Kaiya Vandemark
- Oct 9, 2023

Having "A Little of The Good Life" with Three Days Grace and Chevelle

Chevelle and Three Days Grace brought their Co-headlining tour with support from Loathe to San Diego’s CalCoast Credit Union Open Air Theater on October 2nd! This was a night full of nostalgia as both Chevelle and Three Days Grace have numerous chart-topping songs across their entire discographies and throughout their multi-decade careers.

Loathe kicked off the night by opening their set with “Aggressive Evolution.” Loathe is an English heavy metal band fronted by lead vocalist Kadeem France. While they’re still relatively new to the States, the band has been nominated for numerous heavy metal awards in the U.K!

What I love about co-headliners is you never know which order the bands are playing in that night!

The lights went down, and the house music started playing “Jump Around” by House of Pain which meant Three Days Grace was up next! I’ve seen Three Days Grace a few times now, and normally during “Jump Around” the whole crowd is jumping in unison and starting pits. This time was a little different though because the venue was seating only. People still found a way though, jumping together in the empty aisles and sides! After that, Three Days Grace took the stage and kicked off with “So Called Life” off their latest album, Explosions.

Lead singer Matt Walst spoke about how he joined the band over 10 years ago when he came to LA. He thanked everyone for making the first single they release with him, “Painkiller,” go Number 1. He also introduced his brother, Brad Walst, the bassist and co-founder of Three Days Grace and I think it’s so cool that they get to share the stage together! The band played some oldies such as “Home,” “Good Life,” and “Break.” During “Just Like You,” Matt brought a couple of fans from the crowd and made it like a game show setting saying things like, “Our first contestant on “The Three Days Grace is Right.”” This is what I love most about Three Days Grace shows is they make it feel like just one big ole party with friends.

Introducing the song, “Never Too Late”, Matt said, “Never give up. If you know someone is going through a hard time, reach out and tell them it’s never too late to turn around. Nothing can defeat hope!” He called for everyone to turn their flashlights on or get there lighters up and said each light represents hope. There is always hope, and always something to hold onto. They closed out with “Riot”, and Matt said this is usually around the time they call for a mosh pit but with the seats, there was no way to have an actual pit. Some guys in the front though found a way of course. It was definitely a funky pit, but it worked!

**This was finally my first time seeing Chevelle!**

I technically saw them last year at Louder Than Life, but we were so far back that we could only see the screens and only stayed for about two songs, so I don’t really count that as a time I’ve seen them. Chevelle is one of my favorite bands at the moment, so I was so excited to finally have this night! The band came out and play instrumental song “Verruckt” which was a nice little warm up to their set!

Chevelle has always been quite a family affair even from the start which I think is one of the most unique aspects of the band. Originally the band consisted of brothers, Pete and Sam Loeffler, with their other brother, Joe, on bass. After Joe departed, their brother-in-law, Dean Bernardini, stepped in in 2005 and would stick with the band until 2019 when he decided to step away and focus on his family. They now have touring bassist, Kemble Walters!

Chevelle played hits throughout their entire discography including “Self Destructor,” “Vitamin R (Leading Us Along),” “Face to The Floor,” and “The Clincher.” There was nothing like the feeling of hearing “Send the Pain Below” and “The Red” in an open-air amphitheater on a cold night though! It was such a beautiful moment especially because the crowd was so loud! The passion Chevelle puts into their performance is something unexplainable and only something you can truly feel in person. Before they closed out their set, Pete said “Scream your balls off for Loathe and scream if Three Days Grace rocked your dicks off!” It definitely caught me off guard, but it was also so funny. They finished off with “Mars Simula.” There’s still a few more dates on this tour so be sure to catch them at one of these upcoming shows!