Three Days Grace are so much more than Linkin Park for the Affliction crowd, they’re a bastion of positivity and well-placed aggression for a dedicated audience. The crowd was littered with die-hard fans screaming every word at the top of their lungs, getting out every bit of angst in their system and living their 2005 fantasies. Badflower acted as support for the show.
Badflower were first, and it was a welcome change to have just one support band with a fairly lengthy set. A 10-song set helped showcase what the band is about and acted as a solid warm-up. The easiest comparison you could make is Alice in Chains, they have the same bleak and hopeless energy in some of their tracks. ‘Move Me’ and ‘Family’ carry such a dour tone while still maintaining a pulse.
There’s a mixed bag of influences on display, including the System of a Down-tinged ‘Stalker’, a dark and frantic song that makes full use of vocalist Josh Katz‘s energy as he darts about the stage and into the crowd. A jam session in the middle of the song showed off a talented group of musicians in their element, particularly the bass player, who held up a great deal of these songs and injected some groove and energy. The set did slow down once the glut of sad songs showed up towards the end, but it still felt somewhat organic in how it unfolded. Highly recommended for fans of Alice in Chains, Creed, and Puddle of Mudd.
After a break, Three Days Grace came on to massive uproar and chants of “here we fucking go.” ‘Dominate’ was the opening track, but it didn’t take long for the mega-hits to show up, ‘Animal I Have Become’ was played second. It may have become a meme, and you could argue that the song was always ridiculous, but it absolutely rips live. The bass line is immaculate and the scream-along chorus is the exact right amount of macho energy a show like this needs.
The hits were evenly spread out. Some bands have a tendency to frontload or backload their biggest songs, but Three Days Grace paced it well. ‘I Hate Everything About You’ and ‘Time of Dying’ were smack-bang in the middle of the show, adding that burst of energy the audience needed between slower tracks like ‘Mayday’, ‘Kill Me Fast’, and ‘Apologies’.
There’s a great deal of variety in this set, with original vocalist Adam Gontier and Matt Walst trading off vocals on tracks like ‘So Called Life’. It would be very easy for one to overshadow the other, but their chemistry on stage is undeniable. The dynamic made for a more fluid stage show, with Matt Walst showing support for Adam Gontier as he got playfully booed after talking about leaving the band.
Adam Gontier appeared alone on stage and gave a haunting rendition of ‘Creep’ by Radiohead. Even without the band accompanying him, it was powerful, all the more impressive that he could hit all those high notes so easily. An unexpected addition to the setlist, but it fit beautifully.
The whole show was full of fun gimmicks. Matt Walst‘s Terminator-style mic stand made an appearance during the devastatingly heavy cyborg anthem ‘I Am Machine’. ‘Pain’ featured a double-neck guitar, and sure, you could argue that a double-neck guitar isn’t a gimmick and has practical use, but it’s really just an over-the-top tool to look cooler. An effective tool, however, and it always looks amazing on stage.
The show ended with the raucous rager ‘Riot’, a track that got everybody jumping and losing their minds. It’s a bit weird that the last song of the set includes the lyric “let’s start a riot” despite the show being over, but that’s a stupid nitpick.
The show was the perfect length. Every song you could ask for was included, and a night of emotional aggro hard rock music was enjoyed by all. This larger-scale stage show suits Three Days Grace brilliantly, although it would be nice if the AI visuals were kept to a minimum. Aside from that, a killer night was had by all.
