GODSMACK / SHINEDOWN / LIKE A STORM DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS EVENTS CENTER

On a very hot August night GODSMACK returned to Downtown Las Vegas Event Center, and this time they partnered up with SHINEDOWN and LIKE A STORM. With these great bands on the bill you know it meant a huge crowd for this Friday night show, and thats exactly what happened as 12,000+ fans packed the Events Center for a great night of rock'n roll!

Opening up the show was the band LIKE A STORM, who hail from New Zealand but have been living right here in Vegas the past two years working on their new CD The Devil Inside. Like A Storm is what you could call an actual band of brothers - three of the band members are actually brothers - Chris Brooks rhythm guitar and vocals, Matt Brooks lead guitar and keyboards, Kent Brooks bass guitar along with Zach Wood on Drums. Like A Storm played a quick 30 minute set, and this a very good up and coming band and a great band to start off the night.

I had no idea what to expect from SHINEDOWN as this was my first time seeing them, but I can tell you they totally blew me away with their staging, lighting and musicianship. Shinedown has been around since 2001 and all those years have made them a force to be reckoned with. Their lighting had it all - pyro, explosions, lasers, flashing lights everywhere, and it was actually blinding at times due to the amount of stuff happening onstage. Their stage had two curved walkways coming down from each side of the drums which the band used to run back and forth and jump off of all night long. One of the highlights of the show was when guitarist Zack Myers and vocalist Brent Smith (with the help of security) made their way through the crowd to the back of the venue where a small platform was set up, and got on top and did an acoustic sing along version of their cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man". It was something to see as 12,000 fans sang along.

Then it was time for the mighty GODSMACK! Godsmack is now 22 years old and have not slowed down one bit, the band consists of Sully Erna vocals, Robbie Merrill bass, Tony Rombola lead guitar and Shannon Larkin on drums. Godsmack is an American rock institution, having had three number 1 albums in a row. Their setlist still relied heavily on songs from the early era like "Keep Away", "Voodoo", "Whatever" , and "Awake". As usual Erna and Larkin did their famous drum off, with each trading back and forth drum beats while tossing sticks high into the air, and the band also had tons of pyro, and with each blast you could feel the intense heat the flames put off. When you go to a Godsmack show you get exactly what you have become accustomed to getting; a good hard core rock n roll show.

As Godsmack and Shinedown both neared the end of their sets, both bands paid tribute to Las Vegas local and legend Vinnie Paul, who recently passed away. Shinedown with "State of my Head" and Godsmack with an AC/DC sendoff, although ShInedown's "Simple Man" may have touched people's hearts the most, and several from the Hellyeah family watched from the crowd. It was a magical night in Vegas and a fantastic performance form all three bands. A big thanks to the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center and The D Hotel for hosting such great rock 'n roll events in one of the best venues in Las Vegas.