Jackson, Mississippi
Mississippi State Coliseum
3 Doors Down, Theory of a Deadman, Pop Evil
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| 3 Doors Down on the Jackson, MS stop of their "Time of My Life" Tour |
The good news is that I remembered my camera this time. The bad news is that I forgot to bring one of my many Theory of a Deadman cd covers. And considering I scored a meet and greet with those guys, it was an unfortunate thing to forget. So after an emergency stop at Jackson’s Best Buy and a quick check-in at the hotel, I was all set.
I arrived at the Mississippi State Coliseum right at 5:00 and checked in easily with will call. About 30 minutes later, a small group of us were herded down a side hallway where we were asked to stand in a curved line while we awaited the band. After some confusion between the band’s handlers and local security, we were then told to stand in a straight line. So we moved. Except, we were really right the first time when the line was curved. So we moved again. Crisis averted.
While standing in line, I met an older gentleman named Roger. Roger worked at the fair during the day at the information booth and at night as an usher at the concerts. Probably in his mid-sixties, Roger struck up a friendly conversation with me and he told me that I looked like Fox News reporter S. E. Cupp. He then proceeded to pull out his iPhone and show me her profile picture since he followed her on Twitter. Roger was older than my own grandfather but more tech savvy than most of my peers. Guess you shouldn’t just a book by its cover, eh?
Finally the band made it down the line to where I stood, dead last. Dean Back, the bass player, was first up and I asked him if he had a chance to enjoy the fair. He told me that the band walked around a bit earlier and played some games. Apparently, the guys were quite competitive when it came to winning cheap stuffed animals. But they were a bit more wary when it came to the questionable food.
“We learned very early on to stay away from fair food,” Back told me. “It just doesn’t agree with our lifestyle.”
One by one the rest of the group came down the line as well, signing my copy of their self-titled debut album. Guitarist Dave Brenner actually got pulled into a conversation with Roger about how loud the concert would be. The band’s handler actually had to break that one up, or I swear those guys would have been chatting all night.
As I watched the band, I noticed how friendly they were with all of the fans, taking time to talk with each individual person and make them feel appreciated. I love watching bands in settings like this. It’s easy to tell who’s being genuine with their fans and who really doesn’t want to be there. The guys of Theory were very sincere and seemed to be excited with the opportunity to connect with their fans.
A quick bit later and it was once again my turn, this time to have my picture taken with the band. Except, I’m a good bit shorter than those guys and they didn’t see me standing there. They all started to walk away and I’ll admit, I panicked. When I said, “Wait!” I’m sure it was about 50 decibels louder than necessary. I tried to play it off, asking why everyone always forgets the redhead. The guys just laughed good naturedly and regrouped for the photo. When I suggested getting my picture made with Roger instead, lead singer Tyler Connolly responded with “Oh, snap!”
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| Pop Evil perform for the Jackson, Mississippi crowd |
The guys from Michigan took the stage by storm, opening with “Broken and Betrayed” off their new album War of Angels. I’ll admit, I was frustrated when no one around me wanted to stand up. I mean, didn’t these people know they were severely impeding my ability to properly rock out? Luckily Pop Evil’s lead singer, Leigh Kakaty, took care of that for me. Just a few songs in he told the crowd to “stand the f### up, you’re at a rock show!”
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| Leigh Kakaty, lead singer for Pop Evil, begins the opening notes of "Monster You Made" |
The band went on to play a balanced mix of old and new. The crowd seemed equally revved up for all of them, including new song “Boss’s Daughter” and radio hits like “Hero” and “Last Man Standing.” But it was Pop Evil’s ballads that really took center stage, showcasing not only their diversity but also their local following. Leigh took center stage, awash in the bright white spotlight and armed only with an acoustic guitar, to begin the opening strums of the band’s latest single “Monster You Made.” The crowd immediately began to sing along, showing firsthand how popular the song has been in radio play. The exact same reaction was given when Pop Evil later played perhaps their most well-known song, “100 in a 55.”
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| Canada's Theory of a Deadman kicksff their set |
After such an excellent warm-up, the fans were sufficiently ready for Theory of a Deadman. Appropriately enough, the guys from British Columbia took the stage to “Blame Canada” (the politically un-correct song from the Robin Williams and the Southpark series.) I think I laughed so hard I had tears rolling down my face by the time the band actually started playing.
Theory opened with “Gentleman,” a song off their new album The Truth Is… It was a quick reminder of just how over-the-top the new CD is, with other songs like "The Truth Is… (I Lied About Everything)" and recent singles like “Lowlife” and “Bitch Came Back,” all of which the band also played. I would love to ask them what inspired their seemingly newfound sarcasm.
To be honest, Connolly sounded a bit raspy, more so than is typically expected from a rock singer anyway. But in all fairness, this was show #17 of 29, with a performance just the night before in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. That didn’t stop him from throwing himself into the performance, repeatedly traveling the length of the stage and back again as he won over the crowd.
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| Tyler Connolly of Theory of a Deadman shares his prize winnings with the crowd |
At one point I was reminded of my earlier conversation with the band, as Connolly began to talk about how much he loved state fairs.
“State fairs are great,” he said. “I spent four hundred bucks trying to win this giant f@cking banana.” Connolly then proceeded to throw the banana, along with the other stuffed animals the band apparently won at the fair that day, into the crowd. If you think people are willing to fight over guitar picks and drum sticks, you should see what they’re willing to do for a five foot tall banana with dreadlocks.
In the end, I was a happy camper when it came to Theory’s performance. Not only because I got “up close and personal” with them during the meet and greet, but because they played the song “Santa Monica.” This is my personal favorite from the band’s catalog. There’s something extremely emotional about this song, obviously through the lyrics, but also the unique use of harmonics. We all have painful memories and this song seems to easily evoke them from each of us.
It was a fairly long set from Theory of a Deadman, so when they finished I was pretty darn content. They were certainly the band I was most looking forward to seeing that day, though I wouldn’t have admitted that to the Mississippi crowd considering it was made up of mostly friends and family of the headliners. In the past, when it came to 3 Doors Down I tended to be more of a casual observer rather than a rabid fan. I’ll be the first to admit the band is good. But my preference tends to sway a little toward the “harder” side of rock and roll. But then again, I’d never been to a 3 Doors Down concert.
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| 3 Doors Down get things started with their homestate crowd |
The band started out with the song “Time of My Life” (also the title of their latest album release and the name of the tour they are currently on,) and lit up the stage with an oversized video screen as their backdrop. The screen switched between seemingly random background footage and scenes from the band’s videos, each in vivid clarity.
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| Lead singerfor 3 Doors Down, Brad Arnold |
Lead singer Brad Arnold was a virtual ball of energy, bouncing around the stage with an unusual intensity. He thrived on making eye contact with fans in the crowd, but was also quick to slip away and give the spotlight to fellow band members at the appropriate time. One of Arnold’s highlights was found in his banter between songs. His southern “drawl” came across as thickened by a row of shows throughout the southern states and it seemed to endear him to the fans even more with phrases like, “Let me fix my durn hat.”
3 Doors Down have an interesting chemistry. While Arnold bounds around with what is sometimes a theatrical yet humbled performance, the other band members exude characteristics all their own. Guitarist Chris Henderson seems like every guy I knew growing up in the South. One would think he’s intimidating being so tall and muscular and covered in tattoos, except for the adorable smile he can’t contain while on stage. It’s abundantly apparent that he’s just having fun up there. Drummer Greg Upchurch, who looks eerily like Scott Stapp pre-haircut, attacks the set as if playing drums each night replaces his workout session at the gym. If so, then this guy is working to be Mr. Olympia.
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| 3 Doors Down drummer, Greg Upchurch |
Bassist Todd Harrell appears to have taken on the bad boy image of the group. He switches back and forth between goofing off with his band mates and staring intently at the plethora of females in the crowd. And finally, there’s guitarist/vocalist Matt Roberts who comes off as Harrell’s exact opposite. His mic stand sits back from the stage lip a bit, putting more space between him and the crowd than the most of the other band members. He spends the majority of the time focusing on his intricate guitar work, concentrating so hard that at times his facial expressions make it seem like he’s in actual pain.
The set list from the night contained a long list of crowd favorites, not surprising since this was practically a hometown crowd for the Mississippi-bred band. Hit singles like “When You’re Young,” “Duck and Run,” “Loser,” and “Here Without You.” They covered as many songs from their extensive catalog, which includes 4 multi-platinum records and what is sure to be a fifth with this year’s Time of My Life.
After the band played their hit “Citizen/Soldier,” Arnold explained to the audience that the band has its own charity. The Better Life Foundation is a dollar in/dollar out organization whose funds go to help numerous charities around the country, with an emphasis on helping the Gulf Coast community where the band is from. Right now the band is raffling off a $73,000 custom motorcycle (aptly named the “Citizen/Soldier Endeavor IV”,) leading into the foundation’s annual concert featuring 3 Doors Down and friends. This year the event will take place in Tunica, Mississippi at the Horseshoe Casino (which I will definitely be attending) and Seether has already been announced as one of the other bands. For more information on The Better Life Foundation, click here.
The band ended the night with “Kryptonite,” sending a crowd of happy fans on their way back into the fair to amuse themselves among the midway. I couldn’t have been happier to have finally seen 3 Doors Down live, especially with the lineup they brought to town. But as I was walking around the fairgrounds looking for something to eat, I remembered what the Theory guys told me… and I ended up at the Waffle House across the street.
Click here to see all of my photos from the concert...
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