With over 30 years of making music each, Candlebox and 3 Doors Down are the true definition of touring musicians in the US. Their brand of rock is incredibly catchy and is almost always incredibly successful in getting people off their seats.
With the hot and humid Tampa night following downpours earlier in the day, they took to the stage with people already sweatily dripping with anticipation.
Dropping the self-titled EP back in 1993, Candlebox spread across the country like wildfire after just two years of consistent achievement in Seattle clubs. Main staging at Woodstock ‘94 after being the opener for Rush and Metallica got the band quickly whipped into road shape, a build they have maintained since.
Kevin Martin on vocals and lead guitar is the only original member, but he hasn’t lost a step. Opening with “Don’t You,” “Change,” and “Blossom” they came ready to take fans through a bit of the entire catalog.
Engaging with the fans, Martin talked about how “Mother’s Dream” was a personal song and proceeded to tell us about how he wrote it for a grandmother he simply could not stand named Thelma. Grabbing an acoustic guitar, he strummed a few notes before handing it off to a youngster in the front pit. While a great gift, he didn’t sign it until later in the set.
Dedicating “He Calls Home” to his father who stormed Omaha Beach in WWII as well as to our Veterans, he told the audience “Thank you for your services brothers and sisters.” As the 11-song set began winding down, he changed on stage into a “Still Relevant” shirt, which was a somewhat delf depreciating joke given how popular the band still is.
With “Far Behind” playing, the audience exploded. Dedicated to Soundgarden’s famed and deeply missed frontman Chris Cornell, Martin shared just a touch of how special Cornell was not only to the Seattle grunge movement but to him as a person.
As some in the audience wiped away a tear, the song touched a spot most don’t show in public. Hopping down to quickly sign the guitar before the final song “You” came to an end, he ended the set with a loud “WE LOVE YOU!!” to the audience.
Following a brief set changeover, 3 Doors Down was up next. With a more “relaxed” sound, many in the audience used the opening of their set to enjoy a slight rest off their feet, “Pop Song” and then “When I’m Gone” quickly got them back up. Those who stayed seated to just vibe to the music mostly stayed there all set, but they were not high in number.
Reminding people that we are all friends throughout the night, his message before “Ticket to Heaven” got many to take note of how music makes us all just like being in a family. “If you ever feel alone, or if you ever feel like nobody loves you. Just remember that you’ve always been loved, Jesus loves you. You’ve never been alone. God Bless You.”
A few songs later, “Here Without You” had everyone singing along. While many quickly found themselves flooded with memories that the song invokes, it was amazing to look around and see the different reactions. One woman was singing along, and pointing to the sky as she was lost in the moment.
Simply looking to be singing to a lost loved one, this intimate and special moment with a band is not something many experience. For the band, they fed off the energy of the fans, and they played with the passion of a group that truly wanted to do nothing else in life.
With Chris Henderson and Chet Roberts on both rhythm and lead guitar as well as backing vocals, the band has a very distinct sound available for different songs. Justin Biltonen rounds out the sound on bass, with Chris Henderson on drums, these 5 have turned the band into an incredibly well-oiled machine. Jumping into “Loser,” they had a duet of sorts between the guitar and drummer. This mixture formed another sensory overload for many, as the passion these two play with is i.
Talking about Tampa, he described how the city and our radio stations gave 3 Doors Down their first break. With the rampant radio play they got out here, they started off on the right foot, and we gave them an opportunity to tour. Telling them “You’ve been here since then. Thank you, my friends, thank you for having us. Thank you for the last 24 years!!”
With “Landing in London” and “Kryptonite” as their encore, the fans were as loud as can be to encourage them to return for those songs. With an 18-song total setlist, they gave everyone an amazing night.
With only a few dates in Texas left, if you’ve missed your opportunity to catch the tour, you may have missed out on catching Candlebox as their “The Long Goodbye Tour” portion of the tour is also concluding. To them, thank you for such an amazing set.
Additionally, I want to thank the two fellow Army Veterans working as roadies for 3 Doors Down. With the American flag on stage right all night, seeing it properly taken down, folded, and stored away was a great thing to see.
The fans who stuck around loved seeing it as well, and I cannot commend them enough for doing the right thing, even though nobody (except for me it seemed) was paying attention. Well done brothers!!
On Wednesday, July 11th, rock bands 3 Doors Down, Collective Soul and Soul Asylum rolled their way into St. Petersburg, FL, all aboard The Rock & Roll Express Tour. The fourth date of the tour made a stop at St. Petersburg’s newest concert venue, AL Lang Stadium, making this only the second show hosted by the soccer stadium converted band stage venue.
Brad Arnold 3 Doors Down (Photo-Lizzy Davis)
Soul Asylum kicked open the show with a fairly laid back set. The weather hadn’t quite made up its mind and was drizzling on fans as they trickled in. At the end of “Whatcha Need” guitarist Ryan Smith amped up the energy a little bit, dropping his guitar on stage and stepping on it repeatedly to mute the song ending.
After picking his guitar back up, they broke into the 1994 “Best Rock Song” Grammy winner, “Runaway Train.” Soul Asylum’s set was a mere seven songs, closing with “April Fool” while kneeling on the stage and blowing kisses to a well receiving crowd.
Collective Soul (Photo-Lizzy Davis)
After a brief set change, Collective Soul hit the stage running, opening with “Now’s The Time”and “Over Me.” Vocalist Ed Roland took a seat at a piano placed on the right-hand side of the stage and broke into the recognizable intro of 1993 hit, “Shine.”The entire band had clearly warmed up by this point, with Roland energetically jumping during the breakdown of the song and playfully tossing his hat across stage at the end of the song.
Following a performance of “Heavy,” Roland addressed the crowd, “Do I have your attention?!” The crowd responded with an emphatic cheer and helped singing along with “The world’s done shaking, world’s done shaking me down…” during “Better Now.”
Dean Arnold Collective Soul (Photo-Lizzy Davis)
Roland maintained an excellent amount of engagement and interaction with the crowd throughout Collective Soul’s entire set. He had several important messages to deliver, from explaining that “Some songs are for the mass public to enjoy, while other times we write songs that are therapeutic,” to a semi-random interjection of, “F— cancer!”
Ed Roland Collective Soul (Photo-Lizzy Davis)
Roland also touched upon The Beatles being one of rock music’s defining bands and how they have many different styles of songs (particularly noting “Hey Jude” and “HelterSkelter”). He continued, “It’s okay for people to have different opinions. Just don’t be assholes, and when you learn to do that, we will all ‘Gel’…” an apt prelude into the song.
The clouds had cleared and a beautiful sunset painted the skies opposite the stage, which Roland took an opportunity to point out to the crowd following the conclusion of “Where the River Flows.” Roland took a moment to introduce his multi-talented brother and piano player, Dave Roland. The two shared a hug, just as the heartfelt notes of “Run” began playing in the background.
Ed Roland Collective Soul (Photo-Lizzy Davis)
Johnny Rabb Collective Soul (Photo-Lizzy Davis)
Toward the end of the song, most of the band put down their instruments, with just Roland continuing to play the song on acoustic guitar and drummer Johnny Rabb joining in with a small tambourine part while the rest of the band embraced, bowed and said goodnight to the crowd.
3 Doors Down (Photo-Lizzy Davis)
By 9:00, the sun had fully set and colorful LED backboards now lit up the stage, displaying an image of a train and banner for the tour. Collective Soul left 3 Doors Down with a tough set to follow, but the crowd cheered with anticipation when the lights dimmed.
Chris Henderson & Chet Roberts 3 Doors Down (Photo-Lizzy Davis)
The cheer carried throughout as 3 Doors Down guitarist Chris Henderson and bassist Justin Biltonen took their places on each side of a riser behind the drum kit. The two began strumming the opening notes of “Duck and Run,” still standing mostly in darkness. A slight pause filled the air, then a massive CO2 blast and a wash of lights brought the stage to life as the remaining members came out and broke into song.
Greg Upchurch 3 Doors Down (Photo-Lizzy Davis)
With over 20 years in the industry, 20 million album sales and 6 studio albums, 3 Doors Down is a well-oiled machine with dozens of chart-topping singles. Their latest album ‘Us and the Night’ dropped just over two years ago, but this tour focused less on supporting that release and more on all the songs every fan wants to hear. “Away from the Sun,””Be Like That” and “Loser” were just a notable couple scratching the surface of their 17 song long setlist.
Brad Arnold 3 Doors Down (Photo-Lizzy Davis)
Vocalist Brad Arnold sounds as good live as he does in studio and saved most of his voice for the music aside from joking about the FL heat stating, “Someone might’ve left the heater on…” and being sure to express his gratitude and thanks to the crowd after nearly every song.
Justin Biltonen 3 Doors Down (Photo-Lizzy Davis)
It’s always easy to tell when a show is coming to a close based on when the signature songs are played. “Kryptonite” had everyone up on their feet dancing, especially when the band broke the last verse down into a Hawaiian-esque, reggae-style version, perfectly appropriate for Florida.
Brad Arnold 3 Doors Down (Photo-Lizzy Davis)
3 Doors Down left the stage briefly before Arnold returned with Henderson to play an acoustic intro for “Here Without You,” later being rejoined by the rest of the band. Arnold took one more opportunity to address the crowd, first asking, “Do you want one more?!” then graciously dedicating the final song “When I’m Gone” to military, firefighters, police officers and other service members.
The Rock & Roll Express Tour will continue rolling through North America all summer, concluding on September 16th in Phoenix, AZ. Be sure to hop aboard for a night of fun and good music at a date near you!
