While the weather was starting to finally cool down this summer, Godsmack and Staind brought the heat back to Noblesville recently when their summer tour hit town. Originally, it was supposed to feature Nothing More as support but they weren’t able to fulfill the tour so Mix Master Mike from Beastie Boys stepped in to fill the spot.
Mix Master Mike started things off with Godsmack singer Sully Erna introducing the legend on stage before his set. Mike’s set was a DJ set that didn’t reinvent the wheel but got the crowd going as they were just happy to see a musician like Mike, who definitely got the party started right.
Staind was up next and they opened with their new single, “Lowest in Me” which they followed up with “Not Again.” With a beautiful LED screen adorning the back of the stage and a killer light show, Staind fans got exactly what they wanted.
The band threw in pretty much every major hit and didn’t spend much time talking to the crowd other than Aaron Lewis talking about how many people there were.
Staind have never been a flashy band that throws in a lot of bells and whistles or spends a lot of time bantering with the fans- they get on, do their shit and get out and that’s what this set was too- no frills, just killer rock and roll for over an hour.
They left the extras to Godsmack, who’s set started with a kabuki curtain covering the stage, which had a projector play the same intro video of Mix Master Mike on it that was showing on the LED screens around the venue. Mike played a sweet mixtape set on the video to get the crowd hyped up, followed by legendary Ring Announcer Michael Buffer’s “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!” and the party started.
“When Legends Rise” kicked off the set, followed by “1000hp,” which featured more pyro than anyone should be able to rightly afford.
If you’ve seen Godsmack once, you’ve seen them a thousand times but that didn’t stop anyone from having the time of their life and feeling like they were seeing the band for the first time- that’s how you know it was a good set.
From the opening drums of “When Legends Rise” to the new songs like “Soul on Fire” and “You and I” to the double-drum kit battle of “Batalla de los tambores” to the eerie “Voodoo” to the haunting “Under Your Scars” to the final notes of “I Stand Alone,” Godsmack’s set was one that was flawless and had everyone ready to see the band again as a banner reading “Thank You For 25 Years!” hung behind the stage with confetti raining over the crowd.
-Reggie Edwards