Annihilation. Sevendust at The Rustic Room in Bowling Green, KY
Bowling Green, Kentucky has quite an interesting music scene. Local heroes Cage the Elephant, Sleeper Agent and Black Stone Cherry own the city. However, on occasion, other big names appear to cause a ruckus, and bring more fun to the city. On July 30th, Sevendust arrived on the scene.
Before the guys took to the stage, two local bands opened up the festivities. First up, Opossum Holler. This trio put on an energetic show, and their sound was very unique. A combination of indie, folk, and some bluesy rock made for something a little different. In fact, opening up one of their songs with the “Imperial March” was all the more interesting.
The second act of the night was Gravel Switch. I got to spend some time with these rockin’ fellas a bit before the show went on. I interviewed the guys and you’re welcome to read that here if you like. A combination of southern rock sensibility, post-grunge punch, and heavy metal mayhem, these guys set the stage for what was to come. While tearing down the roof, they were showing the crowd how to have a good time before the main attraction.
After a pretty quick change over, the mighty Sevendust began their annihilation of the stage. Opening up with the hard-hitting “Pieces”, the crowd broke out into an energetic free-for-all. A cut from their new album Black Out the Sun, “Till Death” brought more frenetic energy to the pulsating audience. So much, in fact, that the makeshift barricade didn’t survive the first minute of the song. Another heavy-hitting cut, “Denial” was played next, to an absolute thunderous response.
“Waffle” slowed it down a little bit, allowing the crowd, and band, to recover from the vicious introduction to the set. “Got a Feeling”, another new track from their latest album, continued the slowdown. The acoustic melody is haunting, and the crowd waxed and waned with the beat. The crowd favorite, “Angel Son” brought the crowd back to life, with almost everyone singing in unison.
Be sure and check out the Sevendust photo gallery here.
After the mellow three-song set, the heaviness returned with a vengeance. “Black”, “Strong Arm”, and “Decay” were played back to back to back. After leaving the stage momentarily, the band took to the stage again, while playing a cover of Marilyn Manson’s cover of “Sweet Dreams”. Everyone began to sing the chorus, to which Lajon responded by egging everyone to sing it louder! They quickly segued the song to “Bitch”. With the band jumping up and down, the crowd became wild and filled with seemingly reckless abandon. Finishing off the set with “Splinter” and “Face to Face”, it ended as it began: With a quick, blistering, and brutal number.
Sevendust came to Bowling Green to burn it down, and they were successful. It was a thrill to see the guys tour in smaller towns, and venues. They really are there to please their fans.
Click here for more Sevendust tour dates.
Below are a few shots of Opossum Holler:
Also, Gravel Switch:
