October 8, 2019
Myth in Maplewood, MN
Photos by Brett Zisler
Tonight was a perfect example of why these co-headlining tours work and are successful. Not only did each band bring it a little harder, they make each other shine stronger. ALTER BRIDGE is an arena headlining band in Europe and I still can’t believe they aren’t here while SKILLET proved they are running full force towards headlining arenas in the very near future.
SKILLET came out to a thunderous roar from the near capacity crowd. It’s hard to stand still when “Feel Invincible” comes on and it got the crowd going just as crazy as the band. It’s hard to top the energy that Skillet leaves on the stage. John Cooper running around like a madman with or without bass in hand. I’m surprised Jen Ledger’s drumset didn’t collapse for as hard as she was pounding the drums. Korey and Seth both commanded the stage with a confident swagger. John did a well-executed karate kick right in front of Seth that made Seth bust out laughing – it was so good Chuck Norris would’ve stopped in his tracks to give a nod of approval. I still love seeing a band on stage that makes each other laugh and their set was full of all that and more.
SKILLET is currently getting a huge look from WWE as they are using “Legendary” as the theme for Monday Night Raw this season and even better SKILLET themselves show off their live show in the opening along with clips from various wrestlers. The crowd sang along to the chorus just as loud for “Legendary” as they did any of the other hits from their catalog. “You Ain’t Ready” went over extremely well towards the beginning of the set as SKILLET perfectly paced the new songs in between all the songs the crowd knew and loved.
I caught SKILLET with LACEY STURM back in March and not to take anything away from that special show that we got to see – but there’s an undeniable infectious energy when these 4 get on stage together that made an incredible difference between the two shows. When Jen came out from behind the kit for “Hero” there was definitely a huge difference between the two shows as the crowd was even louder at that point. While we didn’t “Rebirthing” on this tour, you can’t deny “The Resistance” as being an epic show closer. If you were holding anything back during the show, “The Resistance” was your chance to leave it all at the Myth. I can only imagine the band needing a few minutes to catch their breath after that performance.
ALTER BRIDGE threw the show in to high gear right out of the gate with “Wouldn’t You Rather” from their forthcoming Walk the Sky record. Myles Kennedy has one of the best voices in the rock scene. Mark Tremonti was throwing out the riffs like candy on Halloween. Brian Marshall laid down some seriously thick bass grooves and Scott Phillips commanded the drums with incredibly tight precision. Interestingly, Myles kept to stage left and only went to center stage every once in a while during the show. Like Skillet, everyone in this band is an essential piece to making this band the force to be reckoned with that they are.
Hearing “Rise Today” again live, I scratch my head as to why that wasn’t a bigger song for them and it sounded huge live today. “Addicted to Pain” goes over massive and “Take the Crown” is even better live than on record.
The crowd erupted when Myles started the beginning of “Blackbird” which led in to a phenomenal showcase with “Metalingus”. It’s always a trip when you hear a song that you forgot they do and then you really get excited about it with the show closer “Open Your Eyes”.
ALTER BRIDGE left the stage with an incredibly strong 70 minute set that left the entire crowd wanting more. I personally can’t wait to see what they do when they come back around – give me “An Evening With” show and you can take my money right now.
DIRTY HONEY had a well-crafted 6 song set that included everything on their EP that’s out now and just recently released on vinyl. The band itself has improved greatly in the 5 months since I saw them at Sonic Temple in Ohio. Marc Labelle is an undeniable front man who seems even more confident. Guitarist John Notto threw out some crunchy goodness on the guitar. While bassist Justin Smolian and drummer Corey Coverstone kept a super tight groove.
I saw a lot of people go from brushing them off to really digging their sound by the end of their set. There’s a reason why this band has the #1 rock radio track with “When I’m Gone” currently. It’s an ear worm and they’re following it right up with another one in “Rollin’ 7’s”. It’s a perfect way to end the show as it’s the strongest songs in their catalog thus far. They are putting in the work and grinding it out on the road to what should translate into a very solid debut full length. Keep an eye on this four piece!
If anyone still thinks Rock is Dead, you clearly aren’t paying attention – check out this bill of SKILLET, ALTER BRIDGE and DIRTY HONEY and change my mind.
SEE MORE OF BRETT's SKILLET PHOTOS HERE!
SEE MORE OF BRETT's ALTER BRIDGE and DIRTY HONEY PHOTOS HERE!
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