SHINEDOWN

With ASKING ALEXANDRIA

Mohegan Sun Arena
Uncasville, Connecticut
March 2, 2019

There is nothing like the energy of a Sold Out arena rock show. The Mohegan Sun Arena has a 10,000-person capacity, which means most of those people in addition to ALL the other people there for the Wolf Den show or just to gamble or party all had to have a place a park. Because there it was a sold out show and Mohegan Sun is such a hub of entertainment. Whether it might be a night like this to see a rock show, a free Wolf Den show, gamble or dine at one of the many restaurants, Mohegan Sun was the place to be this night.

Which left me without a place to park in the parking garages or the usual lots. I had less then 5 minutes to get to the arena almost a mile away from where I was. I made it to the final of the three songs that I could photograph. I made it in time to hear Asking Alexandria’s song “Where Did It Go” as they were finishing up as I burst thru the doors and by the time I did get to the pit, they were well into the third song of their set, “Run Free.”

For an opening band, the crowd was rambunctious and already filling the General Admission Floor and singing along to the rest of their short set list, which consisted of, “Vultures”, “Moving On”, “Eve”, “When the Lights Come On”, finishing up with “Alone in a Room.” If you’re wondering what the first song of their set was, it was, “Into The Fire”. After seeing these guys on Mayhem a few years ago, I wasn’t surprised by the energy they put into their set.

ASKING ALEXANDRIA Photo Gallery

Papa Roach performed after Asking Alexandria.

Then it was onto the band of the hour, Shinedown. I have been to many shows at Mohegan Sun Arena and it is always thrilling to see it packed as solid as it was this evening. The floor was packed, and you couldn’t see that many empty seats in the arena. The stage was about shoulder level to me, and had a cat walk out to a mini stage and thank God, access all around.

Their night started with “Devil” on the main stage with Flames shooting up, I forgot how hot those can get even in the photo pit. They followed this with “Diamond Eyes” then the last song for us photographers, “Enemies”. That was my favorite part, unknown to me, as lead singer Brent Smith shakes hands with the photographers in the pit. Class act!
As Guitarist Zach Meyers and Bassist Eric Bass walked back down the catwalk to the main stage with Brent, they then went into “Monsters” as the photographers filed out of the pit and headed to the coat check to check their cameras.

“Black Soul”, “I’ll Follow You”, “Unity”, “Get Up” and “Bully” were all done on the main stage, when the drums came out on the mini stage out in the front and Drummer Barry Kerch moved to that kit, and the acoustic portion of the show started. Closer to the audience, almost in the middle of the floor, they started “Amaryllis”, “Misfits”, “How Did You Love”, ‘Second Chance”, “45” were played before the one song everyone, and I mean everyone knew was played, “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Cell phones outnumbered the lighters that had been raised since the beginning of ‘Second Chance”.

As they moved back to the main stage, they closed out the night with “Cut the Cord”, ‘Sound of Madness”, and “Brilliant”, which is a word that can also describe the amazing light and laser show that had gone on thru out the whole set.

It was an amazing night, with three great bands, with everyone putting everything they had into it. There are still more dates rolling along with this line up, if they are near you anytime soon, go. Don’t sit there thinking about it. GO.