Sevendust
23rd April 2019
Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.
Grammy award nominated Atlanta alt-metal boys Sevendust returned to Auckland last night armed with a set list that was heavy on the fan favourites while surprisingly light on material from their latest album All I See Is War.
Opening last night with yet another blistering set were Auckland locals City of Souls; having recently signed to Australian record label Wild Thing Records the phenomenal six piece will soon be embarking on a headline Australasian tour of their own this coming July. If you haven’t yet had a chance to see what all the fuss is about, secure your tickets now as the tenacity they display in a support slot position will only be amplified tenfold when given the chance to produce their own show.
As the lights dimmed on the small but dedicated crowd, arms were raised in praise as Sevendust took the stage, the arrival of vocalist Lajon Witherspoon garnering the loudest of the applause. ‘Black’ hit the ground running, the stand out track sadly the victim of rather muddy sound mixing underpinned by loud and distorted bass that thankfully sorted itself out (mostly) after a few tracks.
Having begun their career in the mid-nineties – 1994 to be exact – Sevendust are a seasoned act and it shows. The five piece consisting of Witherspoon along with Vince Hornsby, Morgan Rose, John Connolly and Clint Lowery expertly working the stage and ensuring that every single fan felt both appreciated and valued, the continuous stream of guitar pics and drum sticks tossed into the throng allowing ample opportunity for many fans to claim a treasured piece of memorabilia as their own.
Moving through tracks such as ‘Reconnect’ from their album Home and ‘Praise’ from 2001’s Animosity, Sevendust soon pulled out something far more recent, ‘Dirty’ giving New Zealand fans their first taste of All I See Is War album material in a live setting.
Witherspoon was unsurprisingly on fire, the vocalist long revered in the scene for not only his quality of voice but his humble nature. Continuously leaning out over the lip of the stage to take a fans hand or making eye contact with someone further back in the venue, a smile was never far from Witherspoons lips as he fed off the enthusiasm of the audience. That enthusiasm only intensified as the very recognisable opening melody of ‘Waffle’ filled the room, Lowery leading the charge before breaking into that spine-tingling chugging rhythm that soon had the crowd head-banging while bellowing the chorus with gusto. Tracks such as these the key to Sevendusts longevity in the scene.
Witherspoon is a proud husband and father who often refers to the band’s fans as family, this sentiment coming through loud and clear not only in a recent interview with Ambient Light but with a touching gesture last night that meant the world to a grieving fan. Briefly telling the story of how he met a young woman at the pre-show meet and greet who had recently lost her partner, Witherspoon graciously dedicated an emotional version of ‘Angel’s Son’ to both her and her family. Fighting back his own tears throughout, Witherspoons’ deed only solidified his honourable status.
Closing out the set with both ‘Shine’ and ‘Thank You’ the crowd’s demands for more were rewarded with a two-song encore that left both band and audience on a high. Just as any good metal show should.
Were you there at Powerstation to throw some goats and bang your head? Or have you seen Sevendust perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Black
- Pieces
- Reconnect
- Praise
- Denial
- Dirty
- Dead Set
- Waffle
- Enemy
- Angel’s Son
- Shine
- Thank You
- Bitch [encore]
- Face To Face [encore]
If you enjoyed this content, please consider donating towards the running of Ambient Light, covering expenses and allowing us to expand the coverage you love by clicking the red button below (Desktop) or visiting our PressPatron page (Mobile).