Monday, April 27, 2009

It's been a while...

It's been a while since I was up in Northern Minnesota, near the Walker area. My family and I used to rent a cabin in that area for a week for several summers in a row when I was in college. I really enjoyed the laid-back, serene atmosphere in smaller towns like Hackensack, Longville and Walker (not to mention the fishing was pretty good too). I just had a chance to go back to this area on Saturday, when I went to a sold-out Staind concert at Northern Lights Casino in Walker, and I had a great time!
I got to my hotel in Walker around mid-afternoon on Saturday, and was surprised to still see plenty of ice on the lakes! After a quick break, I drove around town for a little while, stopping in at Reed's Sporting Goods and reminiscing about the great fishing on Leech Lake, until it was time to grab dinner at the casino.
After a hearty meal at the casino's buffet, I wandered around the open gaming floor. I was amazed by the number of different gaming options - tons of slot machines, blackjack tables, and some very competitive poker tables. I tried a couple of machines, but didn't win anything. No big deal, I said to myself, as I'd only lost a couple of bucks. Besides, the doors were about to open for the concert, so I left the gaming area and headed for the show.
At about 6:30 p.m. the opening act, Rev Theory, started their performance. This five-piece rock band from New York City did a good job of getting the crowd involved in singing along and fist-pumping to about a half-dozen songs from their major label debut, Light It Up. Their energetic performance reminded me of bands like Guns N' Roses, Stereomud, and Velvet Revolver, and I thought they did a good job of combining rocking tunes like "Hell Yeah" and "Light It Up" with slower ballads like "Broken Bones" and "Favorite Disease" (which also included a nifty cover of the Nine Inch Nails song "Head Like A Hole" during the bridge of the song).
After only about another half-hour, Staind burst onto the stage with a powerful, rocking version of the song "Suffocate" from their major label debut Dysfunction. Although these "kings of angst" did play several softer songs like the single "Believe" and "The Way I Am" from their most recent album The Illusion of Progress, the band also did reach back into their catalog and play some old favorites like "Just Go," the angry anthem "For You," "Fade," "So Far Away," "It's Been A While" and "Falling."
Frontman Aaron Lewis played a lot more electric guitar than I expected him to during the heavier songs, although he did pull out the acoustic guitar for some of the softer songs, including a couple of solo acoustic numbers. About midway through the show, as guitarist Mike Mushok, bass guitarist Johnny April and drummer Jon Wysocki took a well-deserved break offstage, Lewis took to his stool and acoustic guitar to play the newer ballad "Tangled Up In You." After the band wrapped up their set with a rocking version of "Mudshovel," one of my all-time favorite Staind songs, Lewis returned to the stage alone for a one-song encore. This time he grabbed his acoustic guitar and his stool, but walked away from the mike. The sound of his powerful voice as he sang and played the song "Intro" as a thank-you to the dedicated fans in attendance resonated throughout the concert hall.
After the lights went up, and I was chatting with fellow concert-goers who all agreed that we had just watched an incredible performance, I remembered that I was given a $5 voucher for casino gaming when I presented my ticket as I entered the show. Before I left the casino that night, I took a chance on a random machine, and actually won a bit of cash. Not a lot, but enough to cover the cost of gas that it took to fill my tank on the drive up to Walker. I was pleasantly surprised just to get something for nothing!
I don't know if last night's Staind concert at Northern Lights was sold out or not, but I'm sure the concert-goers probably had at least as much fun as I did. While I didn't hear a few of my favorites like the song "Home" and the solo acoustic version of the hit "Outside" (they played the band version instead), it was still a very fun and memorable concert. What a great weekend break - one that I really felt I needed. I'm already looking forward to next Sunday's Queensryche concert back at Northern Lights. Maybe I'll even see some of you there!

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