When the announcement was made that Godsmack was coming to town and bringing Sevendust along for the trek, you could hear the collective eye roll from the Halifax hipsters. It would be easy to discount this pairing as another in a long line of acts who have arrived on our stages long past their prime and tried to cash in on their now stale hits. It was clear something kept a number of people away from the Scotiabank Centre on Friday night, but those who were lucky enough to have either rolled the dice to attend, or who wanted to revel in this refreshing blast of hard rock, were rewarded with a night of rock music that will be remembered as one of the best shows to have graced the former Metro Centre.

 

Moncton’s own The Motorleague was the perfect choice to pair with these post-grunge giants. When the lights went down to kick the evening off, Shawn Chaisson, Nathan Jones, Francis Landry, and Don Levandier strode on stage and launched into a powerful set of hook laden, punk-tinged hard rock. If there were any reservation or nerves about being on the biggest indoor stage in Halifax, the band didn’t show it. Lesser bands have been eaten alive by that expansive space, and it can be a definite detriment to the performance, but these local guys knocked it out of the park and set a pretty high bar for the rest of the evening. The set was comprised largely of material off the band’s new album (also released on Oct 16th) Holding Patterns, but the better known tracks such as “North America” and “We are Chemical” were included as well. When the band strode off stage, the crowd was primed and ready for the acts to come.

With a huge backdrop featuring the cover of Sevendust’s latest (and 10th) studio release Kill The Flaw, Lajon Witherspoon, Morgan Rose, Vince Hornsby, John Connolly and Clint Lowery made their way onstage for the very first time in their storied and nearly two decades-long career. The band launched into an intense hard-rock set loaded with bombast and melody. Between sets, Lajon explained that the band wasn’t sure what to expect coming here, but that they were amazed at how receptive the crowd was. I’m sure there was a large degree of uncertainty on the crowd’s part as well, but there were certainly those in attendance who were on board. Personally, I was always aware of Sevendust, but wasn’t really familiar with the material as they always tended to exist on the fringes of my listening habits, but to exist for 20 years and to outlast the nu-metal, alt-metal genre and a number of their peers, it was clear to see exactly why the band has enjoyed that sort of longevity. The band is a well-trained machine that churns out engaging, energized melodic hard rock that verges on being anthemic and riles up the primal energies, which was apparent from the mosh pit that formed throughout the set (and was eventually tamed to an extent at Lajon’s urging). The bar that Motorleague set was thoroughly exceeded and you could feel the anticipation growing for the night’s headliner.

As the change-over wound down, the house lights eventually dimmed for the final time that evening and the crowd was treated to an opening montage backed by the very apt “Shipping Up To Boston” by fellow Bostonians The Dropkick Murphys, which showcased the longevity and hijinks the band has enjoyed and got the crowd pumped up. The crowd was getting a bit surly over the comedic short which featured among other things Sully dressed as a teenage girl, but the video served as the intro for the band who hit the stage running and launched into a set laden with the band’s hits such as “Whatever”, “Voodoo” and “I Stand Alone”, which played perfectly alongside tracks from 2014’s 1000hp. (“Something Different” is still stuck in my head.) This was one of those magical evenings of live music where the atmosphere, band and audience were all on the same page, the band delivered and the audience reciprocated in kind.

For me, Godsmack existed on the very same fringe of my listening habits as Sevendust. I knew of the band, and knew some of the material, but they never really blew the roof off my doors (that is until October 16th, 2015). A friend of mine had travelled to Maine to see Sully, Robbie, Tony and Shannon, and I initially scoffed at her, as I didn’t understand at the time just exactly what a Godsmack show entailed. I entered the Scotiabank Centre as a curious skeptic, and after a power packed set which included a killer drum battle between Sully (who had been a drummer for 20+ years prior to fronting Godsmack) and Shannon Larkin, two killer covers (“School’s Out” by Alice Cooper and “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC ), a loaded set of gems and an engaging, unapologetic and charismatic front-man, I left the Scotiabank Centre as a devoted fan. While there are elements of Hetfield and Staley plainly evident, it’s the technical prowess of every member of the band that provides an unshakable foundation and allows the band to be the no-nonsense hard rock outfit that they are.

Much like Sevendust, the Godsmack guys were blown away by the response they received here in Halifax, as it was also their first visit (which is a goddamn travesty as they are from Boston, after all!). If the band holds true on its promise to return to Halifax (I’m not holding my breath, as Maynard James Keenan and Ben Harper have both made the same promise but have yet to come through on it) they may be a better fit for the Hill, but I would expect a packed out show on a return to the Scotiabank Centre. As I said, I walked in a skeptic and walked out a fan. If they do return, I will certainly be in attendance. This was my first Godsmack show, but not my last.