I have seen Shinedown twice
before. Both, during their tour cycle supporting their album "Attention,
Attention". One was a headline show at the very venue I saw them in
tonight. The other was a special support slot supporting Alter Bridge at
the Hydro in Glasgow. I wasn't really sure if I would go this evening as
I'm eager at the moment to go and see bands I haven't seen. But at the
same time, I had such a great night the times I did go and see them, I thought
why not go and see them again.
The night didn't get off to the
best of starts as we didn't get to see the first support act unfortunately.
We literally walked in as they were playing their last song. This was due
to a mix up at the restaurant where someone had charged an extra 7 pints to our
table, so took a bit of time to get sorted out. When we got to the O2
Academy though the place was already rammed, but we found a nice spot on the
second level of standing which you get a good view of the stage from.
The second support act tonight
was Asking Alexandria. Although there was no sign of anyone called
Alexandria so my questions, I had prepared were gone to waste :-P. Joking
aside it felt like they were a metalcore band that have taken the same journey
as many who started in the late 2000s. The band formed in 2006 and
released their debut in 2009. They have now released 7 studio albums and
have moved away from metalcore into alternative metal where the vocals are
delivered a lot more clearly. Much like the direction bands like Bring me
the horizon and Architects have gone. I thought they were ok but didn't
really grab me as much as those bands. They did have quite a lot of diversity in their songs
during their short set which I think presented the issue where when you try to
please everyone, there maybe won't be many who appreciate the set as a whole.
Which is the category I fell in really.
Shinedown ended up being on for
about 2 hours, but it didn't feel like it all. The time flew by. I
do joke that going to see Shinedown is like going to therapy. I know many
people would argue all music is therapy. But until you go to a Shinedown
show you won't truly understand what I mean. Lead singer Brent Smith
really connects with the audience. And his speeches in between songs are
all about mental health and positivity. There was an especially touching
speech before this year’s landmark single for them "Daylight" which I
think is one of the best songs of the year.
The set list was
interesting. Not surprisingly a quarter of the set list came from new
album Planet Zero with 5 songs. They did say it was a special anniversary
for their debut album "Leave a whisper" of 20 years and they would
celebrate by playing songs off the album. But they only played
"45" and the bonus acoustic cover "Simple Man" which I was
perplexed about as I thought they would play more. But they did play a a
lot of my favourites from "Sound of Madness", "Amaryllis",
"Threat to Survival" and "Attention, Attention". So,
all in all can't complain at all.
Overall, a superb gig and
thanks to Campbell and Craig for the company.
Photos by Campbell Hunter
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