93X’s Twin City Takeover brought a stacked lineup to Target Center Friday night, with four bands covering a wide range of the current rock scene. From newer acts building momentum to one of the most recognizable names in rock radio closing the night, the show moved quickly and kept the crowd engaged from the moment the first band hit the stage.
The Funeral Portrait opened with “Mad World” (Tears for Fears cover). The Atlanta band brings a theatrical edge to their live show, mixing modern rock with post-hardcore energy. Even with the crowd still filing into Target Center, they attacked the set like the room was already full. Their set included songs like “Generation Psycho” and “Blood Mother,” giving those unfamiliar with the band a quick introduction to its style. Frontman Lee Jennings kept moving across the stage and spent plenty of time trying to pull the early crowd into the show. By the time they closed with “Suffocate City,” the floor had filled in quite a bit, and the room was ready for the next band.
Sleep Theory followed and brought a different kind of momentum. The Memphis band has been gaining traction at rock radio over the past couple of years, and judging by the reaction in the Target Center, many in the crowd already knew the songs. Their set moved through tracks like “Fallout,” “Stuck in My Head,” “Gravity,” and “Numb,” all of which landed well with the crowd. Personally, this was a fun moment for me. I remember hearing Sleep Theory about three years ago and immediately falling in love with their style and show. Even back then, it felt like a band that was going to break through if they kept pushing forward. They handled the room well and left a strong impression as they concluded with “Static.”
I Prevail took things up yet another level. Their shows have a reputation for big production, and that showed up right away. The band leaned into the heavier side of their catalog early, kicking things off with songs like “NWO,” “Bow Down,” and “Self-Destruction,” which immediately got the floor moving.
The stage production added a lot to the set, including bursts of pyro that hit at just the right moments during some of the bigger songs. Mid-set songs like “Violent Nature” and “There’s Fear In Letting Go” kept the momentum going, and “Into Hell,” “Bad Things,” and “Rain” brought a melodic break to the chaos. The best parts of the mid-set were their cover of Metallica’s “Sad But True” and Gabe Helguera’s drum solo. The Michigan five-piece closed things out with “Hurricane” and “Gasoline,” leaving the crowd fully warmed up for the headliner.
Three Days Grace closed the night as the headliner and delivered a set that covered the full history of the band. With both Adam Gontier and Matt Walst sharing vocal duties, the group can move between different eras of their catalog in a very natural way. It gives longtime fans a chance to hear songs from across the band’s timeline in one show.
The set mixed classic songs that most of the crowd grew up with: “I Hate Everything About You,” “Never Too Late,” and “Riot,” with newer material like “Dominate,” “Kill Me Fast,” and “MayDay. They featured a special acoustic set where they sat around a fake campfire on stage, telling stories of the bands origins and playing “Get Out Alive,” “Chalk Outline,” and “Lifetime.”
Another highlight for me, was when Adam came out singing “Here Without You” by 3 Doors Down. Because the band’s late singer, Brad Arnold, just lost a long battle to cancer last month, it was a touching moment before they cranked it back up with “I Am Machine” and “Just Like You.”
By the time they reached the final stretch of the show, the entire arena seemed locked in. The surprisingly long setlist featured over twenty songs that reminded everyone just how deep the band’s catalog has become after decades of producing music.
Overall, the 93X Twin City Takeover felt like a strong snapshot of where rock radio is right now. Newer bands are pushing their way onto bigger stages, while established acts like Three Days Grace continue to draw massive reactions from longtime fans. Nights like this show how the genre keeps evolving while still holding onto the songs people have been blasting in their cars for years.
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