It’s only been three months, but by the looks of it Sevendust will be having a very busy 2025. The five-piece metal ensemble has already discussed the possibility of new music, and just finished an opening run with Disturbed. In the middle of that opening slot run, the band found time to do their own headlining gigs when the main tour had a night off. One of those nights was in front of a dedicated near-capacity crowd at The Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg, Pa. on March 16.
Having released 14 albums over their three-decade career, the band has a wealth of material to choose from, and for the recent run the music focused on the single-word songs. A pounding “Pieces” welcomed the band – singer Lajon Witherspoon, guitarists Clint Lowery and John Connolly, bassist Vinnie Hornsby, and drummer Morgan Rose – with Witherspoon immediately smiling and fist bumping the front row. Somewhat surprising is the lack of mainstream radio hits Sevendust has had since hitting the scene in 1994. It’s more of a testament to the band sticking to making the music they want to make rather than worrying about what will make the charts. However, the 1990’s saw them hit the charts twice with the songs “Denial” and “Bitch,” both of which had the crowd going into a frenzy.
Check out the gallery of photos by Ryan O’Malley here.
Sevendust has always been known for their live shows where the focus is on making the music reciprocate from the stage to the fans and back, and even 30 years into their career, everyone on stage looks like they are having an absolute blast together. Lowery feverishly grinning at the crowd while delivering some dirty, distorted riffs while Hornsby climbed the monitors to get as close to the crowd as possible. And Witherspoon, one of the most engaging and passionate front men in metal, walked the stage while pointing and shaking hands with nearly everyone, yet would stop and belt out some of the most intense vocals in metal when the time came. Having it all held together by the ferocious Morgan Rose – complete with his signature dreads flailing and a painted on face mask of a demonic clown figure – makes it all become a perfect hybrid of everything good about metal.
One of the band’s best studio offerings, 2003’s “Seasons,” had a triple serving mid set with “Disgrace,” “Suffocate,” and “Enemy,” all of which were welcomed highlights. A song that they play nearly every show, “Black,” from their 1997 self-titled release, is always a crowd favorite and was the perfect catalyst to start wrapping up the main part of the show. Even with being known as a metal or hard rock outfit, Sevendust puts together well-crafted, melodic music with a perfect example being “Separate,” which segued into the louder “Praise” to bring the set to a close.
Once again reaching back to the “Seasons” album, the band encored with “Face to Face,” showcasing some nice supporting vocals from both Lowery and Connolly. It was a perfect way to wrap up a night billed as “In Dust We Trust,” a night celebrating everything Sevendust has done over the last 31 years. They’ve become a staple on the hard rock circuit and have always been regarded as the band that does it best in terms of their live shows. The show in Stroudsburg and the whole tour was a loud reminder that Sevendust will always be on top of their game.
Earlier in the evening, Black Dawn, Another Day Dawns, and Horizon Theory served up sets of mostly louder, aggressive rock that had the crowd revved up for the evening’s headliner.
Check out the gallery of photos by Ryan O’Malley here.
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