3 Doors Down

HMV Hammersmith Apollo in London is, tonight, on the 15th March 2012, surrounded by people excitedly waiting to see one of the finest rock bands to ever come out of Mississippi. Of course, this excitement is very different from a bunch of school girls waiting to sneak a peak at the latest popstar poster boy they've got plastered on their bedroom walls- these are dedicated rock fans, looking forward to a night of larger-than-life guitar riffs and some good quality circle pits. The streets are lined with people chatting, mingling with other like-minded people in the queue, all under the light of the illuminated sign that lies above the doors to the legendary venue, which spells out in glowing red numbers and letters, '3 Doors Down'. They are the glue that is holding this cold, anxious group of fans together.

The first support act are Takida, an all-male four-piece rock band from Sweden. Their appearance doesn't exactly scream 'loud and proud' as they stroll on stage, but as soon as they start playing, it's obvious why they aren't hiding behind a 'rockstar' image; they don't need to. They provide a fantastic set and, although it seems that they may be practically unknown to this particular crowd, they still manage to get a good number of the audience off of their feet, jumping and cheering along to their songs, such as Never Alone Always Alone and The Fear. They sound tight, working like a well-oiled (if a little wild and unpredictable) machine, and they fit absolutely perfectly with the other two bands that are lined up to play in terms of genre. It is clear that, because of this, the crowd thoroughly enjoy their set. However, there is still one main band that the crowd have their hearts set on hearing, and they aren't going to settle until they do so! 

Well, actually, scratch that. There is not only one reason many members of the audience are here tonight. Although 3 Doors Down are the largely anticipated headline act, there are just as many broad-shouldered bearded blokes in band tops that have the word 'Seether' scrawled across them, and this is because Seether are the second support act of the evening. A large portion of crowd go mad when they arrive on stage, and there is good reason for this. After eleven years and six successful studio albums, it's a surprise to see they are still touring as a support act, as they certainly make the 45 minutes they are on stage their own, instantly having fans eating out of the palms of their hands. They play favourites such as Rise Above This, Fake It and the acoustic hit Broken, which brings the crowd together in a harmonious sing-a-long. For Seether devotees who know every line of every song- which is a good number of people- this set is absolutely fantastic, because it involves maximum performance of songs and minimum audience interaction. However, for those members of the audience who are unfamiliar with the band, their lack of engagement with the audience manages to make their set feel rather repetitive and dragged out, especially as their set is considerably longer than most support acts' would be. They give great musical performance, but for those of us who are not fans, it feels as though we are missing out on something that the rest of the crowd are relishing.

The lights go down for the third time tonight, and this is when the audiences' cheers erupt, because it is time for the headline act. The screen at the rear of the stage brightens and the camera swoops through a variation of scenes that flow too quickly to catch up with, until it settles on the image of a large clock tower, which most of the crowd assume is Big Ben (we are in London, after all) and as it strikes, the 3 Doors Down logo fades in and everyone cheers. The band walk on stage and dive straight into the title track of their latest album, Time of My Life, giving a pretty accurate indication for the rest of the night. Their set is full of so many different elements, all of which come together to make an exhilarating, emotional and exciting show, keeping the crowd on their toes. They don't give a single person the chance to get bored, because there is always something new, something fresh, something unexpected that draws you in and thrills you all over again. For example, during Changes, lead singer Brad Arnold dives- literally, this time!- into the audience, sending the crowd surging in his direction, desperate to just place a hand on him, perhaps to enable them to feel, just for a second, the raw emotion that he clearly expresses in every song he sings. This is just further enhanced by the short video clip played on the screen before they begin to play When You're Young, which basically shows the frontman encouraging the crowd to live every day as if it is their last. This may be a cliché expression, but when said with such heartfelt sentiment from one man directly to over 5,000 captivated fans, it seems to really hit home. Emotion once again fills the room when a couple are introduced onto the stage, a grinning man and a shocked and slightly scared woman, and it doesn't take long to guess what is going to happen next. Yep. The audience is even treated to a live marriage proposal, putting a smile on just about everyone's face and a tear in everyone's eye, especially when followed with a heart-wrenching performance of Heaven. Brad Arnold is not the only band member to really connect with the crowd though, as lead guitarist Matt Roberts and bassist Todd Harrell frequently visit the front of the stage and encourage the audience to scream and sing at the top of their lungs. Favourites such as Away From the Sun, Citizen/Soldier, Loser and Here Without You provide a perfectly balanced combination of slow sing-a-longs and hard-rock classics to produce a superb show.


As the band return for their encore, the crowd instantly hushes as Brad Arnold and Seether's lead singer and guitarist Shaun Morgan stroll onto the stage with a guitar and a couple of microphones, and they treat the audience to a fantastic rendition of Phil Collins' Another Day in Paradise. Shaun leaves the stage and is replaced by the members of 3 Doors Down, and the volume increases again to accompany possibly their most famous hit, Kryptonite, which is well-received, to say the least. They go on to then give a great performance of Believer, and finish off with the brilliant When I'm Gone, dedicated to the armed forces of both the UK and the USA. When boiling it down to basics, the gig consists of a bunch of musicians playing a bunch of songs to a high standard. But that isn't how the crowd feel when they leave the Hammersmith Apollo at the end of the gig. To them, it was a mind-blowing two hours of skilfully written and performed songs, imaginative visual effects, engaging audience interaction and a feeling of unity and belonging. Overall, a sensational show.