Sevendust left it all on stage for fans at the Truman

March 28, 2022

Barry Meitler,

Sevendust at the Truman. // Photo by Barry Meitler

Sevendust
with Tetrarch and Dead Poet Society
The Truman
Friday, March 25

Friday evening, Sevendust graced the stage at The Truman along with opening acts Tetrarch and Dead Poet Society, beginning a weekend closing a 15-week tour that began January 12 in Oklahoma City. The tour is showcasing the 21^st anniversary of their third album, Animosity, released in November of 2001, after which it stayed on the Billboard 200 for 13 weeks.

The venue was absolutely packed from the first band on, and when Dead Poet Society hit the stage, it became very clear as to why. These folks weren’t just here for the headliner. Knowing of and listening to Dead Poet Society doesn’t prepare you for the fact that their stage presence is just as impressive as the fact that they have degrees from Berklee. They come out and throw down a commanding energy which fills the room, definitely taking any casual fans from “I like them” to “fanboy” with their live show.

Next up was the Atlanta four-piece group, Tetrarch, touring in support of their September 2021 sophomore full-length album, Unstable. Much like their latest album, onstage Tetrarch comes in heavy and stays that way until the end of the set. It was only marred by the fact that frontman Josh Fore is a little long-winded when he talks about Tetrarch, their beginnings, and where they are now, although given the band’s recent rise, Tetrarch’s definitely earned the right to brag a bit.

To close out the night, Sevendust brought power and energy that left everyone wanting more totally killing their set. This trend of artist doing tours celebrating 20-year-old albums means fans get to see and hear songs live that have never been on a setlist before. It also seems that to celebrate these milestones, the venues bands play are getting smaller, so we get that more-intimate, MTV Unplugged feel.

Fans get the stories behind the music like frontman Lajon Witherspoon talking about his brother, Reginald, and flying home in the middle of a tour after he’d been fatally shot. The loss of Snot frontman Lynn Straight. The way Lajon hops on his motorcycle and the kids chase him or how his neighbors still think he plays for the Chiefs.

Along with the stories, Sevendust kept a strong connection with the crowd. Lajon made eye contact and grabbed the hands of a passing crowd surfer. Bassist Vince Hornsby and guitarist John Connolly smiled, pointed to, and acknowledged as many fans as possible, with Morgan Rose in the back there hammering away and flashing smiles when he can.

Sevendust showed up for their fans and left it all on stage, even after 14 weeks on the road.

Sevendust