Godsmack came to Five Point Amphitheater in Irvine as part of their “Best of Times World Tour!” This run is in support of Godsmacks eighth and final album, Lighting up the Sky, that was released earlier this year! Though the band said they are retiring from making music, that doesn’t mean they are done touring quite yet! The “Best of Times” tour also included support from Staind, Mix Master Mike, and Flat Black!
If you’ve been to a Godsmack show in the last couple of years, you know the intro to their sets is a big ole’ projection of Mix Master Mike from Beastie Boys on the curtain. It was so fun to see him live in person this time mixing it up. He had everybody dancing and singing to his beats and getting ready for the night ahead!
Staind is a band I have somehow missed seeing live, so this was my first time!
I remember when I first heard their album, Breaking the Cycle, and I was in tears that someone else felt the way I did and was able to put it into words in beautiful songs. The setlist was perfect! Playing the songs that helped Gen X’ers realize they are not alone such as “For You,” “Outside,” and “So Far Away.” Irvine sang loud! Lead singer Aaron Lewis introduced a song that “some of you may have heard, it’s a B side song,” he laughed and started “It’s Been Awhile” a song that sat at #1 in 2001. They played “Wannabe” and Aaron said that that song had only been played one other time before this tour. “Something to Remind You” is one of my favorite songs, so beautiful live that the tears were flowing. Guitarist Michael Mushok goes non stop where it’s a heavier song or a ballad, he’s headbanging hard. Fun fact - He’s also a member of Saint Asonia. Staind closed out the set with “Mudshovel”
Godsmack is one of my all time favorite bands!
Quick storytime: When Kaiya was five, she was the youngest drummer in a group that performed all around SoCal. With a van full of teenagers, Godsmack was the band we all agreed on for the road trips. Kaiya would get so into it, especially to yell “Speak”! I sat in the driver’s seat, watching her through the rear view mirror, thinking how can being a mom get any cooler than this? Well, here we are 16 years later with our own mother daughter metal music magazine.
Godsmack has not one, but a two curtain drop. First Curtain is Mix Master Mike Spinning songs like “Tom Sawyer”, “Dream On”, and “So What’cha Want?” to get us hyped up. Curtain drop one happened and there was another black curtain with Godsmack logo. The second current drops with a BANG, and Godsmack kicks off the set with “When Legends Rise!” Godsmack really bring the heat with their next song, “1000hp,” with full fire pyro! On this tour, Godsmack is celebrating over 25 years together! When you see them live, they still play like this is the best time of their lives. They are so in that moment and giving all they’ve got for the fans. Bassist Robbie Merrill interacts a lot with the fans and as a photographer, we always appreciate his interaction with us for fun photos.
If you’ve ever been to a Godsmack show, Sully will always bring up old school rock shows and talk about how men would pick up their ladies on their shoulders. Kaiya has always wanted to do this and fortunately her strong friend was with her and put her on his shoulders. It was fun to see her on the big screen right up front. A little over halfway through the set, Shannon Larkin’s drum kit started to roll out to the front of the stage. Another kit emerged from behind the stage with Sully Erna behind it! They start playing Batalla de Los Tambores and It was definitely the coolest and most unique drum solo/battle we have ever seen!
For their encore, they rolled out the piano and Sully talked about the Scars Foundation, which is dedicated to providing resources and tools to educate and empower the people that struggle with addiction, bullying, abuse and many other challenges. It’s an emotional song, especially live! If you or someone you know is struggling, go to https://www.scarsfoundation.org/. Godsmack then closed out the night with “I Stand Alone” and lots of fireworks and pyro!
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