by Nikki M. MascaliStaff Writer
WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Some bands get on stage and perform not only with instruments but also theatrics. Sometimes the latter outshines the music, as was the case with Pat Seals, the bassist in opening act Flyleaf. And sometimes a band marries both perfectly and lets the music, not just the band, take center stage, which is exactly what headliner Three Days Grace did Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Kicking off an hour-and-15-minute set with “Break,” the first single off last year’s “Life Starts Now,” Three Days Grace took the stage with a bang — and sirens — and didn’t let up, save for a few setlist missteps. A high-energy “The Good Life,” from the same album, followed.
“If you don’t know this song, I don’t know where the f--- you’ve been,” lead vocalist/guitarist Adam Gontier told the crowd of more than 5,000 before “I Hate Everything About You.” This rendition of Three Days Grace’s debut single featured a great bass line by Brad Walst and ended in a burst of pyro.
Guitarist Barry Stock brought out a double-necked guitar for “Pain,” which preceded a powerful “Bitter Taste,” another “Life Starts Now” track. With its chugging guitar and Neil Sanderson’s heavy drums that melded with Walst’s deep bass, “Home” was easily a set standout — until an extended singalong that put the brakes on what had been a strong set up to that point. The pace picked up again with the rest of the tune and several pyro blasts, only to flatline again with Sanderson’s drum solo. He took to a keyboard first to make some tech-y sounds before sitting back behind the kit, which spun. Though an interesting concept, it was an unnecessary lull in the show.
The rest of the band returned for “I Don’t Care,” a song Gontier recorded with Finnish band Apocalyptica. Gontier began the song on a platform in the middle of the general-admission floor crowd before being led back to the stage. An emotive “Last to Know” inspired the crowd to hold real lighters up, not cell phones. “Goin’ Down” was definitely Three Days Grace’s set highlight, with great lyrics and a completely different sound than the rest of the show.
Despite many “No Moshing” signs posted in the arena, a medium-sized pit opened for a great version of “Riot.” Bathed in teal and purple lights, Gontier delivered a good, unexpected cover of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” before the band came back out for a kickass rendition of “Just Like You.” A fantastic “Animal I Have Become” closed Three Days Grace’s show, and there was no encore.
Three Days Grace doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. It’s a band that loves to play its music, tour and thrives on the crowd’s fists pumping in the air before it, which shows in the stage presence of its members, especially Gontier. He’s a great frontman who engages the crowd without insisting upon himself.
The vocals for Flyleaf’s 40-minute opening set were slightly muddy, but the quintet delivered a high-energy performance. The set mixed songs from its debut — like “Fully Alive” and “All Around Me” — with tracks from its new CD “Memento Mori.” “Arise” and “Missing” from the latter were good, but Seals’ continuous antics were really taxing.
Chevelle’s nearly hour-long performance followed, and there was really nothing special about it. The trio is very good musically, sounding like Tool gone light with great bass lines, heavy guitar and drums, but many songs sound the same. The last three songs — “Send the Pain Below,” “The Clincher” and “I Get It” — were the best of the band’s set.
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