3 Doors Down Back On The Road Again

The show was destined to be a good one. With a lineup of 3 Doors Down, Chevelle, Red and 12 Stones, it didn't seem like a thing could go wrong, not a thing except for the weather.

We'd shown up at 7:00 in the am for load in, and the thick grey clouds cast a shadow over the venue that made us wonder what the day would bring. There was moisture in the air and a projected rainfall, but it came in sprinkles and by late-afternoon it had just about cleared.

There had been some dispute as to whether or not the show was BYOB, I had heard it repeated countlessly over the radio driving in the night before, but there was a good turnout, and the beer was flowing. During the first couple of sets, beach balls bounced across the top of the audience, shot up and then sailed back down. At one point, Paul McCoy of 12 Stones said that the crowd had to keep the ball moving till the end of a song, and the pit of people turned into one giant cement-volley ball game.

Red played next and the set flowed smoothly from the Nashville, TN based band to that of Chevelle who came after. This paring was a very intense one, however they didn't quite seem suited for the 3 Doors Down bill, which took the music and emotion in a totally different direction.

It went form high-energy and upbeat to cathartic, sorrowful and determined, to a medium intensity that was happy again. Nonetheless, 3 Doors played a good set, and fans went crazy over old singles as well as tracks that were brand-spanking new.

Fans of course knew the lyrics to almost every song, but on none did they sing louder than on "It's Not My Time," the band's first single off their forthcoming album. The disc is slated to drop May 20, and after 11 weeks on the charts, the first single is still holding the #9 spot on Billboard's Hot Modern Tracks.

With only a handful of dates left in the United States, 3 Doors Down is gearing up for a month long European tour, before coming back and kicking off a summer run with Hinder, Staind and Finger 11 on July 5 in Hawaii.

For more information on 3 Doors Down, visit 3doorsdown.com