SEVENDUST AT STARLAND BALLROOM IN SAYREVILLE
Is Déjà vu real? How would you truly know if it was? WelL, how about seeing it with your own eyes not once, but twice? This is when you can say that felling of Déjà vu is more than just a feeling or thought - that feeling was 100% real. Friday, September 16, 2022, Sevendust made their way back to Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ for the second run of the 21st Anniversary Tour for Animosity. To help top this run, they brought along their buddies in Nonpoint to help deliver that skull crushing and heart pounding performance they are well known for.
If you had the chance to catch a show on the first run of this tour, as I did, you know just how great of a show was put on for this anniversary tour. It gave me a feeling of wanting to see them on this second run even more this time around. To be back on stage with Nonpoint opening up for them was absolutely perfect! I have followed both bands since the early 90s when they hit the scene. After numerous shows, eventually friendships were made with some of the guys in both bands. So, not only have I learned their music and who they are as artists and performers over the years, but getting to know them on a personal level has been something I will always cherish. It has been since maybe 2006 that I had the chance to see them both on stage playing on the same tour, and what a night this was for memories both old and new.
Nonpoint is still alive and kicking just as hard as they did on day one (if not harder now). For this night’s show, they played songs from all over their discography chart. They blasted songs from the earlier albums Statement and To the Pain, and then played some of the newer tunes such as “Ruthless” and their newest single, “Paper Tigers”. Getting to hear “Alive and Kicking”, “Breaking Skin”, and “Bullet With a Name” legit made my night - three of my favorite Nonpoint songs, all in one set!
It was once again that time for the boys in Sevendust to take to their traditional spots on stage. Just like every other time, their set started off with such emotion and such raw energy. You legit feel yourself jumping out of your skin with all of the excitement! Like every other show, for 7D and the fans, these are no regular shows. If you are a veteran, you know that this is a family reunion. You wait for LJ to address the crowd and engage with all of us. You watch Clint get lost into his guitar solos and riffs as each song plays. Vinny is all over the stage, enjoying every single moment on stage with his 7Bros, and sometimes catching one of Morgan’s sticks to add to his bass playing skills. Jon is doing his part on guitar and vocals while taking stage jumps every chance he gets. If you have seen Morgan play, you know just how hard he hits and how much he loves to yell at the crowd (while taking a moment to make some crazy faces and pose when he sees the camera locked on him)! You have heard your friends say great things about this band. You have heard interviews with them, and radio and TV hosts complimenting how talented these guys are on stage (and musically off stage of course), but one thing that I always love to hear, is when bands of all genres say one in the same about Sevendust, how they are literally the best in terms of live performances. The music is there. The talent is there. The respect and friendships are all there, but to have some huge acts (whether it be a full band, a member of a certain band, or even a solo artist) all say somewhat of the same thing, Sevendust is an act that is just simply the best.
The second leg of this amazing anniversary tour has come to an end. Keep a look out for some new music coming from Sevendust, which will surely be follow by yet another tour shortly!