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 Hoobastank |
 Seether |
 3 Doors Down |
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SStory and Photos by Andy Argyrakis In an iTunes era, any band that sells sixteen million albums is indeed an anomaly, which in the case of 3 Doors Down, came as a result of tireless touring since debuting in 2000 and just about every single released between now and then cruising up the alternative charts. No, the Mississippi-bred quintet isn't reinventing the rock n' roll wheel, but thanks to heavy-handed riffs during rebellious romps and plenty of Bic-flick worthy ballads, it's impossible not to sing-a-long when the band comes on the radio.And that's the exact mood the guys set up in the spacious but jam-packed The Venue at Horseshoe Casino, which struck the perfect balance between an intimate rock club and a spacious arena given its standing room only status on the ground floor and mezzanine seating in the upper bowls. Add in an explosive sound system, plus towering production, and 3 Doors Down had no trouble dominating the sold out marathon. Though the group sought to highlight its latest CD (2008's self-titled effort on Universal), it was pretty much an even split between all four projects, starting with the gear grinding "The Champion In Me." From there, the ball breakers and ballads alternated at lighting speed, with the former earning the band more respect, but the latter category earning more mainstream attention. In keeping with that dynamic, the rowdy "Citizen/Solider" and "Duck and Run" by far overpowered the stripped down, paint by numbers approach of "Away From the Sun" and "Be Like That." Still, 3 Doors Down expanded beyond its relatively sterile studio recordings to truly interject some sizzle into the scalding "Kryptonite," which also shed light on the group's southern roots and leaned much more towards a classic '70s sound than distilled chart peers like Nickelback and Hinder. While the group has no guarantee of upholding a legacy like acts from that era, a fire blazing encore of "It's Not My Time" suggested the quintet is at least in the running. Unfortunately the same can't be said about openers Seether and Hoobastank, who despite ongoing popularity, represented what's wrong with today's the modern rock ranks. South Africa's Seether may have the hard rock/alternative metal shtick down pat for radio programmers, but the gravely "Rise Above This" and "Fake It" were both gratingly annoying and uninspired. Hoobastank was even more predictable in its dated blend of nu-metal and power balladry, with "The Reason" scoring the highest sap points of the evening and "So Close, So Far" abounding with too many clichés to count. Luckily, both bands' combined running time was still shorter than 3 Doors Down, who were by far the bill's best example of commercial viability coupled with a good old fashioned rock n' roll recollection. |
 3 Doors Down |
 Seether |
 Hoobastank |
 Seether |
 Hoobastank |
 3 Doors Down |
 Seether |
 3 Doors Down |
 Seether |
 Hoobastank |
 3 Doors Down |
 Seether |
 Hoobastank |