Sevendust and Tremonti put on an amazing show to not only mark the first time they have been back in New England since the pandemic but also to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 which happened to fall on the day they played at the Worcester Palladium.
Grammy Award-winning Mark Tremonti is renowned for his work with the bands, Creed and Alter Bridge. On this night he was joined with guitarist Eric Friedman, bassist Tanner Keegan, and drummer Ryan Bennett, the members of his self-titled band, Tremonti. They started the night off heavy with their latest song, “A World Away”, off their new album, Marching in Time. Tremonti has been putting out albums since 2012, providing their set with an excellent mix of older tracks along with some brand-new material. They finished off with their popular fast-paced track, “Wish You Well”. This had fans sufficiently warmed up and pumped for the headliner.
Sevendust hit the stage hard with their newest single, “Dying to Live” from the Blood & Stone album, released during the fall of 2020. This was the first time audiences were able to hear this live and it was extremely well received. Before the next song, “Home”, lead singer Lajon Witherspoon let the crowd know he was feeling back at home with finally getting back to live performances. The audience enthusiastically agreed as they got to experience their older tracks and be in the live music moment with Sevendust. They went on to display a September 11, 2001 flag, igniting the audience in commemoration of the infamous date. Throughout the crowd, you could hear many fans cheering, “Never forget”! Indeed it was a very sentimental moment.
Sevendust continued with many of the all-time fan favorites, such as “Black”, “Waffle”, and “Denial”. One Sevendust song that always gets Lajon emotional, which in turn gets the entire building misty-eyed, is “Angel’s Song”. This song was written in honor of James Lynn Strait who was the lead singer of the band, Snot, before his untimely passing. Lajon will often dedicate this song to someone if they have recently passed, or tell the story of Strait. On this night he let everyone know he was dedicating this to his unborn child that did not make it near the end of 2020. He was extremely vulnerable, and could barely muster up the words to a song he has sang a thousand times before.
Without a dry eye in the house, Sevendust continued on with their set. Morgan Rose rocked out on the drums harder than ever during their new song, “Blood From a Stone”. The band finished strong with their heavy tracks “Praise” and “Face to Face”. It was spectacular witnessing everyone appreciate live music again together, and clearly, Massachusetts cannot wait to have Sevendust back again soon.
About Photographer Lori Hynes
Lori Hynes is a Boston-based concert photographer that also works as a data analyst. She is a mother to two very active boys. When she is not taking her sons to their activities or photographing concerts, Lori enjoys snowboarding and is an avid ice hockey player.