Concertgoers in Phoenix, AZ gathered for a multi-generational genre spanning evening filled with country music storytelling, alternative-rock/post-grunge grit and unapologetic hard rock in your face sounds. Doors opened to eager fans lined up, urging to breach the doors to escape the heat outside and fill the venue. Chatter and excitement filled the lobby and as fans entered the seating floor they were greeted with a stage setup that showed them how close the artists were about to get; “psst… spoiler alert… pretty damn close”.
The beauty of music is the unique imagery that each individual person paints in their mind when they are listening and are immersed in a song; Morgan Wade does just this. Morgan Wade doesn’t just perform, she tells stories that you can visualize and feel the emotions behind the music. Her set was short but impactful, reaching into the hearts of the crowd with her rock n’ roll style and powerful lyrics as exemplified by the song “High in Your Apartment” off the album The Party Is Over (recovered). In addition to her starting performance, Morgan Wade performed songs such as “Roses”, “Meet Somebody”, “The Night”, “The Party Is Over” and a cover of Radiohead’s “Creep”.
With fans swooning over Morgan Wade and her performance, they prepare a new brush to paint with as the lights dim and silhouettes take the stage. An atmospheric sound creeps through the arena as Bush begins their performance with the song “Scars” off their album I Beat Loneliness. In an instant the song shifts, and the lights shine throughout the venue lighting up the crowd and the band. The crowd is pulled into Bush’s set dancing, jumping, cheering as they perform songs off their generational spanning catalog. Songs such as “Machinehead”, “The Chemicals Between Us”, “The Land of Milk and Honey”, “Swallowed”, “Heavy Is the Ocean” and “Glycerine”. Not only was the Phoenix crowd lost in the energy of the music, so was lead singer Gavin Rossdale who couldn’t help but join in the dancing as well as showing excitement to the fans as he ran down the catwalk singing to the people in the pit. This energy for Gavin Rossdale forced him into the stands running up the stairs to the crowd making a lap through the arena all the way back to the stage.
With the crowd engaged and prepped, they wait in anticipation for Shinedown to take the stage. The venue is filled with fans ready to give their all to the band of the evening. The crowd tightens in the pit as the light dims and a man with a TV for a head is led out to the stage by two cloaked figures. Standing facing toward the crowd, the face of the TV is then turned on and the man begins to dance. The crowd cheers on the figure on, then a loud thud hits the venue, the house lights turn off and the light wall turns on mirroring what is seen on the face of the figure; random channels followed by static. An ominous feeling spreads across the venue as the TV figure stands still and is led out. Shinedown greets the Phoenix fans with a song Dance, Kid, Dance.
Shinedown’ s set is a pyrotechnic light show followed by some hard-rock heavy bass drum beats that thump’s every inch of your body. Shinedown proved to Phoenix that they are high class performers with a production that matches the energy and the music. The fans showed their appreciation to Shinedown through loud cheers, singing along and throwing the rock ‘n’ roll horns into the air. Shinedown performed fan favorite songs such as “Cut the Cord”, “Devil”, “In Memory”, “Get Up”, “Planet Zero”, “Sound of Madness” and “Second Chance” to name a few. As well as throwing in a couple covers songs in the mix, such as the song “Purple Rain” by Prince and the classic southern-rock ballad “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
The Dance, Kid, Dance tour was a little of everything but a lot of energy, love and well-made memories for the fans.
Shinedown
Bush
Morgan Wade
Coverage/Photos By: Julius Aguilar
