Staind @ Best Buy Theater (9/15/2011)

staind logo

Artist: Staind
Venue: Best Buy Theater (New York, NY)
Opener: n/a
Date: 9/15/2011
Label: Atlantic Records

I think it’s pretty safe to say that I have not experienced a musical week like this particular one ever before and here is why. If you’ve been paying attention to our stories here on PiercingMetal.com, you will know that not only did we lay our level of Metal media scrutiny on the Metal Masters clinic, the not-so secret Anthrax show and the Road Recovery benefit honoring Slash this week, but also the mighty Big Four tour and the Doro Pesch and Arch Enemy shows that preceded the week as well. If you were a fan of the live concert scene and going to shows there was truly no better place to be than New York City this past week and a half. That being said the excitement would continue with this evening’s concert by Staind and here is how that show went down for those who were not able to make it.

Before I continue I should mention that this was a benefit concert and would be for the New York Police and Fire Widows and Children’s Benefit Fund; As result of this any members of the first responders were able to attend for $9.11 if they wanted to join in and I’m happy to report that this benefit concert was completely sold out and that was good especially with this being the tenth anniversary of the 9-11 Attacks on NYC. It’s really hard to believe that ten years have already gone by but it has. Let’s never forget okay? Now before continuing on, I should say that my own first experience with Staind music is much like everyone else’s and stems from their blockbuster “Break The Cycle” album and that is the one with “Outside” and “It’s Been Awhile” (both tunes being MTV and Rock radio mainstays). For those who loved the band before this time I give you credit because before that release they very simply eluded my attention. Now tonight’s show would also bear two other interesting points and the first would be that the bands newest album, the eponymously titled “Staind” had only just been released two days prior to this show and it would seem that original drummer Jon Wysocki had left the lineup and had been replaced by Sal Giancarelli. The show was also able to be streamed live for free which was pretty cool in my book and while I ate some dinner in a nearby bar, I quickly programmed a blog posting to allow any of our readers to enjoy this show and feel as though they were in the venue with us but from the comforts of home. Since I had never before seen Staind in concert before this evening I guess it’s safe to add that there were four points to mention and not the initial two I had stressed 

After some considerable delay (or at least it seemed that way to me) the band arrived and hit the crowd hard with “Mudshovel” from their “Dysfunction” album and followed it with the brand new “Throw It All Away”. This would be the first time I was hearing any of the bands new stuff and was pleased to find them parsing it out across the set and instead of one tune after the next from the latest album we received a known tune and then a new one. This would be repeated for the duration of the fifteen total performed tracks for the show. I do tend to hate when a band forces the new album on you by playing tune after tune after tune of the stuff you do not know yet. For me this takes away from the concert experience more than it brings to it. Sometimes Rush and Iron Maiden do this and the audience response is like watching a roller coaster ride as it goes up and down and back again. Now with this being a benefit gig and focused on the 9-11 tragedy there were American flags everywhere. I didn’t mind this being a proud US citizen and music fan as it showed not only the necessary support for our city that was still needed around this time, but also that the healing powers of music were there to lend their powers.

The new stuff sounded really good and there are some standout tracks on the release for sure. The crowd was a little interesting to observe and for the most part just watched intently while the show progressed and sang along to anything that they knew. This was as opposed to having them fly over the barricade as would normally happen at the crazier shows that I often attend. This was a welcome change for sure and I had to laugh when a couple of more inebriated fans ran passed my friend and I yelling how they were going to get the circle pit going. The look on my friends face as she mumbled “Circle pit? Staind show? Really guys?” was priceless. At one point of the night Lewis recited the “Pledge Of Allegiance” and from my vantage point it appeared as though everyone was saying it with him. I know that I was. He also treated us to a song off of his new Country album with the story of his life and upbringing “Country Boy”. I will say that it does have a certain Staind vibe to it just the same and while I enjoyed it as much as the rest of the new stuff, I was really on top of the air when both “Outside” and “It’s Been Awhile” made their way into the show. When it all had been said and done, the audience received a total of eight songs from the new album and since it was indeed “so new”, this could have also been thought of as a new release preview show. Anthrax did that earlier in the week by playing this very same room and doing a healthy number of tunes from their “Worship Music” CD which had also just been released. The final number of the night was an interestingly placed “Something To Remind You”. The song is a somber one and speaks to loss which made it very fitting based on the anniversary of that terrible day.

Closing up I had to say that I was glad to be a part of the night because I had been curious about the band in the live sense for a long time and also based on its being for an important cause. I look forward to hearing the album in full sometime soon and will get a review online for the readers when it’s possible to do so.

Set List:
1. Mudshovel
2. Throw It All Away
3. Right Here
4. Failing
5. So Far Away
6. Wannabe
7. Outside
8. Eyes Wide Open
9. Country Boy
10. The Bottom
11. It’s Been Awhile
12. Not Again
13. Paper Wings
14. For You
15. Something To Remind You

As is my standard operating procedure these days, here are some photographs of the venue marquee. I was glad to do it in this case since the show was a 9-11 benefit gig and presented that information to the people passing by.  Tickets were also only $9.11 and that is surely worth spending for a good cause don’ t you think? The charity would be the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund.

I took a shot of some of the merchandise on sale as well – here you go 🙂

Staind Shirts

Here is a shot of Aaron’s microphone stand.  As you can see it is laden with guitar picks that all say his and the band’s name.  Needless to say I was finding the guitar pick collector in me having heart palpitations.  No I did not end up catching one but was glad that folks behind the photo pit in the audience were able to get their hands on some.

Guitar Picks Galore

Official Website: http://www.staind.com

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