If you’re a fan of hard rock, metalcore, or anything in between in Northeast Ohio, you probably found your way to Youngstown, OH for the Shinedown show at The Covelli Center. The band is currently in the thick of the first leg of their ATTENTION ATTENTION tour. Joining them for this part is long-time legends Papa Roach and metalcore band Asking Alexandria. This is a hell of a good lineup, and the evening didn’t disappoint.
Asking Alexandria was up first. I’ve been a fan of this band for a pretty long time; since before Danny Worsnop left and came back. They were so. Damn. Good. I was super disappointed by the crowd though; sure, in the pit there was some head bobbing and jumping around. But this was a nearly sold out stadium show. Hardly anyone moved, which is a shame because these guys played so well. Danny’s voice was absolutely on point; he hit all the right notes and screams. They came out with their high energy hit Into the Fire. They played a ton of stuff from their latest self-titled album, which isn’t surprising, but they also threw in some real old school hits. The production value was also incredible for being the opening band. Normally in smaller shows the opener gets some lesser lighting setup, but AA came out with smoke pillars shooting most of their set with great light design. Really just a solid performance.
Cut my life into pieces. Up next was Papa Roach. Yep, they came out blasting Last Resort. I genuinely don’t have anything negative to say about this band, they were fantastic. I like papa roach. I know their music, but I don’t really listen to them on the regular. That’s changing after this performance. They seriously put on one of the best rock shows I’ve ever seen. This is also where the crowd came alive. Frontman Jacoby Shaddix really knew how to elevate the crowd and get them moving. I was fixated on him the whole set. He’s a hell of a frontman and tonight he showed everyone why. He would run out around the whole stadium interacting with fans; he had the entire stadium standing by the end of the set. Seriously, as a casual papa roach fan, these guys alone are worth going to the show.
It’s about to get… HEAVY!
… and it did! Shinedown came out with a BANG of pyrotechnics, energy, and damn good music. The amount of passion that these guys exploded out with is something I haven’t seen before; they’re on another level. Every single member of this band contributed to an amazing performance. They all interacted with each other in a way that a lot of other bands miss. Often times band members will stick to their little corner of the stage. Not these guys. They were all over, running down the runway as well as up to the drummer. You could just feel a certain energy or emotion in the air. The band really made you feel like you were a part of the show. They weren’t just putting on a show at you, they were putting on a show ‘with’ you. Frontman Brent Smith had a very genuine feel to him. At one point he went down the entire runway high-fiving the entire security staff as well as the photographers. I got to shake his hand and hug him mid set; I have never seen that before and it was amazing. In terms of production, they had all the good shit. This is a HIGH production value tour. I already mentioned pyrotechnics, but in addition there were lasers, sparklers, incredible lighting design, smoke, and so much more. It’s an experience you need to feel for yourself, you seriously DO NOT want to miss this tour.
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Words and Photographs by contributing photojournalist Dan Cornelius
