Photos by David Rubene and Jeremy Larsen
After spending my Saturday deep cleaning my apartment and finally nailing the washing of a comforter (yeah, I was super proud of myself) I needed to get out of the house. I was absolutely going stir crazy so after a dinner where I ate far too much with a friend, I made my way to the suburbs of the Twin Cities and found myself at The Myth for the first time in a couple of months. Although it had been awhile since I had been at the Myth, a sense of comfort took over me as I walked from my car to the line.
I walked into the Myth on time according to their website but late according to their actual schedule. Everything thing said show at 8 so I was a bit surprised when I got through the doors at 7:40 to see there was a band already wrapping up a set. My apologies to Vieo for not being able to see their entire set.
Big Story was up next. I caught these guys a couple of times and the first time I saw in the February I’m pretty sure I used the word “generic” to describe them. Something has change and after seeing them a couple more times at festivals over the summer, I take back the word generic. Sure, their music is a bit more mainstream than I can typically handle. They definitely fit the mold of any “hard” rock band out there but there’s something different about these guys that has me in love. Maybe it’s the way singer Randall Stephens sticks his tongue out when singing in the most unnatural yet somehow natural for him way. It could be the way bassist Pat Seals seems to be on a constant track between the ground, a box, and a jump (I mean, seriously, it was kind of comical how many times this guy would jump). Regardless of what it is, there’s something about Big Story that seems to set them apart from the rest of the over-rated radio rock and I’ve latched onto that and let myself completely fall in love with this act.
Following Big Story’s quick set was a length and exhaustive set from Tremonti. Don’t recognize that name? You maybe should. Mark Tremonti was the guitarist for both Creed (don’t laugh) and Alter Bridge. Making the best decision of his life, Tremonti grabbed a gang of uber talented musicians and went out on his own as just “Tremonti”. I’ve seen this act before and although again, a bit too generic and dramatic in ways, there’s no denying the power or talent of Tremonti. Although Mark is a true genius when it comes to his guitar playing, there were multiple times where he let his other guitarist Eric Friedman take over with a truly impressive solo. The forty minute set was highlighted by a sense of true musicianship and a respect for their craft from all of the musicians on stage. There wasn’t much to watch as far as what the members were doing on stage but honestly there didn’t need to be. Tremonti’s music is mesmerizing enough and anything added to it would have been overwhelming.
Closing out the night was Seether. Now, I know I’ve bashed radio rock multiple times in the past and even have added a couple snarky comments in this post about the genre but Seether is one of the few radio rock bands that I seem to have a soft spot for. Much like Big Story, there’s something about these guys that seems to genuine and real for me to hate. Hailing from South Africa, Seether has been pumping out radio rock anthems since the early 2000’s. Singer Shaun Morgan hasn’t had an easy time over the years and I think see him struggle through rehab and the suicide of his brother created a truly special bond between Shaun and the fans of Seether. Although not completely open about the experiences, his music said anything that needed to be said about both situations and the power of music is usually a bit stronger than the power of a press conference. The emotion and feeling that’s put into Seether’s music is something that just can’t be ignored and is one of the main reasons I continue to go see them live.
With about fifteen songs in their set list, Seether did a great job of playing a little bit of everything. With seven full length albums out, there were plenty of fan favorites that I’m sure the band had to narrow down to just a select few but they nailed it. Every time they jumped into a song, I heard the inevitable “Oh my God! This is my favorite song!”. The fact that I heard that statement multiple times from the same person just goes to show the amount of power Seether has. The band meant something to everyone that was packed into The Myth last night and, although that something was different for everyone, the point is that they meant something. You could feel the admiration in the venue even as the crowd started pushing and shoving their way through the set. Although the members of Seether seemed to be men of very few words (only addressing the crowd a couple of times throughout the set), you could feel the amount of respect that they had for their fans.
Saturday night was the last night of Seether’s “Poison the Parish” tour (named after their latest release). I’ve seen some bands on the last date of a tour and they are clearly exhausted and just over it but not Seether or the other three touring bands. Each of the acts gave the audience everything they had leading to a truly perfect Saturday night show.
