I got to Maplewood on a perfect Saturday afternoon in time to peruse the local Half Price Books store and have a bite to eat before heading over to the concert venue. Noticing the parking lot was starting to fill up, I parked and found a spot in line where I ended up chatting with a couple of fellow concertgoers who live not far from me. I'd splurged on the VIP package for the show, so when they called for VIP'ers, I walked to the front of the line to collect my Theory can koozie and vinyl album, where I ran into an old friend who was there photographing the show.
Shortly after 7pm, us VIP'ers were led up to the third floor of the Myth Nightclub, where the X-Girls were finishing their questionnaires. Soon the guys in Theory of a Deadman and Black Stone Cherry entered the room from a side door to sign autographs, chat with us a bit and pose for group photos taken by a 93X photographer. I had fun chatting with the guys, and was even surprised that Theory guitarist Dave Brenner correctly knew how to spell my last name and how thankful BSC drummer John Fred Young was for everyone coming out to the show.
By the time we got back downstairs, the concert floor was pretty full. I wandered over to the right-hand side of the stage. I was able to get a clear view of the first opening acts, MN natives Sin City Escape and local favorites 3 Pill Morning. Both bands did a good job of warming up the festive audience who were ready and raring to rock!
The only disappointment of the evening was the suddenly obstructed view of the stage as 93X staff and X-Girls started filling up the area in front of the right-hand rail. I took as many photos as I could for the rest of the evening, and had to lean over a bit the rest of the night to see the bands, but the music was great! Black Stone Cherry took the stage launching into the title cut from their new album Magic Mountain. This was my third time seeing these southern rockers live, and they put on another awe-inspiring perfgormance! By the time they closed with their first hit single "Lonely Train," everyone in the arena was thoroughly pumped up!
After the obligatory X-Girl introductions, Theory of a Deadman soon took the stage, starting their set with the hit song "So Happy." It was good to see these guys again for the second time, as well as hearing deeper cuts like "Nothing Could Come Between Us" and "Hurricane" live for the first time.
Midway through the set, frontman Tyler Connolly, Brenner and bassist Dean Back took out stools and acoustic guitars for a short unplugged set. Kicking off with a snippet of "Sweet Home Alabama" (which Connolly turned into "Sweet Home Minnesota," after remembering the band's first MN appearance at the old Quest Nightclub in Minneapolis in 2002), they launched into a cool cover of Stone Temple Pilots' "Interstate Love Song," (a song my brother and I heard STP play live on that same stage two years earlier), "Angel" from the new album Savages, and "No Surprise."
Theory ended their regular set with the fan favorite "Hate My Life," soon ending the night with the encore song "Bad Girlfriend." It had been three years since I last saw Theory and Black Stone Cherry at the MN State Fair, so it was good to hear familiar classics along with songs from their new CDs. Another great night of great music with friends, what more could I ask for? Well that's all until next week when I blog about the Nonpoint concert at the Fine Line in Minneapolis. Have a great week, everyone!
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