It was a cold winter's night in May (Pennsylvania is weird). A near-capacity crowd packed the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg for an evening of rock music, theatricality, and good old fashioned fun.
Openers
HYDE hit the stage 30 minutes early and started warming the place up
with a enticing set delivered in unique stage garb and a feverish
intensity. Despite their early start, we were still able to capture some
photos of their performance before they handed the stage over to Light
The Torch.
After a speedy set change, the newest project from former Killswitch Engage frontman Howard Jones took off, igniting the fans and sending the venue into a blaze of energy. Jones stalked relentlessly from one end of the stage to the other and back again like a man possessed, singing and screaming with everything he had as the band played as if they were at a festival in front of a hundred-thousand.
If that wasn't enough, stalwart rockers Sevendust was up next. I remember them from when I was in high school, but I never had the opportunity to catch them live. I am now regretting having not seen them before this particular night, because their production, lighting, sound, and performance were all fantastic to behold. Coupled with a genuine desire to be there and a true devotion to their fans, they're a group you should make an effort to see. They are still around for a reason, and if this night was any indication, they will still be around for many more years to come.
The three support acts all fit the bill quite well, each one similar yet different enough. A compliment to one another as well as to the headliner. With anticipation at its climax, it was then time for In This Moment. It took a massive set change to (quite literally) set the stage for one of the most theatrical acts in the rock and metal genres today. The Kabuki went down and the lights went up, and what a production it was. From lights and fog to costume changes and backup dancers to makeup and accessories to fog and smoke to even more props and set-pieces that you don't see in photos due to the 4-song photography limit, it was evident that no expense was spared. To think the band and their crew do this almost every night for months while on tour shows a remarkable commitment and dedication to their fans. Above-and-beyond is too small a phrase for the effort put into delivering a show that fans, new and old alike, won't soon - if ever - forget.
More could be written, but words would fail to do the production justice. Therefore, we leave you with the photo gallery.
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