LIVE: GODSMACK / SHINEDOWN – September 28, 2018

Venue: Huntington Center

City: Toledo, OH

Date: September 28, 2018

Review and Photographs by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur (www.toddstarphotography.com)

Having caught this tour earlier in the year on the opening date in Detroit, I was excited to catch the excitement of this show once again at an indoor venue when Godsmack and Shinedown rolled through Toledo, OH bringing their hit packed show to The Huntington Center.  As with the earlier show on the tour, Shinedown took to the stage first and came straight at the crowd with an amazing one-two punch of “Sound of Madness” and “Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)” with the fun and bombast of the originals.  The foursome hit the stage and came out ready to rock with all of their friends on a Friday night.  Next up was “Cut the Cord” and an amazing rendition of “Bully” which was sandwiched with “I’ll Follow You.”  Frontman Brent Smith and guitarist Zach Myers played off each other song after song, getting the crowd amped up with each interaction, smile, and overall stage movement.  The band finally broke into new material from their latest disc when they broke into “Get Up.”  The rhythm section of Barry Kerch and bassist Eric Bass anchored the entire set, but with excitement and fun, as Bass jumped all over the place and Kerch’s dreads flew too and fro as he took control of the shows tempo from behind his drum kit.  More hits followed, but the crowd came unglued when the singer and guitarist made their way through the crowd after “Second Chance” – which got the entire crowd to its feet – and played a killer version of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” from a makeshift stage set up at the back of the arena and the duo serenaded the crowd.  After that song came to an end, the electricity in the air seemed to explode as the band ripped into the breakaway hit from the Attention Attention release, “Devil.”  After this great performance Godsmack had their work cut out for them.

After a short set changeover, the crowd was ready for Godsmack to grace the stage and deliver a rousing set of killer hits form their extensive catalog and that they did – with songs to highlight their latest release and their backlog of killer rock tracks. Wasting no time, Sully, Tony, Robbie, and Shannon ripped into a new track – the title track from their latest – and go the crowd pumped immediately. After the new song, the band jumped into the contagious rocker “1000hp” and everyone in the place could hardly contain their enthusiasm, as songs driving beat and killer riffs kept everybody pumped up. “Keep Away was next and featured a killer breakdown at the bridge that had the band ripping into a fun cover of Pantera’s “Walk” with the riff getting thousands of hands in the air pumping away at the night together. The previously controversial track “Cryin’ Like A Bitch” was next and the crowd matched the bands energy note for note. When the quartet paired up “Say My Name” and “Awake” in the set, it was as if the songs were built to be played together.  If you have never seen Godsmack live and witnessed the amazing part of the show that is “Batalla de los tambores,” you are missing out – to see Sully and Shannon duel and duet on a tandem pair of drums is beyond amazing, as they compete and complement each other from the first beat to the last. After the excitement, the bands tears into “Whatever” and follows that up with another new song, “Bulletproof” (one of my personal favorites on the new disc) and the set seems to have new life breathed into ti, even though we all know the evening is nearing the end. With just a little time left on stage, the band welcomed Shinedown guitarist Myers out on stage to join them in a rousing version of AC/DC’s “Highway To Hell” just before they close out their set and the evening with arguably their biggest hit “I Stand Alone.”  This show was exactly what this accountant needed after a busy week heading toward a stressful tax deadline… whether you need the release or just want to witness one of the better tour packages out their today, get your ticket to see Godsmack and Shinedown when they hit your area.

Godsmack Setlist: When Legends Rise – 1000hp – Keep Away – Cryin’ Like a Bitch – Say My Name – Awake – Something Different – Voodoo – Batalla de los tambores – Whatever – Bulletproof – Highway to Hell – I Stand Alone

Shinedown Setlist: Sound of Madness – Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom) – Cut the Cord – Bully – I’ll Follow You – Get Up – Enemies – Unity – State of My Head – Second Chance – Simple Man – Devil

Complete set of GODSMACK show photos HERE

GODSMACK LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

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Complete set of SHINEDOWN show photos HERE

SHINEDOWN LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries