SEVENDUST/DIECAST CONCERT REVIEW

The place to be on the 24th of February was 79 Washington Street in Providence. That address is the home to concert venue Lupo's Heartbreak, the location of the Sevendust show that I witnessed. Though I am present at rock and metal shows often, the first show I ever attended was when Sevendust came to Lupo's in 1999.
The show was headlined by Sevendust, but bands such as Chevelle, Static-X and others. Staind lead singer Aaron Lewis surprised the crowd when he made a brief appearance during a set. I can still remember watching the guitarist from Static-X chugging a bottle of bourbon with his Raiders football jersey on.
Chevelle were just a bunch of teens from Chicago. They gained access to the tour with their debut release Point #9. The show was phenomenal. I forgot nearly all of the show until I traveled to Providence with family to see Sevendust. The same venue........eight years later.
Before the show, bars such as Talk of the Town, Blinky's, Wheels and Blake's and Skippers were all bombed. I barhopped into a handful of bars, none of which I recollect, though I'm certain I was in a few of the aforementioned locations. Amid the construction, we entered the venue.
Lupo's was completely different from what I remembered. Eight years prior, I remember couches, a small stage to the right and an easy access to the upstairs. All of that was gone, the place seemed to be much larger. I closed my eyes and opened them and swore I was at The Palladium in Worcester, MA.
As I made my way through the crowd, I heard the band that was on state it was their last song. Although I believe the band was called Invitro, I can't guarantee it. Needless to say, we learned Diecast and Sevendust were due up soon. At least the two bands I came to see had yet to pay.
The bar was packed, and when I finally reached the bartender I ordered a Samuel Adams. "Sorry, the tap is off. All we have is Bud, Miller and Heineken," she said. Fortunately, I had consumed a handful of Sam Adams White Ale, I hardly needed any more brews. But for the sake of waiting, I ordered Heineken and quickly slammed it feeling crestfallen.
Moving forward, Diecast played and put on a good set. They played a slew of their newest album, Internal Revolution. Diecast played probably half the album, highlighted by tracks such as Never Forget, Fractured, Nothing I Could Say and Definition of a Hero. The band also played the slow ballad, The Coldest Rain, done well but left some attendees perplexed.
Disappointingly, Diecast played very few older tracks, especially from 2004's Tearing Down Your Blue Skies. Popular cuts such as Fire/Damage, Medieval and recent hit Fade Away never found space on the set's playlist for whatever reason. The band maybe played two songs from their debut full-length Day Of Reckoning, which left many fans puzzled. Though most fans were baffled, yet pleased, when the band played the song from the movie Top Gun and dedicated it to "Goose".
Sevendust came on to a loud ovation. The place when wild when the band played cuts such as Enemy, Too Close To Hate, Rumblefish, Bitch, Waffle, Hero, Denial and Pieces. For me, hearing the songs Trust and Face To Face were two concert highlights. The set went on for well over an hour, especially after the band played an encore.
Overall, the sound and production was very good. The lighting was decent, though a bit to red. The clips recorded on my camera phone prove my point. Their were plenty of security guards dressed in red tees, but as usual they spent a great deal of time pulling crowd surfers down and throwing out the wrong dude from a fight, always the smaller of the two combatants who are easier to toss out. The show was excellent, despite the 32 dollars for a shirt! You can always count on Atlanta's Sevendust to put on a good show. They will be at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom on the best day of the year, 4/20.