3 DOORS DOWN AT PNC BANK ARTS CENTER IN HOLMDEL
Summer is here and it has never felt better to catch a live show outside with friends and fellow concert goers all around. June 28th, 2023, the “Away From The Sun Anniversary Tour” featuring 3 Doors Down and CandleBox made a stop in Holmdel, NJ. The venue was the great PNC Bank Arts Center. The weather may have been a bit humid, but no storms meant the show was on! This show had no openers, so we were blessed with 2 long sets from the Seattle grunge boys in CandleBox, and the headliners 3 Doors Down.
I was and always will be a grunge kid at heart. Being able to photograph certain acts now that I grew up listening to as a child is simply awesome. As I watched CandleBox perform, I thought to myself how crazy it is to see these guys still rocking since the start in 1990. Other than their massive backdrop in the background, it was a very simply stage setup, but these guys showed they didn’t need any big lighting effects or bursts of pyro to show that they know just how to rock. As they played through their set, you heard the tunes “Don’t You”, “Blossom”, and “He Calls Home”. What really caught my attention was right at the very end when they played my two favorite tunes, “Far Behind’” and “You”; two absolute perfect hits to close out a perfect set. The first part of this show was a perfect mix of nostalgic energy with the want for more. That is just how good the Seattle Grunge boys from CandleBox were.
I had the pleasure of photographing 3 Doors Down a few years back, so I already knew the energy that was about to be brought to the stage. The crowd was absolutely packed at this point and they were all ready for the boys to make their presence known. 3 Doors Down hit the stage with a new tune, well a new tune for fans old and new to hear. After the first song first, Brad Arnold explained that it was a song that was originally written for the album, but never made its way on as part of the final track listing. So, they thought it would be cool and fun to play it as the opening to their set. The crowd was loving every song played and every interaction from the guys on stage. Chet Roberts was constantly engaging with the crowd as he would walk up to the edge of the stage for some of his solos and would hype up the crowd with his hand gestures and shredding fingers. “When I’m Gone”, “Let Me Go”, “Here Without You”, and to almost finish up their set with “Loser”, this was yet another great rock show I was witnessing alongside the thousands of fans in attendance. The band would come back for an encore rocking out to “Landing in London” and “Kyrptonite” before sending their beloved fans home.