Shinedown, Papa Roach, Asking Alexandria
ATTENTION! ATTENTION! Tour 2019
Pinnacle Bank Arena
Lincoln, Nebraska
March 15th, 2019
When you have 3 of the most energetic, professional, and talented bands touring together, how can you not expect to have a stunning live concert experience?
Asking Alexandria, winding down the tour cycle for their most recent album, focused their set on that album and why wouldn’t they? The band has matured since their debauchery filled younger days and have grown into one of the strongest bands currently touring. Since the return of vocalist Danny Worsnop, the band has been moving away from their initial screamo-metalcore style and transitioned into a rock and heavy metal style that had opened their music up to thousands of new fans.
The band’s music has matured just as much as these guys have. I think their self titled album is their best release so far, and it was great to hear how well their older music transitioned so perfectly into their new cuts. “Eve” and “When the Lights Come On” are two of my favorite tracks, and they are bombastic to hear in a live setting. Worsnop even used this tour to try some new vocal tricks and arrangements to keep their older tracks “Death of Me” and “Run Free” fresh.
I’ve been lucky to have seen the band several times over the past decade, and it’s great to see just how much these guys have improved. Their stage presence is immense. Whether playing in front of a thousand last year during their headlining gigs, several thousand like tonight’s show, or tens of thousands at Northern Invasion or the Mayhem Festival, Asking Alexandria know how to get your attention, and keep it during their live set.
Papa Roach are a band who just don’t know when to quit. These guys have been shattering expectations for two decades, and are showing no signs of slowing down. From the moment they took the stage, Papa Roach had the crowd firmly in their grasp. For over an hour, the band smashed through fan favorites and their heaviest tracks, all the while with thousands of voices singing along to every word.
By the time Papa Roach took their final bow, the expectations for tonight’s show were already at an astronomical level. Leave it to Shinedown to blow the crowd’s minds and raise those expectations even higher.
From the curtain drop and pyrotechnics of “Devil” to the closing chords of “Brilliant”, Shinedown know how to put on one helluva live show. For nearly two hours, these guys pelted the crowd with hit after hit after hit, and left them wanting more. Its been almost 13 years to the day from my first time seeing the band live, and these guys haven’t lost an ounce of their grit.
Most importantly though, these guys look like they’re having fun while on stage. Touring isn’t just a job for them. They’re not up there sweating their asses off because they have to, they’re up there because they want to be. Shinedown could have easily crafted a generic set from their hallowed catalog of hits, but they chose the songs that would invoke the most visceral reaction out of the crowds.
This leg of the tour found the band switching it up and adding “Amaryllis”, “Call Me”, and “Monsters” to their already massive setlist. If tonight’s performance proved anything, its that Shinedown have secured their place among the annals of the greatest rock bands to ever take a stage.