April 30^th (The Fillmore – Detroit, MI) – Another week, another show. Or so they say, right? Not the case tonight. Why you may ask? Because Sevendust is back in town and it’s the first actual Detroit show since the Covid situation came upon us back in early 2020. I think it’s been close to three years for a 7D show that was actually in the city of Detroit. That made me extra excited about the whole evening. It was a later start to the night because we were told and believed doors were at 7pm but it turned out the opening act started at 7pm. Lesson learned, and the show does and did go on.

I was really looking forward to catching Deepfall, especially because they are a Michigan based band, but that didn’t happen with the confusion of the actual show starting time. I did however get to talk to a few people about them and the majority agreed they did a great job and made all of us here in the metro Detroit music scene proud. That works for me. Check out the bands online presence to see and judge for yourself.

Next up were the ladies in Plush. I was super excited to see them live after getting to know them from a few songs played on local Detroit radio and on SiriusXM. As we walked in, the girls had just started their set and I was intrigued right from the go. The majority of the crowd was up front and everyone in the building at the time was paying close attention. Not normal for a show with two or three bands playing before the headliner. So much energy and passion from the ladies. Such a talented group of women who obviously love music, especially rock and metal, and they ate up every minute of their time on stage. Highlights for me were their cover of ‘Barracuda’ by Heart, which they totally nailed, and hearing ‘Hate’ and ‘Better Off Alone’ played live. I developed a huge crush on the drummer, not only because of her looks but also because she is a bad ass on those drums. As a fellow drummer, it was hard not to notice all her greatness. Please check these ladies out. You won’t be disappointed.

Direct support on this leg of the tour was from All Good Things. Unfortunately, I ran into an old peer and friend and spent most of their set talking and catching up with my old acquaintance.  What I did see was impressive though, and the crowd really seemed to be into it as well. I’ll make sure that I get to catch them at then next event where they are part of the lineup. The band definitely had some fans in attendance, and they were very present. That definitely says something about the guys

It was just a few minutes after 9:30pm and the lights went out and the crowd went into full blown excitement mode. I had also been informed just minutes earlier that the show had officially sold out. Yes! I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen this band live, but it’s at least a dozen if not more. This one was no different, and it shouldn’t be as a true, loyal fan. As the members of the band took the stage while the intro was playing, the crowd became more and more frenzied. Light’s up and the band started their set of songs from the ‘Animosity’ album, which was the reason for this tour celebrating 21 years since it’s release. ‘T.O.A.B.’ kicked it all off and the night and songs just got more and more intense with passion and full attention from the crowd, and the boys in 7D feeling it all. The ‘Animosity’ album is one of my favorite albums from Sevendust but I still got goosebumps and an extra boost of energy when they played ‘Praise’, one of my all time favorites, as well as ‘Crucified’ and of course ‘Angel’s Son’. Such an amazing band, both on record and live. It was a huge bonus to hear ‘Face to Face’ as part of the two-song encore as fans were screaming and begging for just a few more songs after the end of the planned album set.

The energy from these guys never disappoints and there were so many occasions where Lajon shouted out big love for Detroit and had the crowd chanting for the band in several different forms. Clint, John and Vince were totally owning their parts and doing what they do in the band as always and that stands out every time. I’ve been fortunate enough to have interviewed Lajon on a few occasions for different media outlets and Morgan Rose is one of my favorite drummers. I finally got to meet him a few years ago at The Machine Shop in Flint, MI and that was huge for me. He literally made me want to play drums again. I can’t think of another drummer in hard rock or metal that has the passion, talent and has so much fun just doing what he loves. Thank you Sevendust for simply staying and being who you are. Lajon, Morgan, Clint, Vince and John, thanks for all this amazing music and thanks for loving what you do. We appreciate it more than you know.

To close it out, another extremely memorable Sevendust show. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing these guys live. It’s just not possible. Huge shout out to Jeremy Marquardt for jumping in on short notice to grab some photos, thanks to all the fans who came out to support Sevendust’s biggest headline show ever in Detroit and thanks of course to Sevendust. Keep it going, brothers. #SevendustHasArrived.

-Howie