Sevendust bulldozed their way through Madison, Wis., as their headline tour pulled into the Majestic Theatre on Feb. 19. Touring in support of their forthcoming, "Black Out the Sun," fans packed into the sold-out Majestic. Lacuna Coil, Avatar and 3 Years Hollow all contributed to the high octane show.
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Frontman Lajon Witherspoon can work an arena as well as anybody, as evidenced when they crushed the 2011 UPROAR music festival. Put him in a 600 capacity venue and his presence is overwhelming. Sevendust opened the show with "Decay," the latest single from their latest album, and a sea of bodies swarmed about the lower level.
The foundation for their trademark sound lies equally amongst the entire band. Guitarist Clint Lowery wore a thin black hoodie and shredded lead breaks upon John Conolly's heavy riffs. Morgan Rose is a blur behind the kit, his play is a force and he delicately mixes relentless pounding with complex drum signatures. Vince Hornsby constantly bounced around the stage, slapping his bass while weaving a rhythm around Rose's heavy beat.
A brief hiatus following their lengthy tour in support of "Cold Day Memory" let the band regroup. Although they all worked on side projects over the past year, they returned to Sevendust fresh and it shows on their new music and the energy of their current show. They rattled through "Praise" and "Denial," taking it back to their earlier years. Fans thrashed and bounced with Lajon, and there were more than a few that took to the air while crowd surfing.
Lajon's vocals were strong, matching the intensity of those around him. The opening notes of "Bitch" induced the crowd to sing the first verse well enough that Lajon paused to to admire the crowd. There was also a solemn moment as he introduced "Angel's Son," Lajon dedicated the song to Clint's father, Willie Lowery, who recently passed away. He stated, "It doesn't get any easier as we get older, but our memories will never fade."
Thanking the crowd, Lajon said, "They say Madison is like a second home to us, and I have no problem with that. I don't care how cold it gets, you always give us love, warmth and happiness." They took it up another level with the energetic "Waffle" and "Strong Arm Broken."
Hitting the crowd with another new song, "Till Death" began by showcasing Morgan Rose's chops on the drums, then opened with Lowery on vocals before Lajon took over. They finished with "Pieces" before returning for a two-song encore of "Splinter" and "Face to Face." Lajon closed by telling the crowd to join them after the show, "We have an off night tomorrow, we'll be hanging out with all of you tonight."
Sevendust will be returning to Milwaukee on the second leg of this tour. They play at The Rave on April 6, 2013. Coal Chamber, Lacuna Coil and Candlelight Red are also on the bill for that show.
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Sevendust setlist:
Decay
Praise
Denial
Ugly
Bitch
Trust
Angel's Son
Waffle
Strong Arm Broken
Till Death
Pieces
The End Is Coming
Encore:
Splinter
Face to Face
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