3 Doors Down Review from Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin
3 Doors Down’s performance was about friendship and love
© 2017 Always Acoustic, Brad Arnold
As strong storms blew through the Chicago area on July 21st, you had to wonder whether it would put a damper on 3 Doors Down’s show the following day.
Thankfully, the Grand Victoria Casino’s grounds were only slightly saturated with water, which enabled the crowd to walk around the outdoor venue barefoot.
The first three songs of 3 Doors Down’s performance were about being alive or having the time of my life. 3 Doors Down started with Greg Upchurch smashing his drums as the band entered and they then kicked-off their first ever Concert Series at Grand Victoria in Elgin with “Still Alive.”
One song later, 3 Doors Down performed one of their popular songs in “It’s Not My Time” while simultaneously displaying the music video on the monitor behind the band. Two songs into 3 Doors Down’s performance and Brad’s vocals were killing it!
As the white strobe lights graced the stage, Brad moved forward from Greg’s drum kit and belted out the lyrics to “Time of My Life.”
Unlike Filter’s performance in which certain concertgoers reacted with the middle finger and profanities over Richard Patrick’s remarks about President Trump, 3 Doors Down’s performance was about friendship and love.
Throughout the evening, Brad Arnold called everyone his friends and even used the “L” word. Before 3 Doors Down performed “Be Like That,” he remarked “Sing this with me my friends!” At the conclusion of “Kryptonite,” Brad remarked, “We love you!”
© 2017 Always Acoustic, Chris Henderson
The entire evening the audience reciprocated their affection for 3 Doors Down by singing along to almost every song, dancing in the wet grass and thunderously cheering as each song concluded.
Song by song, Brad Arnold sounded amazing! Maybe the rest and relaxation that Brad got during his Wyoming vacation inspired him vocally. However the most likely answer is Brad’s vocals have been dormant for thirteen days between the Colorado and Ohio shows.
3 Doors Down’s set list was mostly electrifying with a slight deviation in electricity. The electricity slightly cooled on “Landing in London,” “Let Me Be Myself” and “Here Without You.” “Landing in London” started chilled for three fourths of the song and then blazed into a higher charged tempo.
Who would have thought hashtags would be the in norm of the Twenty-First Century. If you never heard of a hashtag, then you certainly became aware of it after “Us and the Night” concluded. Brad remarked, “Don’t forget to hashtag!” A little band promotion of a popular band never hurts!
Near the end of 3 Doors Down’s set, and before their encore tunes, they went “old school” with “Loser” before playing a little rockin’ reggae beat during “Kryptonite.” While 3 Doors Down may not be Bob Marley & The Wailers, that little reggae beat was awesome!
As 3 Doors Down ended their evening with “When I’m Gone,” it left you fulfilled, yet starving for more.
