert Cove. Because of the Covid19 Pandemic of 2020 effectively shutting down touring bands, 3 Doors Down’s 20th anniversary tour of their debut album, The Better Life, would have to wait for 2021. After over a year without a concert at Stir, and 3 Doors Down having not stopped in the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro area since 2013, fans were ready for a night of rock music. I was so excited to finally be at a concert that I didn’t even care if I was only one of a handful of people taking the pandemic seriously and wearing a face covering.
Finally being able to tour in support of their 2020 album, Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum, Seether would be heading out with 3 Doors Down for a 28 date cross country North American tour. Tonight’s stop in Council Bluffs, Iowa marked the halfway point of the tour. Most importantly, this would be my first concert in 18 months. Even more exciting, this concert would be my 14th time seeing the band live, and almost 19 years to the day of my first time seeing Seether at Ozzfest in 2002.
Its an incredible achievement for a band to not only maintain relevance for so long, but to continue to grow their fan base year after year. Having two bands of such a high caliber on tour together guaranteed this tour would be nothing less than stellar.
You would think that Seether, and 3 Doors Down would make for an odd line-up, even if the two share the overall greater rock genre. 3 Doors Down’s hometown radio rock style meshed perfectly with Seether’s genre defying garage grunge rock.
Seether’s core trio of vocalist Shaun Morgan, guitarist Dale Stewart, and drummer John Humphrey has been constant since 2003, with the band adding various guitarists over the years. The addition of former Saint Asonia and Dark New Day guitarist Corey Lowery was perfect to round out the band’s heavy style, and the crowd loved it.
Seether’s set was carefully crafted and featured fan favorites from each of their 7 releases, with highlights from their latest release. While the band cranked up the amps for Fine Again, Rise Above This, and Fake It, it was incredible to hear a few thousand people seeing along to the near acoustic version of Broken. Even though lawn chairs were allowed inside the venue, hardly anyone was seated. You could feel the energy crackling throughout the Cove as Seether hammered through a blistering 45 minute set.
As dusk slowly crept into the cove, it was time for another amazing achievement. The purpose of tonight’s show and the tour was to celebrate the 20th-ish anniversary release of 3 Doors Down’s debut album. It’s mind boggling that nearly half of my life has passed since I bought The Better Life at Sam Goody. Remember Sam Goody? We might be finally starting to show our age. I bought this album on cassette tape initially because my car didn’t have a CD player and we were still nearly a decade away from proper digital music.
The last time I saw the band, back in 2008 at KIWR’s annual festival, River Riot, I didn’t truly appreciate the history I was witnessing. That was also another show that Seether played as well.
While the band’s line-up has changed since then, the intensity of their live show has grown exponentially. Lead guitarist Chris Henderson still has an amazing stage presence, and drummer Greg Upchurch is an absolute beast to watch behind his kit. Vocalist, and sole founding member Brad Armstrong continues commands the crowd with authority.
Tonight would also be my first time seeing a band perform an album release in its entirety, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would it be like hitting play and listening to the album in my room? The short answer is no. 3 Doors Down live is an exceptional experience and listening to them play The Better Life from front to back gave me a whole new appreciation for the band. 3 Doors Down gave these 20+ years old songs new life, and hyped the crowd for over an hour. At several times during the performance, a few thousand voices united to a point that almost drown out Arnold’s vocals.
3 Doors Down, and Seether have been making music for over two decades now and are still able to put on an incredible show and even breath new life into songs we already know and love. If you get the chance, you need to see these bands live in order to truly appreciate what they have accomplished after all this time. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
