Godsmack
The Best of Times WorldTour
Yaamava Theater – Highland, CA
Monday, October 7th, 2024
Review/Pictures: Diane Lynn
Godsmack is about to begin their 30th year (26 years touring), and they are still kicking ass with the same passion and intensity as when they first started. One of the best damn rock concerts you’ll ever attend!
Godsmack recently kicked off the fall portion of their Best of Times Tour and lucky for me along with 3,000+ of Godsmack’s most loyal fans they included a stop at Yaamava Theatre. It’s bit smaller and more intimate venue than the bands usual arena stops but believe me, their show on Monday wasn’t lacking any of the of the greatness that you’re used to with their live performances.
Monday’s show was without an opener, so it was all Godsmack all night!
As the crowd was settling in from their wait in the drink/beer line’s and deciding on what merch to buy, the theatre lights dimmed and AC/DC’s “For Those About To Rock” started playing. Could it be a subtle message for what we were in for when the show started?
Godsmack
Sully Erna – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Robbie Merrill – Bass, Backing Vocals
Tony Rombola – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Shannon Larkin – Drums, Percussion
There was a huge curtain covering the stage with just a single spotlight aimed at the giant Godsmack logo. As the house went completely black the curtain dropped and the giant screen at the back of the stage began to play clips from “I Stand Alone: The Sully Erna Story”, a film about Sully and the bands beginnings. As the crowd grew louder a live camera feed appeared on the screen, and we could see Sully, Shannon, Tony and Robbie starting to make their way out to the stage to grab their instruments.
The band started us off with the fast paced “Surrender” and then jumped right into “You and I”, both from their most recent album, Lighting Up The Sky. I believe it was back in mid-2022 Sully announced that this album would be their last body of work; a retirement from producing new material. The fans were bummed to say the least, but I’ve also heard that he threw out the phrase “Never Say Never” when asked about the “retirement” during an interview, so we’re all collectively keeping our fingers crossed.
The night was a musical journey backwards in time through Godsmack’s catalog. As the giant clock on the big screen spun counterclockwise, they would play a few songs from one album then jump to the previous release, starting with the most current and ending with their debut album simply titled Godsmack.
They performed hits such as “When Legends Rise”, “Straight Out Of Line”, “Cryin’ Like A Bitch” and “Keep Away”. It was a fifteen-song set that included three encore songs and they also included the drumming duet of Sully and Shannon performing “Batalla de los tambores”.
Before treating us to the emotion filled and beautifully written ballad “Under Your Scars” Sully spoke about the meaning of the song and the Scars Foundation. A foundation that was started by Sully after losing a dear friend to suicide. For more information on the foundation a link to their website is listed below.
I could easily see that Sully loves what he does. His connection with the fans felt genuine, not rehearsed or forced. He recognized a couple of fans from a previous show and pointed out some of the unusual and entertaining things he was seeing in the crowd from the stage. He shared a bit of Tequila with a female fan and regularly threw out guitar picks.
All the guys looked fit and healthy, and their playing was on point. Shannon Larkin was a monster on the drums! His high swings and power hits add even more to the intensity of the show. I love watching Robby Merrill on Bass. He moves and grooves and has fun with the fans without missing a note! Tony Rombola was keeping a low profile as usual, not a lot of fanfare from Tony but man he played the strings off his guitar, his fingers were flying! Sully’s vocals sounded simply amazing, and he works that stage from left to right. He made sure everyone in the crowd was acknowledged, even the fans high in the back
The visual aesthetics, although minimal, were enough to round out the package. Not a lot of dramatic gimmicks on stage, just the musicians and their instruments along with the video screen hanging in the back playing old Godsmack music video clips with the occasional black and white video of burlesque dancers.
The night ended with a bang! Confetti and balloons filled the venue as the guys took a bow. They left the fans totally rocked the fu@k out! And all this on a Monday!
I really hope they decide to continue creating new music, but if they decide to just become a touring band, based on their already outstanding body of work, well, I’d be okay with that too.
Well done, Godsmack! Thank you for having me out to cover the show!
Related Links:
Godsmack
Scars Foundation
https://www.scarsfoundation.org/
