Page 52 - Black Velvet Issue 91

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3 DOORS DOWN / POP EVIL / THE FALLEN STATE – BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY, 03.11.16
3 Doors Down are in the UK for a four-show tour (after various dates in Europe) to promote latest album ‘Us And The Night’. Opening band The
Fallen State entice the crowd with free CDs in a ‘which side can ‘woah’ the loudest’ competition. They’re a UK rock band that formed three years ago.
The five-piece warm the crowd up with songs such as the driving ‘Burn It To The Ground’, the fuel and flame rouser ‘You Want It’ and the undeniable
‘Sinner’. The Fallen State fits right at home on the bill with Pop Evil and 3 Doors Down.
Pop Evil are one of those bands that you really need to see. They make their show a real show. Frontman Leigh Kakaty goes out into the crowd
and stands on their hands. He manages to sing the powerful ‘Trenches’ standing up straight, without holding on to anything or anyone. The band
sound fantastic; every song packs a punch. ‘Ways To Get High’ immediately embeds itself in your mind. We’re introduced to new drummer Hayley
Cramer, who was previously in McQueen. “We wanted a UK drummer,” Leigh tells us. Hayley does a great job making the drum backbone sound pow-
erful and heavy. ‘100 In A 55’ is one of the band’s mellower songs, while ‘Last Man Standing’ bursts full of big riffs. The band go off stage but then
return to play their own encore. ‘Torn To Pieces’, ‘Footsteps (Go Higher)’ and the funky rock ‘Take It All’ wrap up their set, every one a winner. Leigh
gets a 12-year-old on stage to say “rock ‘n’ roll” into the microphone. ‘Take It All’ shows what the band do – they take your heart with them as they
leave the stage. They really ARE that good.
3 Doors Down’s setlist is packed with singles from their early days until now. One of the few songs they play that they haven’t released as a single
is opening song ‘Still Alive’ from latest release ‘Us And The Night’. But it sets the pace for the rest of the night and of course fans in the crowd are well
aware that the band are still alive. They make the crowd feel alive with songs such as ‘Believer’ and ‘The Broken’. 3 Doors Down have quite a lot of
mellow, mid-slow paced tunes. ‘Away From The Sun’, ‘Landing In London (All I Think About Is You)’ and ‘Pieces Of Me’ are all dreamy, reflective num-
bers. In places, you wish they’d turn the heat, although if you’re looking for a relaxing, laid-back evening this is your band.
The crowd watch on without exerting too much en-
ergy – although old favourite ‘Kryptonite’ does get
a big cheer and prompts clapping. The band insert
a reggae part mid-song to switch things up. “It’s
been an absolute honour and privilege to be back
here with you,” says frontman Brad Arnold during
the encore. He sounds genuine and sincere as he
thanks the crowd. Despite their success, the band
are grateful for what they’ve achieved and for the
fans that come to their shows. He tells the audi-
ence the band like to see photos and videos from
the shows and to make sure they tag the band so
they can check them out too – as they’re big into
Instagram in particular. Singing-wise, his vocals
sounds spot on. The stage seems a little big and
bare for the band, however. Guitarist Chris Hen-
derson doesn’t move too much from his spot. They
end with the old school ‘Loser’, from 2000, and
then ‘When I’m Gone’, released in 2002. If we
could change anything, we’d just like a few more
faster songs and a bit more energy, to mix the set
up a little bit.
YYY
SBV
Brad Arnold (3 Doors Down) & Justin Biltonen
Photo By Shari Black Velvet

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