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07/26/2008 Edgefest 2008: Godsmack, Sevendust, Alter Bridge, Tantric, Evans Blue (Darien, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center)

By Eric | July 26, 2008 11:59 pm

[Double Eagle Standard and Silvertide were on the bill as well, but we didn’t watch them.]

Adam and I literally got there within a minute of each other, and set up our little tailgate out of my trunk. Which really just consisted of a couple of subs and a couple more beers. We got there at about 1:00 and chilled till roughly 4:00, watching about 20 people attempt (and either fail or get rebuffed) to park in the seemingly empty spots across from us. Empty, save for the giant mudpit / sinkhole that they’d never get out of had they parked there. So feeling pretty good, Adam and I wandered into the venue. We had two separate tickets, one of which was the exact seat I had the night before, and the other one was about 7 rows behind it, also on the end of the row. We never actually used that seat, as we were able to stick together all day, such was the sparseness of the crowd at that point (and owing to some luck later on in the night).

103.3 billed this as Edgefest 2008, and as such there were a bunch of bands, on the bill, and stereotypically at festivals like this, the unknown bands are on early. As such, we missed Double Eagle Standard and Silvertide completely, and we walked in during the middle of Evans Blue’s set. They were pretty decent Canadian alt-rock. They sound like a cross of Chevelle and Breaking Benjamin to me, and they kept us occupied, even though neither Adam nor I knew any of the songs.

After a short set change, the first band we actually wanted to see, Tantric, came on. I actually own the first album, and have mp3’s for the other two, so I’m reasonably familiar with the songs, moreso the first album by far. They sounded pretty good, played a bunch of stuff off the latest album that just came out, and while the crowds were still thin at this point, they sufficiently had people excited for them. More energy for them than all of 3DD the night before!
Tantric Setlist: Regret, Lucky One, Hey Now, [some song I didn’t recognize], Astounded, Live Your Life (Down), The One, Down and Out, Breakdown

Next was a band I really wanted to see, and hadn’t up until this point; Alter Bridge. 3/4 of what used to be Creed, plus Miles Kennedy (formerly of the Mayfield Four). They didn’t disappoint, even despite the complete lack of a soundsystem for the first song (house’s fault, not theirs). Adam and I were able to move across our entire empty row and end up in the two aisle seats, right in the middle, 8 rows back. Perfect spot! There were more than a handful of people there to see them, and the band put forth a highly energetic set in return. Miles really can hit all of those notes live, and everyone’s problem with Creed was never Mark Tremonti’s playing, as he killed it also. They played practically everything I would have wanted to hear, so the set had that going for me personally. Right before the last song, Miles played a bluesy slide-guitar solo, with lyrics reminiscent of LZ’s “The Lemon Song”, which the crowd ate up. Great set, good times.
Alter Bridge Setlist: Come To Life, Find The Real, Brand New Start, White Knuckles, Buried Alive, Before Tomorrow Comes, Ties That Bind, Blackbird, Metalingus, Open Your Eyes, [Miles Kennedy Slide-Blues Thing], Rise Today

Now we come to the band I really came to see… The almighty Sevendust. I was a little unsure what to expect, as this was the first time I’d ever seen them in a seated venue (Water Street balcony at the acoustic show aside), and we all know what a contact sport a usual Sevendust show is like. Well, at this point, I was feeling no pain, so *I* was rocking out super-hard, and I really have no clue of what any one else was doing, especially due to the fact that I jumped across the aisle and up three or four rows into an empty seat to get a little closer. I’m pretty sure the girl next to me wondered just what the hell I was on, but… yeah, well, ya know… beer and adrenaline honey, beer and adrenaline. And before I forget to mention, CLINT’S BACK! It was pretty cool to see him banging out songs he didn’t write/play on the album, but with equal intensity. They opened with Inside, and then whipped the now-sizeable crowd into shape with Denial. Obviously an abbreviated set due to it being a festival, and them being openers, but we still got 11 songs, although curiously enough, we didn’t get “Prodigal Son”, the lead single off the new album. Oh well, whatever. I was drained by the end of their set, but it was all well and good. Adam said the rest of the place was going nuts for them as well, so that’s pretty awesome. I still love seeing these guys, and this was the 11th time!
Sevendust Setlist: Inside, Denial, Ugly, Enemy, Waffle, Clueless, Angels Son, Black, Praise, Pieces, Face To Face




So rather than go back to our real seats for Godsmack, Adam and I decided to try our luck right where we were. We ended up just to the right of the center aisle, about 10 rows back. And never got bothered. A picture perfect view of the stage, and we were now amongst a fairly full crowd, all of whom were there to see Godsmack. And they were vocal about it. A far cry from the night before. They dimmed the lights, lit up the stage, and cranked out AC/DC’s “For Those About To Rock” over the PA, then the band took to the stage and lit into Straight Out Of Line. The crowd went crazy, and pretty much stayed that way all night. I like Godsmack well enough, but this show, combined with the fan reaction made me enjoy them that much more. I hadn’t seen them since the “ride-the-tour-bus show” in ’01, right after 9/11, so it had been 7 years or so, and I came away with a renewed respect for them. It’s still not the most original of music, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t fun! They kept up the energy all night, and the crowd did too. They played all the favorites, and were in fine form, considering that they, like Staind, have been off the road for awhile. In addition, they only had four shows booked for this summer, and this was one of them. Good choice, boys. Good choice. Adam and I headed back to the lawn for the encore, so as to make a quick escape once the show was over. The quick escape was a success, just as much as the show had been. We had a great time, saw some great bands, and rocked ourselves out. m/
Godsmack Setlist: Straight Out Of Line, Greed, Enemy, Bad Religion, Moon Baby, Awake, Re-Align, [Sully’s Feedback Solo], Speak, Voodoo, Keep Away (with We Will Rock You / Walk insert), Whatever. Encore: Serenity, Good Times Bad Times, I Stand Alone






Topics: Concerts | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

One Response to “07/26/2008 Edgefest 2008: Godsmack, Sevendust, Alter Bridge, Tantric, Evans Blue (Darien, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center)”

  1. PM Says:
    August 7th, 2008 at 11:35 pm

    Hey….I was wondering if you had any pictures from this concert…I was there and wished I had brought my camera…send me an email if you can, thanks!

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