Rockers hit back!
MOTORPOINT ARENA
ROCK fans were treated to a real feast at the Motorpoint Arena on Tuesday night when American rock band Shinedown and their special guests came to Nottingham.
First up was Matthew Cullen, aka, Zero 9:36, who came on to the stage fearlessly rapping and belting out his hard-hitting lyrics on the likes of 11 X Two and The End. Joining him on stage was his band who helped bring songs like In My Hands and Reset into the rock arena. I’m Not saw a circle pit form, before they closed with Adrenaline and Break.
Sandwiched between them and the headliners was Yorkshire posthardcore quintet Asking Alexandria, who after a flash of blue light announced the beginning of their set with a raucous Alone Again.
Fronted by the huge presence of lead singer Danny Worsnop, they delivered an energetic set which saw pyrotechnics lighting up the stage as the band’s fast pace continued for the heavy hitting The Violence, Run Free and Someone Somewhere. Finishing with fanfavourite The Final Episode, Asking Alexandria left amid a flourish of explosions.
American rock band Shinedown had not toured for 584 days due to the pandemic, and we know this because it was displayed on the two screens on the stage.
With their arrival on stage announced by a barrage of pyrotechnics, they let the crowd know that they were back and that they had released a new album, Planet Zero.
As the powerhouse lead singer, Brent Smith – along with guitarist Zach Myers, bass player Eric Bass and drummer Barry Kerch – opened with new song The Saints Of Violence And Innuendo, those 584 days became a distant memory.
Following up with Devil and Planet Zero, Smith urged the crowd to sing along as loud as they could and they did not disappoint.
A lengthy set of 19 past and present hits – such as the fistpumping Enemies, fan-favourite Monsters, the energetic Cut The Chord and of course, Second Chance – were all interspersed with fabulous pyrotechnic effects.
Their setlist balanced their characteristic hard-rocking songs with moments of softness such as their version of Oasis’s Don’t Look Back In Anger – which defied the crowd not join in – and the tender Call Me before they delivered their famous take on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Simple Man.
Finishing with Sound Of Madness, Shinedown had shown that there is nothing quite like live rock music to get the crowd going.