REVIEW: Triple Threat Tour w/ Seether & Sick Puppies

Sometimes, good things do come in 3's. That theory proved to be true this past weekend at Pop's Nightclub in Sauget as 1500+ fans packed the house for the 'Triple Threat Tour' headlined by South African hard rockers Seether along with support from Austrailian outfit Sick Puppies as well as Kyng and Young Guns. The atmosphere was palpable as legions of fans filled every available inch of Pop's for a long sold out engagement  and the show most definitely delivered exactly what fans were hoping for.

After studious sets by Young Guns and Kyng kicked off the night right, the energy was ramped up and the crowd gathered a little closer as 3 piece rockers Sick Puppies took the stage to zealous cheers. The band, led by front man Shimon Moore flowed perfectly through a 45 minute set heavy on Puppies favorites and even some new material thrown in for good measure that was sure to delight fans of the band young and old. The great vocal harmonies mixed with fluent hooks and a good stage performance showcased everything that makes this band great.

A seemingly never ending barrage of hits including "My World", "All The Same" and "Maybe" were early highlights of the high octane set that could have surely been the headliner for the night. Sick Puppies did a great job of warming up the crowd into a lather as the crowd seemingly sang back every chorus word for word. An absolutely electric version of "Riptide" had the floor of Pop's a sea of energy and swaying arms. The band closed down their abbreviated 10 song set with a great run of the high energy of "War" and the bass driven hit "You're Going Down" which ended with electric solos from each band  member that seemingly shook Pop's to the foundation. With that the band thanked the sweaty mess of a crowd and exited the stage to an explosive ovation with the table perfectly set.

After a set break, Seether took the stage and were greeted with a kings welcome. Backed by quite a production including hanging chandeliers (a rarity for Pop's) and an elaborate stage set, the South African 3 piece was most certainly ready to bring the thunder  on this night. The band, consisting of introverted front man Shaun Morgan (vocals/guitar), Dale Stewart (bass) and John Humphrey (drums)were right on form and slammed out of the gate. The crunchy riff and howling vocals of "Gasoline" put this show right on track for a night of huge sound and pumping fists in the air. Other early set highlights included the familiar guitar riff of the hit "Fine Again" and a crowd driven chorus of the toned down "Broken" was surely one of the highlights of the night.

Up next, the band moved to more material off their 2011 release 'Holding Onto Strings Better Left To Fray' which features 3 chart topping hits. A nice run of the "newer" material was very well received by the packed house of Seether fans and seemed to never let off the energy.  A huge drum and bass intro led the band into "No Resolution" as the crowd roared with approval. The current radio single was up next as "Here And Now" was presented and featured the perfect crispness of front man Shaun Morgan's voice mixed with wailing guitars. The country twang of the appropriately named "Country Soung" was next as the walking bassline built into an explosion of music that nearly took the roof off Pop's.

As the set worked towards a conclusion, there was still plenty left to do. With a career spanning a decade and a laundry list of radio singles, Seether still had plenty more up their sleeve. The huge sound of the anathematic "Rise Above This" was up next and was most certainly one of the best songs of the night as the crowd swayed and jumped with approval. The band closed out their 75 minute set with more hits as Morgan shredded away on "Fake It" with his vocals howling into the night air of Sauget. A high octane version of "Remedy" from the 2005 Seether release 'Karma and Effect' closed out the set as the band took turns with huge solos before closing things down and leaving the stage a sweaty mess of rock goodness.....just as it should be.

All in all The Triple Threat Tour featuring Seether and Sick Puppies delivered exactly as it promised, a great night of rock in an intimate setting that will not soon be forgotten by those in attendance. Don't miss this tour if it comes near you.

NOTEBOOK:

- I sat down with Seether bassist Dale Stewart prior to their show for a video interview. We discussed a wide variety of topics so be sure to look for that video later this week here on insideSTL.

- To help fans remember the live show, Seether has  teamed up with the DiscLive Network to produce a recording of each live performance on this tour. The discs were made available to fans directly after the show.

SETLIST - Seether @ Pop's
No Jesus Christ
Gasoline
Needles
Fine Again
Broken
Drum Solo
No Resolution
Here and Now
Tonight
Country Song
Rise Above This
Fake It
Remedy

SETLIST - Sick Puppies @ Pop's
Odd One
Cancer
My World
All the Same
Maybe
Riptide
Instrumental Jam
(New song preview)
Nothing Really Matters
War
You're Going Down

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