Chants of “Dave” for the guitar tech, a crowd-surfing banana, and a discussion of Spiderman’s underwear can only mean one thing; a concert in New York City, and this one was amazing. Horizon Theory, Return To Dust, 10 Years, and Sevendust recently came to The Palladium Times Square in the heart of New York.
Right where Broadway crosses 7th Ave on 44th St, Palladium Times Square is a huge space below the street level. An escalator brings you down to one of several large bars and entrance to the theatre itself. The floor space has two levels to provide better viewing and behind the soundboard is stadium-style plush overstuffed seats. Craft beers and specialty cocktails are available at the bars and while food options are a bit limited, they serve a surprisingly good NYC slice. This last fact is a point of pride as the WiFi Password is “we serve pizza”. If you want something else, this is Times Square and you are surrounded by every kind of food imaginable.
Horizon Theory was first to the stage and with four bands playing, the space was somewhat limited. The drummer was squeezed to the side but it didn’t seem to affect their performance one bit. Hailing from Michigan, these guys did not slow down one bit and joined Sevendust after touring with Cold and Orgy earlier this year. The set began with a traditional foreboding low note and exploded into a scream. Alternating between metal screams and more melodic singing, their sound is much like Sevendust making them a good fit as an opener. Lead singer Josh Harrington spends time interacting with the crowd and getting everyone hyped for the next act.
The second band of the night was the TikTok famous Return To Dust and they were up next. A newer band out of California, these guys have been making a splash and touring with Chevelle while making appearances at festivals like Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple. With four bands on the bill their set is by necessity shorter than everyone would like but they rose to the challenge nonetheless. Their sound evokes the Grunge style of the nineties with shades of STP and Alice In Chains, but there is a bit of the raw style of KISS thrown in. It seems like they are about to break into “Cold Gin” at any moment as the bass and guitar match each other.
The third of the support bands was 10 Years, and this is where we get to meet Dave. Dave is the guitar tech and was introduced to the crowd by lead singer Jesse Hasek as the guy who makes sure all of the guitars sound good. From that point on any time Dave switched out a guitar, the crowd started chanting his name. This became a source of amusement for the band and helped make the evening fun for everyone on stage, which helped their performance. Anytime a band is enjoying themselves, it shows. As if Dave wasn’t enough we also were treated to someone dressed as a banana crowd surfing. On top of this was some great music from 10 Years. Their sound is a bit Nu Metal and a bit Grunge with one of the highlights of their set being a spectacular cover of Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box.”
With so much great music already, it is almost incomprehensible that Sevendust is still to come. As the lights dim, The Carpenters “We’ve Only Just Begun” plays over the PA and then they burst into “Disease”. LaJon Witherspoon may have some of the best hair in the business, but his voice is even better. Powerful and melodic, he is backed up by staggeringly talented musicians to make a band that deserves more attention than they get. And there goes the banana, over the rail and back around for another ride.
Throughout the set Lajon converses with himself and the audience recalling shows played at NYC venues in the past with CBGB and Irving Plaza among them. He relates how he loves that he is playing Times Square and tells us about his meeting earlier with Spiderman who needed a few costume repairs to hide his underwear. He gets genuinely choked up thanking everyone for the twenty one years of support they have received. This kind of humility combined with their music is how that support has been earned.
Their set was predominantly the twenty-one year-old album Seasons (TVT Records) but there were a couple of other selections that were used for the encore. The tour continues through the end of October, and Sevendust will be playing Aftershock in Sacramento, CA as a conclusion. Tickets are still available, but the way these guys played there shouldn’t be.
Setlist via (setlist.fm)
Disease
Enemy
Seasons
Broken Down
Separate
Honesty
Skeleton Song
Disgrace
Burned Out
Suffocate
Gone
Face to Face
Encore:
Pieces
Rumble Fish
Bitch
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WRITTEN BY MATTHEW KOCHEK
PHOTOS BY KIM HANSEN @PHARMADIVER
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