Connecticut started out the holiday with a bang on July 3, playing to a sold out crowd at the Oakdale Theater. People came out early to catch openers Adelitas Way, who came on stage early and played a too short set of 5 songs. They opened up with The Collapse off of their most recent release, Home School Valedictorian. The rest of their set featured songs from the new album. Singer Rick DeJesus performed as he would a headlining show. He gave to the audience what he got–a lot of energy. Following their set the band headed to the merch booth to take pictures and sign autographs for a seemingly endless line of fans, both old and new.
Hundreds flocked inside when Papa Roach came out early, allowing them a longer set. The heavy bass beginning of Getting Away With Murder sounded as people ran to their seats, before erupting into heavy riffs and a maniacally energetic Jacoby Shaddix sprinting across the stage to hype everyone up. Despite struggles with losing his voice, Jacoby powered through, missing a few lines to gulp down some water. This was easily the worst Papa Roach performance I have seen, but that is by no means an insult. Those that had never before seen the band live loved it, proving that these guys are one of the best live bands out there in rock today. If they can get a crowd going at their worst, they are incredible at their best. Their set included hits Forever, Scars, and Last Resort, during which Jacoby ran through the seating sections to get everyone standing. They closed with Between Angels and Insects from their debut album Infest, the heaviest song of their set. The audience went crazy, not needing the usual request to go insane when the chorus hit.
Shinedown were on stage next to headline a great night of music. The lights remained dim as they began the pounding drums for Sound of Madness. When the chorus came, the lights came up and the show really began. Singer Brent Smith’s vocals are impressive, and if possible, even better than they are on their albums. The majority of their set came from their new album Amaryllis, including Enemies and Unity, during which the line ‘put your hands in the air if you hear me out there’ left not a single person with their arms crossed. They also included their cover of Simple Man, slowing it down for a moment with an acoustic rendition. Their encore closed the show with Second Chance and Fly From the Inside, an old song fans screamed out requests for countless times throughout the night.
Check out shots from the show below:
