THEORY OF A DEADMAN AT STARLAND BALLROOM IN SAYREVILLE
The “Rock Resurrection Tour 2023” made a stop this past Tuesday at the one and only Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. With Skillet sitting this show out, Theory of a Deadman and Saint Asonia were able to give the fans an extended playlist. It was a packed house and both Saint Asonia and Theory of a Deadman delivered absolutely amazing performances from start to finish.
Saint Asonia took to the stage first. They opened the show with one of my all-time favorites, “Better Place”, followed by “Bite the Bullet”, “Above It All”, and “The Hunted”. As most know, lead singer Adam Gontier, was the original lead vocalist for the band Three Days Grace. So, what would a Saint Asonia show be without him rocking some of his previous hits?! “Never Too Late” and “I Hate Everything About You” rocked Starland as the crowd was 100% engaged and singing along to every lyric from both of these tunes. Tavis Stanley (Adelitas Way) joined the band playing guitar, Cody Watkins was sitting on his throne and rocking the kit for the band, and Cale Gontier continued to slap the bass and help with the vocals. I always love seeing band members rocking the entire stage from stage left to stage right. Both Adam and Cale did just that with both rocking in their own twilight zone and still making sure to engage with all the fans. I have been lucky enough to see Saint Asonia perform on several different stages. Tuesday night is proof that this band is still highly relevant in the rock scene. From the crowd screaming and yelling as they hit the stage and as they finished their set, to the fans singing along during the entire set, this is a band that has proven themselves countless times and continue to do so.
As the crowd waited for Theory of a Deadman to take their turn, GOTTS from 95.9 The Rat radio came out to toss out some giveaways. He also made sure the crowd was amped up as Theory of a Deadman was on their way out! With the stage lighting up in emergency lights, Theory kicked off the show with the tune “Ambulance”. “Bitch Came Back”, “Not Meant to Be”, “Santa Monica”, and “Lowlife” are some of the songs the band played during this evening of the tour. In between some of the songs, the band would start playing parts of different cover songs. Tyler Connolly (lead vocals, guitar, keys) also took some time to talk with the crowd and give us some history on the band (revealing one of the original band names). It is the little things like this that I feel make any individual artist (or band) fully connected with the fans. Theory of a Deadman has been together for over 20 years now. The band has evolved in many ways over these past three decades, from their sound alone to the massive amount of fans (both new and old). From the self-titled album, to Scars & Souvenirs, to their current release from 2022 Dinosaur, the band has been able to keep their hard rock sound and incorporate new sounds/genres through the decades. The crowd this past Tuesday night showed the band all the love in the world. From the loud screams of excitement, to the engaged sing-a-longs, Theory of a Deadman did not leave the fans disappointed. I had the chance to hang stage side and watch Joey Dandeneau (drums, backing vocals) just completely hammer his kit. Being a drummer all my life, when I have the chance to be up close, you better believe I have my eyes set on watching a drummer rock out. The entire band was all over the Starland stage and was not shy with showing all the fans their appreciation (as they continued to rock during the entire set).
I have not been to a show, or photographed one, since this past summer 2022. Without question, this was the perfect show for me to come back to. Having Skillet be a part of this night surely would have made it just that much better. With that said, Saint Asonia and Theory of a Deadman proved that they don’t need any help from anyone else to make their show(s) an absolute smash from start to finish.