SEETHER WITH TREMONTI LIVE REVIEW AND PHOTOS

The Seether/Tremonti tour would take the stage at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom on this evening. The Casino Ballroom is set oceanside in Hampton, NH. Opened in 1899 the Casino Ballroom is not a casino in terms of how we think of them today, at the time of opening casino was Italian for “summer house” and came to describe a social gathering place. Having played host to some of the biggest names in entertainment such as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, U2 and comedian Jerry Seinfeld, the Casino Ballroom was ranked #23 in the top 100 Worldwide Club Venues by Pollstar in 2010. There isn’t a bad place in the house making it a great venue to see a show.

With a couple of warm-up bands kicking things off to the sold-out NH crowd Tremonti would hit the stage. Touring in support of their fourth album A Dying Machine Mark Tremonti (lead guitar and vocals) and Eric Friedman (guitar) would be joined by touring bassist Tanner Keegan and with drummer Garrett Whitlock sitting this leg of the tour out for undisclosed reasons longtime Friedman friend Ryan Bennett would be called upon to fill some big shoes behind the kit.

In my opinion this is one of the best metal bands to hit the scene in the last decade. What started out as a solo project has morphed into a full-fledged band. For those thinking they are getting another version of Alter Bridge (a band I love by the way) or Creed think again. What you are getting is Mark’s love for true old school metal. Influenced heavily by Tremonti’s love for bands like Slayer and Metallica this is a huge departure from his other projects.

This evening we would get our faces smashed with a killer ten song setlist that would be an even distribution of their four great albums they have put out; All I Was, Cauterize, Dust and A Dying Machine. These guys are tight and put on one hell of an energetic show. I’ve seen Tremonti nearly a dozen times and if they were to play local seven days a week I’d be there. My only complaint for this show is the setlist wasn’t nearly long enough! If you haven’t checked out Tremonti yet what they hell are you doing? Get over to their website to pick up a copy of one of their records (or all) and if they are coming to a city near you make it a priority you will not be disappointed I guarantee it.

Setlist:

1. Cauterize
2. Another Heart
3. The Things I’ve Seen
4. Trust
5. Catching Fire
6. Flying Monkeys
7. Radical Change
8. Throw Them To The Lions
9. A Dying Machine
10. Wish You Well

Closing out the show would be South African rockers Seether. Formed in 1999 they moved to the United States in 2002 where they would gain mainstream popularity with the single “Fine Again.” This would continue in 2004 when they released “Broken” which peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

FESTIVAL REVIEW AND PHOTOS: The Big Ticket

With Shaun Morgan on lead vocals and guitar, Dale Steward on bass, John Humphrey manning the drums and the latest addition Corey Lowery on guitar the sold-out Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom crowd would have their musical appetites satisfied with a kick-ass 15 song setlist. I don’t think a single person left the building until the final note of “Remedy” was strummed on the guitar. Dollar for dollar this is one of the best tour packages of the fall. If either band is passing through your neck of the woods I highly encourage you to get a ticket and do it early as marquees everywhere are supporting the words SOLD OUT when they come to town.

Setlist: