"This liberation's seemingly rare"
The crowd roars with the wails of Shaun Morgan’s guitar as Seether takes the stage. There are no screams of “Haaaaaaartford!” No half-assed pledges to make it a “great show tonight!” The music speaks for itself. This September 11th stop for Rockstar Energys "Uproar Festival", swells with patriotism and hard rock along with Three Days Grace and Avenged Sevenfold, Black Tide and Escape The Fate, Seethers set proves strong and real.
As the boys rush on to the fast-paced, head-bobbing “Remedy”, the crowd cannot help but be struck somewhere deep with the bitter, raw pronouncements. Seether combines a grungy sound with agonized, honest lyrics that everyone can connect with. “Fine Again” is a lovely anthem of redemption, where the band searches for hope to contrast the bleak repetition presented in everyday life.
Next we have “Broken”, the song everyone can sing along to, lighters and phones light up the sky in a mournful swaying sea. Shaun jokes that he once wrote a love song and never intends to again, launching into “Tonight.” The song is slightly unconventional for Seether’s normal haunting style, but the crowd is eagerly bouncing. They also play “Country Song”, the bassist Dale Stewart picking away at a jaunting acoustic riff.
Both songs are off their newest release “Holding On to Strings Better Left to Fray.” Then they proceed with an old favorite, in fact the very song that drew me to become a fan in the first, “Fake It.” The song has a heavier sing-songy feel, mocking in a perfect playful manner. John Humphrey of course is slamming away at the drums, new to Seether in 2004. Nevertheless he fits right into the grand scheme of mystification. Of course they play “Rise Above This”, personally one of my least favorite songs by them. The song seems sort of simplistic in its easily-followed melody in comparison to Seether’s other material. But the playing of “Gasoline” completely makes up for the momentary lack of angry statements. The crowd shrieks “BURN HER HOUSE DOOOOOWN” right along with Morgan and the moment couldn’t be more perfect.
The only things that can slightly disappoint are the glaring guitars in between songs. However dull the transitions may be, they still work well with a stellar set. And once again, the nu-metal band of South Africa leaves with easily one of the best performances of the night.