It's been a while since GameDay made its way to a rock concert, but with the Carnival of Madness tour coming to Mohegan Sun Wednesday night, there was no better time to change that fact. It didn't hurt that Shinedown, one of GameDay's favorites, was the headliner. With 10 Years, Sevendust and Puddle of Mudd also on the show, there was no reason not to make the trip up to Uncasville. And five hours after the opening song, the trip was well worth it as the show was completely awesome. If you take out the performance of Puddle of Mudd, the show was on another planet - it was that good.
After 10 Years, Sevendust and Puddle of Mudd played their sets on the half-stage, Shinedown took control of the show, taking over the entire stage and playing the big rock event that everyone hoped for. The band opened the show playing "Sound of Madness" in shadow form as they were behind a huge white screen. As the song takes off, the screen drops and the band rushed the edge of the stage to thunderous cheers from the packed house at the Mohegan Arena. Lead singer Brent Smith wasted no time putting his stamp on the performance, rushing out dressed in a cross between a carnival barker and Willy Wonka, complete with top hat and cane. It was totally unexpected, but everything about it worked perfectly. There was no question that Smith and the band were the headliners.
For two hours, Shinedown played everything everyone wanted to hear, and a bunch of other songs that were fan favorites that don't get radio play. Smith played to the crowd like he was the leader of the carnival, never forgetting that the fans are the reason why Shinedown is what they are and the reason they were on stage that night. That was his main mantra on the night. It may sound easy to thank the fans for being there, but when you can tell the band cares, it takes them to a whole new level. Shinedown and Sevendust had that down-pat and probably won over fans that were there to see other bands. Puddle of Mudd, on the other hand, should take lessons from their show mates, because they had no connection during their set. It wasn't surprising that they gave the worst performance of the night, seemingly going through the motions. But we'll get back to them in a bit.
I can't say enough about the performance Shinedown put forth ... it was the best rock event that I've seen in person. If you get the chance to catch them, do it, because you won't be disappointed. And there's a chance you might get to see the lead singer up close, whether you're in the front row or in the upper deck. During the show, Smith left the stage and walked around the entire arena, even going up into the seats to greet fans. He then made his way to the middle of the thousands of fans on the floor and had everyone scream in unison. Pretty cool to hear.
After Shinedown finished up their "first ending," nobody left and just made a good amount of noise before they came back out for an encore. It didn't take long. Shinedown played three more songs, "Simple Man," "Fly From The Inside" and "Second Chance" before ending the show with a full-band bow to the crowd.
Just an amazing performance. I had big expectations for the band and they exceeded every one of them. I left the arena completely blown away, and there's nothing better than that feeling.
The first band to take the stage was 10 Years, a relatively new band on the map. Probably heard about 75 percent of the show, as the band went on around 6 p.m. Overall a very good performance. 10 Years does have a couple of songs that get plenty of radio play, so that was a definite plus for them. Expectations weren't high, so it was easy to exceed them, and they did. And there's something to be said about that. The big highlight was the live performance of the band's new single "Shoot It Out," which was way better live than it is on the radio. Overall, a very good performance.
Next up was Sevendust, the heaviest band on the bill. Nothing against 10 Years, because they did their thing, but Sevendust was on a whole new level. I wrote on Twitter last night that Sevendust killed it, and they did. Not only did the band hit on all of their songs, rocking the crowd with ease, but you can tell that these guys genuinely care about their performance and care about the fans. Lajon Witherspoon, the lead singer, was awesome, not only on vocals, but interacting with the crowd. The interaction during a live show is key to a band connecting with the audience and can make or break a performance. The best thing I can say about Sevendust was the fact that my friend came in not looking forward to them playing, but left saying he was now a big fan. That's huge. Sevendust gave the best performance of the opening acts ... by far. If you hear them live it's almost impossible not to go away impressed.
The same cannot be said for Puddle of Mudd, which was the final act before Shinedown. The set started terribly for the band as lead singer Wes Scantlin couldn't hit his notes. It got so bad that Scantlin had the guitarist sing backup through most of the rest of the set. I can't even describe how bad he sounded, it was almost too weird to be believed. He did rebound after the first song and was better on the mic for the rest of the show. The biggest problem was the crowd interaction. Puddle of Mudd really seemed like they just wanted to play their set and get back to the casino to gamble. I could be wrong, and I did ask others and they agreed, but never once did the band thank anyone in the crowd, or mention them at all. After hearing how eager Sevendust was to involve the fans as much as possible, it was even more noticeable that Mudd didn't do anything close to that. Scantlin barely talked to the crowd at all, mainly just waving both of his hands in the air at certain points. The highlight of the performance was a cover of AC/DC's "TNT," which had everyone rocking. Horrible start, good finish, but overall a down show for Puddle of Mudd. It's too bad, because they have a lot of good songs. But you couldn't enjoy it on this night. Hopefully it was just an off night and it wasn't bad enough to ruin the show at all. But I wouldn't see them again.
So, there you have it. Shinedown was awesome. Sevendust was great. Puddle of Mudd was disappointing. And 10 Years was very good. Overall, a great show and a great experience. If the show makes its way to your town, check it out, you won't be disappointed.
Week 3 of the preseason was probably one our trio of area NFL rookies would like to forget. Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez didn't play due to injury; Ravens wide receiver David Reed was targeted once, but came away without a catch; and Panthers linebacker Sean Ware (above photo) didn't show up in the stats sheet. So, yes, it was a lost weekend for the local stars.
