On Thursday evening, September 26th, thousands of fans poured into the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul to watch the 93x Family Reunion show. As a long-time rock and metal fan, seeing multiple generations attend shows dedicated to the genre is encouraging. Our local radio station, 93X, does a phenomenal job promoting new bands and honoring the greats, and this night was no exception.
The first act to open the night was Sleep Theory (Cullen Moore-vocals, Landen Terry (guitar), Paolo Vergara (bass), and Ben Pruitt (drums). I had never heard of this Memphis-based band before, but it was evident that many people showed up early for them. I heard people singing along to every song and saw just as many wearing the band’s merch. They sounded great and had a good stage presence. I’ll definitely be checking out more of their music. Unfortunately for the fans, they only got to play five songs.
Next on the stage was Nothing More (Jonny Hawkins-vocals, Mark Vollelunga-guitar, Daniel Oliver-bass, and Ben Anderson-drums). They are promoting their latest album, “Carnal,” and started their set with the first three songs off of the album, “House on Sand,” “If It Doesn’t Hurt,” and “Angel Song.” Hawkins ran back and forth on the stage, mesmerizing the growing crowd. They finished their set with mega-hits, ”Go to War,” “Jenny,” and “This is the Time (Ballast).”
Next up was one of my all-time favorite bands, Wage War (Briton Bond- vocals, Cody Quistad- guitar, Seth Blake-guitar, Chris Gaylord-bass, Stephen Kluesener-drums). I have been listening to these guys since they started in 2015, and I love seeing them play live. They opened with their hit song, “The Show’s About to Start,” and the crowd went wild. This five-piece continued to rock the venue with hits like “Low,” “Stitch,” and “Circle the Drain.” Frontman Briton Bond paced around like a caged lion as he directed everyone’s attention to the stage. This was the first time the Minnesota crowd heard “Nail5,” “Blur,” and “Magnetic.” I love hearing the contrast of clean and unclean vocals between Quistad and Bond. Wage War is beautifully melodic and extremely aggressive. The band closed their set with their hit, “Manic.”
The next band was Chevelle. (Made up of brothers Pete and Sam Loeffler and touring bassist Kemble Walters of Aeges). Their setlist started strong with “Young Wicked” and “Self-Destructor.” Frontman Pete Loeffler impresses me with his ability to perform the lead vocal duties while simultaneously playing the band’s only guitar. The stage was decorated with impressive lighting and featured the drum kit parallel with the guitar and bass. Normally, seeing the drummer in the back of the stage is much harder, but Sam was up close and fun to watch. The crowd went wild on songs like “Door to Door Cannibals” and “Face to the Floor.” Chevelle has been making music since 1995 and blessed their older fans with three songs from their album Wonder What’s Next: “Send the Pain Below,” “Family System,” and “The Red.” Due to a scheduling conflict, Chevelle’s setlist was cut short but they managed to squeeze in “Mars Simula” At the end.
We all waited for the mighty Godsmack to take the stage. The band’s setlist was one of the most unique I’ve seen, not the song selection but the song order. They played at least one song from each album, starting from the newest and working backward. They opened with “Surrender” and “You and I,” then they kicked it up a notch and played “When Legends Rise,” “1000hp,” and “Cryin’ Like a Bitch.” Vocalist Sully Erna continued to engage the crowd with “Speak,” “Straight Out of Line,” and “Awake.”
Watching drummer Shannon Larkin behind the kit is my favorite part of seeing Godsmack perform. He is the most animated percussionist I have ever seen. The energy in the arena grew as the band played “Keep Away” and “Voodoo.” Since the band played songs from their discography, and these last two songs were from their debut album, we weren’t sure what they would play next. Surely, they wouldn’t end the set after ten songs! No, they saved the best for last. A second drum kit crept on the stage and we were treated with “Batalla de los Tambores!” They also played snippets of covers like “Back in Black,” “Walk This Way,” and Enter Sandman.” The chemistry between the band members was perfect as the band finished their set, rocking the foundations of the Xcel Center with their first single, “Whatever.”
Still, twelve songs weren’t enough for this Minnesota crowd, and they demanded more. Sully returned, sitting at a beautiful white grand piano, and began to play “Under Your Scars.” The band soon joined in, adding a crescendo as the song ended. The final songs of the night were “Bulletproof” and “I Stand Alone.” It’s an amazing show with a great setlist. Check it out if you can!
