November 11th, 2004 Shinedown, Future Leaders of the World, Silvertide
By Robin Steeley
Future Leaders of the World open the night and immediately into their set a testosterone driven adolescent mosh pit starts, full of teenagers that are hell bent on smashing each other to pieces. The band itself is solid, just heavy enough with a tinge of melody highlighted by some great vocals and rich guitar tones. Their slow burners hit me the hardest and really display the bands songwriting skills. The Percussion and bass are powerful; this is some serious rock and roll and I’m happy to see its return in this line up tonight.
Halfway into the bands set, they really start working the crowd and one of the things I noticed right away was the exceptionally clean sound in the room. Although many of the band’s songs sound alike, their songwriting keeps it fresh and unique. The crowd goes wild as they sing their hit single “Let Me Out”
Silvertide is up next and they storm the stage as an eclectic bunch of rockers ready to take over the night. Their Frontman is a cross between Chris Robinson, Perry Ferrell, and Scott Weiland all rolled into one charismatic package. This band is true to the core Rock and Roll and proceeds to roll out a number of guitar heavy thrashing tunes.
Shinedown, touring in support of their new release “Leave a Whisper”, close the night and their performance is nothing short of amazing. Raw, intense, and powerful I think without a doubt that vocalist Brent Smith is the most impressive voice in modern rock today. The range and timbre are amazing. Not to be outdone, the rest of the band has a cohesiveness not often seen in live performance, especially the guitars which were flawless.
On of the other things I think is commendable about this band is that their music is uplifting; in a world of negative lyrics, these guys shine through. They also have a fierce loyalty to their fans and spend a lot of time communicating with them during the set. Onstage Smith says, “At this very moment, right now, we are all family, I stand on this stage and I’m not looking at your eyes, I’m looking at YOU” followed by the delightful roar of the crowd.
When they played the remake of Lynard Skynard’s classic tune “Simple Man”, I literally got chills, every hair on my body electric as lighters filled the air, the whole crowd singing in unison. Just the look on their faces as they played it you could tell they are living this song.
Overall, all three bands were impressive, but Shinedown is the newest star in the galaxy.
I dedicate this review to Amanda and Jordan, two of our own Future Leaders of the World. Thanks for being the bravest girls I know.
