Pagan Terrorism Tactics by Acid Bath

I read the band name "Acid Bath" in a Facebook discussion about "underrated bands" which caused me to do the following:

1. find the following playlist

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2. find the following review I wrote
• Paegan Terrorism Tactics - http://www.dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=6268, which all these years later made me smile. I frequently attempted to infuse some aspect of being a father into my music reviews. Not every review, but often enough to highlight being a father is the greatest aspect of my life!

25 Years Have Passed

Am I a better writer than I was when my first music review for DailyVault.com was published on 10/7/1997? Read it and decide: Sammy Hagar - Marching to Mars.

Do I Miss Writing Music Reviews?

It was on this date, in 2016, when my last music review was published on DailyVault.com: Metallica - Hardwired... To Self-Destruct. To this day, I agree with the following words:

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I know the opening title track is possibly the worst song Metallica has ever recorded. The lyrics are dismal ("We're so fucked / Shit out of luck"). The guitar solo is short and not memorable. That said, it is a short blast and it does have the energy ramped up. When it was released as the first single, my first impression was to put it as the final track. It sounded a lot like the last tune on some of their albums ("Damage Inc." on Master Of Puppets, "Dyers Eve" on Justice, and even "My Apocalypse" on Death Magnetic) because of its length and intensity.

A better opening track, though, would easily have been "Atlas, Rise!," though I hate songs with punctuation in the title. It is my favorite track.

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The Box

Jason Warburg runs dailyvault.com, which is one of the websites for which I wrote music reviews... when I did that. Yesterday, he posted The Box on his website and it is definitely worth reading. I related to the idea of having to clean out a work area because of having the misfortune of being employed in a position that had been eliminated.

Sometimes, though, it goes the other way. I'm thinking about last month, when Jason reached out to me, as he had done in prior years, to ask whether I was going to write music reviews. As you can see on this page, I am now listed in the Alumni section at the bottom of the page. Below is the redacted email conversation, but I'll offer a summary first not nearly as long as the email thread. Here it is:

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I don't have a passion for writing music reviews. I used to, I want to have it, but I don't. Given the choice between writing a music review or pretty much anything else, I am likely to choose "anything else." It makes me very sad because I experienced a lot of great things as a music reviewer. My CD collection is likely 80% promo CDs, many that introduced me to bands I cherish. I would not have been introduced to Count the Stars, Bigwig, or my beloved Bayside if I had not wrote music reviews for the years that I did. That said, I don't have the juice. I fully recognize that actions speak louder than words and promising to Jason that I will find time to write music reviews when the passion for doing so is unfair and disrespectful, in a way, to the years I actively wrote and had music reviews published on the website.

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This is the email thread:

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From: Me
Sent: Friday, April 12, 2019 1:59 PM
To: Jason
Subject: RE: Reviews 'n' stuff

Well, I think it’s finally time to put me on the alumni list. I was actually thinking about it the other day so it’s funny that you sent your query. I have had opportunities to write reviews
of the Bayside albums I haven’t reviewed
of the Shinedown / Godsmack concert last July
of the Papa Roach / Chevelle concert last August
of the Breaking Benjamin / 5FDP concert in November
of the Bayside show on January 30th, 2019
of the Shinedown / Papa Roach / Asking Alexandria concert in March

and…. Where are they?

Exactly.

It seems as though my ambition & drive to write music reviews has evaporated entirely. I also think I’ve put you off at least a couple of times, saying, “Oh yeah! I’m going to write soon!” … and that’s not fair.

In other news, there’s this going on in my life, plus my wife turns 50 in May, my daughter graduates from college in May, as do two of my nephews from high school. Somehow, I want to find time to play drums in a band. Our first gig was last night and it was the 2nd time we ever played together… so be gentle: https://www.facebook.com/koopandcompany/videos/454104305333182

Me
My blog: http://prhmusic.blogspot.com
Me Playing Drums: http://prhmusic.blogspot.com/p/videos-of-me-playing-drums.html
My Favorite Band: Bayside Gabes Iowa City 2019-01-30
Twitter: @prhmusic

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From: Jason
Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2019 5:45 PM
To: Me
Subject: FW: Reviews 'n' stuff

[snip]
So, I’m taking this opportunity to check in with a number of our writers… How are things? Any reviews cooking? Still on board for contributing writer status? Etc. Thanks for catching me up!

Best,
Jason

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From: Jason
Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2019 12:09 PM
To: dvstaff
Subject: Reviews 'n' stuff

Hi folks,

Hope everyone is well – or at least feeling better than I am after a bout with bronchitis… right now I feel like a two-year-old could probably pin me while pounding a sippy cup full of milk with the other hand. But enough about me (and my grandson).

I’m writing to all of you – yes, all – with two requests:

1. If you’ve been thinking about writing and/or finishing a review, it would be fantastic if you could find some time to do that soon.
2. If you’ve been thinking “Hey, my friend/relative/acquaintance ______ is really into music and a good writer, I should really connect them with Jason and Melanie,” it would be fantastic if you could find some time to do that soon, also.

We’ve had a good run the last few years with a nice balance of prolific and not-as-prolific writers (I’m in the latter camp) keeping things humming along. I want to say in this context that everyone on staff has been very upfront with me about what their capacity is and when they will and won’t be able to produce in the near future. Thanks for that – it is super helpful to your editor.

It’s remarkable how things can turn, though. Pete is currently taking a well-deserved break of a few weeks, and Ben has decided he needs to back off to Contributing Writer status for the time being. The thing is, that was all it took to drop us to five new reviews a week, a schedule we’re now on for the third week in a row. Not to single anyone out, and no pressure, but, ahem, in case no one else has noticed, Tom is kind of carrying us right now. That’s awesome of him, but also not really the idea here… many voices and all the variety we can muster is kind of our gig.

So: step one is me making the above requests. Step two is me posting an invitation on social media for prospective new writers to apply. In the past writers have usually found their way to us, rather than us going out looking, and almost always with serendipitous timing. I’ll continue to hope that will be the case here, but in the meantime, I’m taking these steps and will definitely appreciate any help you can offer. Take care --

Best,
Jason

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I shouldn't do a word count comparison between the number of words in my summary paragraph and the email thread because I don't want to know that the above summary is longer than the emails below.

GVF is Terrible, Per PF

There's some pointed advice about writing music reviews in this article: On Pitchfork’s 1.6 out 10 Review of Greta Van Fleet October 30th, 2018 at 9:53am Vince Neilstein

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This Poor Publicity Team... Part 02

Warning: Explicit language within!

As a follow-up to This Poor Publicity Team..., I offer another example of publicists trying to generate interest in a band by citing that the members of the new band were also members of other bands that I've never heard of. I have zero idea what these bands - Obits, Holy Fuck, the Cops - sound like or (hee hee) if they are listing two bands, the first being named "Obits" and the second being named "Holy Fuck, the Cops," which I think would be a great name. Maybe "Oh Shit, It's the Cops" and that would be even better if there was a member with a day job in law enforcement.

This Poor Publicity Team...

Throughout the years I wrote music reviews for dailyvault.com, I would receive promo CDs with a promo kit. I sincerely wish I had saved every promo kit I received as I read some whoppers. Some promo kits were structured well, tracing through a band's history to provide context for the enclosed CD, while other promo kits were so brief, there was no structure, meaning there would be a piece of paper that had a couple of sentences along the lines of "Enclosed is a CD. Hope you like it. Thanks." I admit those brief promo kits achieved their purpose and didn't need to say a lot more than that because, frankly, the enclosed CD was the resume and the promo kit was the cover letter telling me to evaluate the resume.

My point is that I would sometimes get promo kits for a band that felt like it was a resume for a high school kid who hasn't done anything! One promo kit once cited a long list of bands that the members of the current band had been a member of ... none of them ever playing outside of their city. For example, if I was promoting a band that had ex-members of Shotgun, Iowa Beef Experience, Horny Genius, Sludgeplow, and Critical Gopher, would you know any of those bands? I doubt it, but man, that promo kit acted as if I should know all of those bands and that by a former member of those bands, I should give this new band accolades. Yeah, whatever.

All that said, I truly feel sorry for New West Records, who sent me the following email. The Glands released 2 records that are out-of-print. The frontman for the group died in 2016 so they are releasing 23 tracks that use recordings he made over 20 years and the remaining members of the band did a lot of research to find the 23 tracks. All of that is said more beautifully than I just summarized it below. Will the Glands are going to become my next Bayside / Count the Stars / Bigwig / Spitalfield - all bands I discovered and adore thanks to promo kits like the one below? Time will tell.

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ATHENS, GA CULT LEGENDS THE GLANDS’ TWO-DECADES-IN-THE-MAKING THIRD RECORD DOUBLE CODA TO BE RELEASED VIA NEW WEST RECORDS ON NOVEMBER 9th, 2018 

THE BAND’S COMPLETE CATALOG TO BE REISSUED AS STANDALONE TITLES AND COMPILED IN THE LIMITED-EDITION I CAN SEE MY HOUSE FROM HERE BOX SET 

NPR MUSIC PREMIERES UNHEARD SONGS “SO HIGH” AND “ELECTRICITY” TODAY 

"...Do whatever you can to hear these records — they're ripe for re-discovery." - NPR Music

“You couldn’t make a movie about band life in the 2000’s without The Glands all over the soundtrack.”  - James Mercer of The Shins

“That self-titled second Glands album was my soundtrack for 2000 … and truly one of my favorite albums ever made by anyone, anywhere.”- Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers

“If it’s possible to wear a CD out with too much usage (it’s not) I did it (I didn’t because it’s not possible). - David Cross

The Glands by Sean Dungan 

On November 9th, 2018, New West Records is set to release the two-decades-in-the-making Double Coda, the fabled third album by the Athens, GA cult favorite the Glands, along with definitive reissues of their two long-out-of-print LPs, Double Thriller (1996) for the first time on vinyl, and The Glands (2000) featuring the band’s original 19-song sequence including 5 rare songs. Frontman Ross Shapiro passed away from lung cancer in 2016 at the age of 53, and the 23 tracks on Double Coda were compiled from recordings he had been making for nearly two decades.

Today, NPR Music premiered the video for Double Coda’s lead-off track “So High,” along with an eclectic new song called “Electricity” and a preview video of the I Can See My House from Here box set. They state, “The Glands may be the greatest band you’ve never heard of” and of Double Coda, “Like Double Thriller, like The Glands, every single one of these 23 tracks is a hit, and a testament to Shapiro’s warped-yet-grounded sensibility.” See the “So High” video and hear “Electricity,” HERE.  Standard editions of Double Thriller, The Glands, Double Coda, and the limited I Can See My House From Here box set are available for pre-order now via NEW WEST RECORDS.

The epic, 23-track Double Coda serves as the anticipated third and final record from the band, with final production overseen by founding member and drummer Joe Rowe, bassist Derek Almstead, and Glands producer David Barbe (longtime Drive-By Truckers producer and bassist for Sugar with Bob Mould).  While all three titles will be available individually across digital platforms, on CD, and standard black vinyl, also released will be the limited edition 5 LP I Can See My House From Here box set compiling the three albums exclusively on colored vinyl -- Double Thriller pressed on electric pink, The Glands on Coke bottle clear, and Double Coda on clear vinyl.  

The box set will also include a 52-page book featuring an essay by the journalist Stephen Deusner, countless unpublished photos, and testimonials written by fans, friends, and fellow musicians from Athens and beyond, including James Mercer (the Shins), actor/comedian David Cross, Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers), Ira Kaplan (Yo La Tengo), Kurt Wagner (Lambchop), Dave Schools (Widespread Panic), Joey Burns (Calexico), Tim Rutili (Red Red Meat, Califone), Andrew Rieger and Laura Carter (Elf Power), Eric D. Johnson (Fruit Bats), John Davis (Superdrag, the Lees of Memory), Vanessa Briscoe Hay (Pylon, Pylon Reenactment Society), Parker Gispert (the Whigs), T. Hardy Morris, film director Lance Bangs, Christopher Lopez (the Rock*A*Teens), the acclaimed visual artist Wayne White (whose painting is featured on the cover of the Glands’ self-titled album), and many more.  

“In many crucial ways the act of making music -- almost always surrounded by friends, usually jamming at his house on Sunset Drive -- was so much more important and rewarding than releasing that music or dealing with labels or arguing with promoters or doing interviews,” Stephen Deusner states in his essay about the band.  “Ross lived for the spark of creation… Given how meticulous he was about his music and how dismissive he was about the music industry, it’s a miracle we have those two albums at all, not to mention the third LP in this set. We lost a unique human being and a remarkable voice, a crucial thread in the pilled fabric of Athens, a man who wrote songs that were hilarious and intensely sad, witty and deeply weird: snapshots from a Southern bohemia of his own making.”  

Of the new Double Coda, band member Derek Almstead states, “As a fan of the music and as a fan of Ross, it was a labor of love to get this set out, to get as much of the music out as possible and into the ears of the people who loved him.  A lot of the material came from CD’s he’d give us at band practice, like ‘Here’s some stuff I’m working on.’ It might have the vocals buried or it might not be finished. I found the best versions of the songs and put together a three-CD set, something like sixty songs.  We whittled that down to what Double Coda is.” 

Says drummer Joe Rowe, “The three of us -- Derek, David Barbe, and me -- all did a lot of research to find everything that Ross had given us over the years.  Derek took all of Ross’s hard drives and went through them, and it turned out that there’s maybe a dozen songs that sounded like they were finished. They just needed to be mixed. Then there was some stuff that was already mixed, already finished.  The record is all the stuff we could find that we felt really confident about. It took a while. It was hard. There were some days when I just couldn’t deal with it because of Ross’s passing. It was just too heavy to think about. But most of the time I felt like I was able to push it forward, even just a little.”  

Rowe continues, “It’s been eighteen years since we’ve released anything, but in rock and roll, mystery always seems to help a little bit. There’s always been a little mystery with the Glands.” 

The Glands Double Coda Track Listing: 

1. So High

2. Pleaser

3. Electricity

4. Possibilities

5. Every Time I Listen to a Stranger 

6. Todd Work

7. Sofa

8. Clover

9. Have Your Cake

10. Piano Jazz

11. Great Waves

12. Pie

13. Rose

14. Atmosphere

15. Rufino Tamayo

16. A Boy Without a Head

17. Tom Robertson

18. Sadie Song

19. Peter Acoustic

20. Body and Soul

21. (A Screwed Up Way of Saying) I Want You

22. Feelies

23. Save a Place for You

The Glands I Can See My House From Here Box Set Track Listing:

Double Thriller (1996)

1. Sunshine Happiness

2. Free Jane 

3. Pretty Merrina 

4. Grey Hats 

5. Two Dollar Wine 

6. Ruddy’s Waltz 

7. Welcome to N.J. 

8. World Half Over 

9. This is The Coat 

10. Call Me Doctor 

11. No. Zero 

12. Skin 

13. The Virgin Loses Again 

14. Son-O-Mine 

15. Two Dollar Reprise 

The Glands (2000)

1. Livin’ Was Easy 

2. When I Laugh 

3. Swim - Prelude 

4. Swim 

5. Mayflower 

6. Lovetown 

7. Straight Down 

8. I Can See My House From Here 

9. Fortress 

10. Work It Out

11. Soul Inspiration

12. Ground 

13. Favorite American 

14. Breathe Out 

15. U R The Mountain

16. Something In The Air

17. Holiday Walk

18. Head That’s Mine

19. Doug’s Hall Rag

Double Coda (2018) 

1. So High

2. Pleaser

3. Electricity

4. Possibilities

5. Every Time I Listen to a Stranger 

6. Todd Work

7. Sofa

8. Clover

9. Have Your Cake

10. Piano Jazz

11. Great Waves

12. Pie

13. Rose

14. Atmosphere

15. Rufino Tamayo

16. A Boy Without a Head

17. Tom Robertson

18. Sadie Song

19. Peter Acoustic

20. Body and Soul

21. (A Screwed Up Way of Saying) I Want You

22. Feelies

23. Save a Place for You

www.TheGlandsBand.com

www.NewWestRecords.com

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Passing between the Gaps

Many years ago, I wrote a negative review of a Def Leppard concert. I caught hell from a Def Leppard fan who was outraged by what I wrote.

Many years ago, I wrote a negative review of a local Cedar Rapids band. I caught hell from one of the band members who was outraged by what I wrote. I also told Fear Factory's guitarist, during a phone interview, that I didn't like their first album. He said, "That's okay man, sometimes music doesn't mesh."

And that's the attitude I wish Rob Flynn (Machine Head's main dude) would have had when their latest album got a negative review in Decibel magazine. I learned about this in this article - Machine Head slams Decibel reviewer after negative review of ‘Catharsis’ - which referred to this article - All in Your Head, Or Why Metal Musicians Shouldn’t Overreact to Negative Reviews. Both are worth reading.

Boo! And I don't Mean to Scare You. I mean to say "This Sucks!"

In my opinion, the opposite of helpful is defined by this snippet from a CD review:

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... The album is a bit too long with some filler (especially on the second disc), and could have benefited from cutting a song or two. However, for the most part it does hold the listener’s attention...

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What are the 'filler' songs? What are the songs that should have cut? There's not a single tune called out as a 'filler' track in the review. Here, search the review (don't take my word for it) for the word 'filler' to spot-check my opinion that the review sucks.

What sucks is generalities when someone is reading the review for specifics.

Some Harsh Words

1. I hate when the second word of an article is a typo. My hope is I catch things like that in my own reviews.
   
   
   
   
   Read the rest of the review here.
   
2. I hate when you read a review that trashes one of your favorite bands, as described in this review of Count the Stars' Never Be Taken Alive
   
   
   
   

Release The Self-Destruction

I submitted my review of Metallica’s “Hardwired … to Self-Destruct” on Tuesday, 11/22/2016. I got up @ 5:30 AM and submitted it to Jason & Melanie, my editors at Dailyvault.com, at 7:58 AM. It felt really good to get it done. It is scheduled to run today, Tuesday, 11/29, and will be available at either of the following locations:

• My Profile Page 
• Page with all Metallica reviews on Dailyvault.com.

1. In my review, I mentioned that I was likely to piss off a Metallica fan because of the diverse range of opinions about their material. I came across the comments below this Blabbermouth article (http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/metallica-lars-ulrich-on-hardwired-i-am-feeling-that-this-record-may-be-better-than-i-was-aware-of/):
   

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   And this:
   

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   Can’t help but chuckle about the above and other reactions I’ve read online.
2. Metallica ‘Hardwired…To Self Destruct’ Review - with this:
   

   I think Metallica’s albums have got progressively better since St Anger & Death Magnetic, it’s not all the soul-searching lyrics that Hetfield sang about on the previous albums and it’ll welcome fans on board and on course down the right track in comparison to past releases. Because after all, we love the Metal to be in Metallica.

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Editor's Note: I had this as the opening paragraph of my review, but to get it into the 300 – 800 word range, I cut it.

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When I went to the Flotsam & Jetsam concert a couple of weeks ago, I wore my And Justice for All t-shirt. The drummer for Hatchet, one of the opening bands for the concert, wore a Master of Puppets t-shirt. When I had the opportunity to speak to him, I said, "Master is great, but I prefer Justice." He looked at me like I was drunk (I wasn't – sober nearly 6 years!) Notice I didn't say Lulu was their best album (it's not). He and I continued to discuss the merits of both albums. For me, And Justice for All is on a once-every-two month rotation. I will cite "The Frayed Ends of Sanity," "Harvester of Sorrow" and "Eye of the Beholder" as my favorite tunes, first, before going in for the kill that "Dyer's Eve" is even better to me than those three tunes. The rebellious lyrics by James Hetified are perfect - I will argue on my deathbed about its merits. Air drum to that song with Lars Ulrich's double bass for 5 days in a row for the duration of my 90 minute cassette and tell me your drumming chops are not better.

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The feedback I received from Jason was this:

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I think you made the right call cutting that opening – it’s more focused without it.

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Simple Complex Notes

With a thesis like "More evidence that, historically, albums featuring less complex instrumentation have enjoyed greater popularity", this article treads lightly on specifics. The only recording artist mentioned is Taylor Swift. I think the article could have delved deeper into examples. It seems to me that the entire 'metal bands releasing a ballad' movement fits into this. White Lion is certainly more than "When the Children Cry" but that's the song some think of when that band is mentioned. Mr. Big is more than "To Be With You," Extreme is more than "More than Words," and the list goes on. A typical Queensryche song does not sound like "Silent Lucidity."

I think I now know why the article wasn't specific. There are a lot of examples and picking just the ones above excludes a lot of other examples.

Please! Don't take away my Diverse Musical Landscape

On our way into Mass last night, I was driving and had the radio on. Tuned to Rock 108, a Rage Against the Machine tune came on. The other 2 music critics in the van – Karen / Alex – couldn’t stand the song. Alex complained, “They’re trying to mix rock and rap and they don’t mix.” Karen didn't mince words either as she described the vocalist as sounding like he had "shit in his mouth."

I chuckled at how close-minded they sounded. I know it’s popular to dismiss bands like Korn, RATM, and other rap-metal groups, but what I’ve been thinking about lately is that if those bands didn’t exist, everyone would sound the same. It takes the joining of multiple genres to make the overall musical landscape more diverse.

Significant Anniversaries

• On this date in 1997, dailyvault.com published my first review. It is Sammy Hagar's "Marching to Mars" http://dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=261.Wow, I sucked as a writer! <grin>
• On this date in 1991, I had the worst day of my life as a student teacher. My supervisor was there to watch me teach a group of 10th graders very poorly. They were the thorn in my a$$ and I was an ineffective teacher. I was a rug and they sucked the joy of teaching out of me. That afternoon, at our weekly 'status' meeting, I remember I moved my chair and my supervisor took it as a personal insult and, after everyone left, she lit into me verbally. She leveled me like a wrecking ball on a building and I crumbled in front of her eyes. I started crying after it was over. I remember I sat on the hill on the Mount Mercy College campus that is now apartments, and I cried. I said, "God, if you're there, why are you doing this to me? Why are you making me feel this way?" I questioned every thing in my life, ranging from "Why do you want to be a teacher?" through "Why am I even here?" 

I think it's good to recognize anniversaries that are of negative things because it makes the good things in life that much better. Tonight, the plan is to go with Kevin to the Metallica "Through the Never" movie in Cedar Rapids @ 7:30.

Quoted on Wikipedia

As I was going through my MP3 collection through Windows Media Player (WMP), I came across "About You Now", a 5 song EP by Disney pop star Miranda Cosgrove. Within WMP, the titles for each song simply said "Track 1", "Track 2", etc, instead of the actual song title. I went to Wikipedia to learn the titles of the songs. On the page, there was a heading that said "Critical Reception" and I was blown away by what I read - they were my words! MY WORDS... on Wikipedia! I'm a source!

I thought, "Daily Vault"? That's the site I write for. When I checked the footnote, it had a link to my review of that release:

Where I was during the POD show...

Thanks to Kevin Herren for this picture!

ShineDown with Three Days Grace & POD

It was winter - cold and a little windy - in Moline, IL, on Friday, February 1, 2013 which meant going to a rock concert with hard rock's hottest bands - Shine Down & Three Days Grace - was a fantastic way to spend the evening. After hearing from Joe Winters, Chief Meteorologist at KCRG-TV9 (http://www.kcrg.com), that it didn't look like the weather would turn into a blizzard, the one hour journey to Moline began.

The first band, POD, took the stage first. With a lot of confidence, they played their songs. They are a Christian band but did not preach anything but rock & roll. The crowd reacted favorably to songs that have been played on the radio. They began their set with their latest single "Lost in Forever" and included "Youth of the Nation" around mid-set. They ended their set with my personal favorite, "Alive". As the opening act, they were given the smallest stage and didn't have a lot of room to move around. They earned points with the crowd when vocalist Sonny Sandoval jumped down from the stage into the space between the stage and the crowd gate, and proceeded to stand on the barrier and sing. Bassist Traa Daniels and drummer Wuv Bernardo provided a solid foundation while guitarist Marcos Curiel laid out thick riffs. They were a better band than I expected them to be with a lot of energy. I was impressed. They ended their set with a brief cover of Sublime's "What I Got" which was executed to the satisfaction of the crowd in the arena.

After a brief set change, Three Days Grace took the stage. This is a co-headlining tour and the band's first concert with new vocalist Matt Walst, replacing Adam Gontier who left the band after being in it for 20 years. Walst is not new to performing as he was playing in My Darkest Days (known for their single "Porn Star Dancing") until he was tapped by his brother (Three Days Grace's bassist) Brad to join Three Days Grace. For a first gig, in front of thousands of people, I accept Matt Walst as the band's new vocalist. I am not sure if he was trying to make "Chalk Outline" his own song, but he added his personal texture to the chorus, hitting a note higher than Gontier sang. It made the song his and since this was the set opener, it set the tone for the rest of the night.

Three Days Grace played a long set, capturing all of the songs that get played on the radio. After "Chalk Outline," they jumped into "Just Like You". There's something not quite right about the band. They look like they need a hairstylist as they all have really bad haircuts, especially bassist Brad Walst. His brother Matt needs some attention as well as drummer Neil Sanderson. Their musicianship and showmanship was better than I expected. Guitarist Barry Stock does need to move around more often instead of planting his feet together and doing an odd swivel with his upper body. The band had fire shoot up in the air at different points in the show, but not too much. "Long Way Home" got a warm reaction from the crowd as did "Home."

At one point, Sanderson launched into a duet with keyboardist / back up vocalist Dani Rosenoer. He started playing with timpani mallets on his cymbals before moving into a pulsating rhythm on the toms. Then, after throwing away his timpani mallets, he gave his drums the beating of a lifetime. The material Three Days Grace play is never going to rival the musical intricacies of Rush or Dream Theater or Yes - that's not their gig. Sanderson plays ambidextrously, alternately playing the beat with his right hand or left hand. His drum solo included playing a pattern with his hands on the snare and then duplicating that pattern with his bass drum. I liked what I heard.

Perhaps the highlight of the set was when they launched into "I Hate Every Thing About You." The crowd roared when they began that song. They followed that up with "Animal" and "Never Too Late." They then brought out a guest vocalist who helped them sing a cover of Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff". The guys next to me asked me if that was a new song. After the guest vocalist left, they launched into "Riot" as their set closer.

Overall, Three Days Grace plays their material well in an arena. I think Matt Walst established himself as a good replacement for Gontier. I only really noticed one time when he seemed to be looking at something he didn't understand or expect in the set list and could be seen talking to guitarist Stock. It could have been a conversation about the hot girls in the audience - obviously I don't know - but that seemed to be the only minor hiccup for a vocalist that had to learn 15 songs between December 21, 2012, and February 1, 2013 (1 month, 1 week, 4 days).

After putting up a large tapestry between the crowd and the stage, the crew for Shine Down went to work, quickly tearing down the Three Days Grace stage set and putting up a slightly more elaborate stage for Shine Down. When the tapestry did get pulled down, the first song was "Enemies." Only drummer Barry Kerch was on the stage while vocalist Brent Smith, guitarist Zach Myers and bassist Eric Bass were on a stage towards the back of the arena, near the soundboard. It set the mood for the concert.

Without a doubt, Shine Down is a headlining act. I can say this because I've seen them transition from opening act status at Memphis in May 2004 to middle band in 2008 to now last band of the night in 2013. The transition has included a makeover. Vocalist Smith wore dress slacks, nice shirt, vest, and tie, and a good haircut. Kerch, Myers and Bass also looked sharp. Usually, I don't care what a band looks like, but I mention it because it looked like the band got involved with a producer or some sort of makeover person and gave them a makeover. It was such a contrast to how Three Days Grace present themselves that it needs to be mentioned. Smith, for his part, looks really good. It's well-documented that he has lost 70 pounds and has been on a workout regime. Good for him and I hope he continues to take care of himself on the road.

They played all the radio hits you would expect, including "Follow You Down" and "If You Only Knew." Since the first time I saw them, they have always covered Lynard Skynard's "Simple Man." Myers and Smith walked back to the soundboard stage, Myers with an acoustic guitar. He started playing riffs from various songs, including the Black Crowes' "She Talks to Angels." The entire arena sang. Smith then said, "That's too sentimental for tonight." Myers started Metallica's "Enter Sandman" and the Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun" before Smith said, "What do you think this is, karaoke?" And then, Myers started "Simple Man." During an instrumental interlude between the verses, Smith and Myers walked back to the main stage and finished the song on the main stage. I'm not a real fan of that song, but I liked that they did something different with it.

Back on the main stage, Smith told the crowd, "One more, for the road." Their last song was "Bully" and on their video screen, a video from Amanda Todd, the teenager who committed suicide in October 2012, was played. The band didn't preach about bullying or say anything about the video, which made its impact that much stronger. It is worth watching:

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Here are my predictions for these three bands:

1. POD will win over more fans.
2. Vocalist Matt Walst will continue to establish himself as *the* vocalist for Three Days Grace
3. Shine Down will continue to put on an entertaining show with their showmanship

This tour continues through March 30. You need to go see this tour.

The ride home from the arena was uneventful, weather-wise. Joe Winters was spot-on.

I crawled into bed at 1 AM, still smiling when I thought about the three bands I had just witnessed.