Chevelle and Three Days Grace Rock Charlotte

Outdoor Season at Skyla Closes with a Bang

Two of hard rock’s biggest and best, Chevelle and Three Days Grace, came together for a co-headlining tour to rock the ages. The rock extravaganza stopped in the Queen City to finish out the outdoor concert season at the Skyla Credit Union Amiptheatre and what a show it was! Fans were treated to a full set by both bands as well as an exceptional opening set by the UK metal band Loathe. 

The evening got started with Loathe exploding onto the stage and whipping the crowd into a frenzy. This was my first time seeing the band live and they definitely did not disappoint.  Loathe’s style is an eclectic blend of all things metal from metalcore to shoegaze and everything in between, Loathe does it all and does it extremely well. Lead vocalist Kadeem France is a powerful personality, commanding your attention as he led the band through “Aggressive Evolution” and “Gored” before leaving us “Screaming” for more. If you haven’t checked out Loathe yet, do yourself a favor and do so now. They are definitely a band that should be on every rock and metal fan’s radar. 

Since this was a co-headlining tour, both Chevelle and Three Days Grace had been swapping out spots throughout the tour. Tonight, the first up was Canadian rockers Three Days Grace. The stage was set with a large and long riser at the rear for drummer Neil Sanderson’s kit with an LED backdrop behind him. Before the band made an appearance a taped version of House of Pain’s “Jump Around” began to play as the crowd in the pit began to oblige, jamming to the song and bouncing up and down. The band came out to thunderous applause and kicked right into “So Called Life” from their latest album Explosions. 

Lead vocalist Matt Walst sounded amazing as he led the crowd through all the Three Days Grace classics, his voice soaring over the venue while he worked not one but two different vocal microphones.  Guitarist Barry Stock was fantastic as always, and probably one of the most underrated guitarists out there. He had a huge guitar pick stand set up next to him on the stage. I have never seen so many picks displayed at one time during a performance before. During the show, he was throwing out fistfuls of picks to the fans up front. The rhythm section was held down by bass guitarist Brad Walst who kept the bass lines humming and drummer Neil Sanderson who melted faces with his explosive playing. 

As the band ran through their setlist of songs, the LED screen behind Sanderson changed throughout the set, my favorite being the flames which got things started and made it seem as if they were using actual pyro on the stage. Accompanying those effects, were stellar lights, changing color and intensity as well as a significant amount of stage fog. Matt took a few moments to talk about the topic of mental health and also brought two fans up on stage to sing during “Just Like You.” The crowd was amped up, singing along to all of the songs as Three Days Grace put on an excellent show.  It’s easy to see why Three Days Grace remains at the upper echelon of rock. 

After a short break, it was time for the final band of the night, the one and only Chevelle. Brothers Pete and Sam Loeffler have been rocking hard since the mid-nineties, touring relentlessly and making an appearance at just about every rock and metal festival around. With nine albums under their belt, Chevelle has become a mainstay on the rock and metal scene and fans were stoked for their set. 

For this tour, the stage was set up a little differently than in the past. At the rear of the stage, there were three lighted pyramids, Sam’s drumkit was situated to the front, stage right with Pete at center stage, and touring bass player Kemble Walters stage left but further toward the back. The lighting was dim and foggy as the band came out to take their respective places on stage. 

 I’m not sure how many times I have seen the band, but I do know it’s a lot and they always sound phenomenal. Tonight was no different. As they got the evening going with “An Island,” I knew we were all in for a sonic experience like no other. The focus is on the songs, the music, and the mood. Sam is an absolute madman behind the kit, pounding away and driving the pace and the energy of each song. Pete’s vocals have never sounded better as he took us through fan favorites “Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)” and “Send the Pain Below.” Of course, it wouldn’t be the Chevelle experience without a brilliant live version of “The Red,” as the stage lights turned red and the audience sang along, fists in the air. 

Chevelle and Three Days Grace put on a rock show that fans won’t soon forget. It was a wonderful combination with each set having a completely different vibe yet both equally capable of taking us to rock and roll nirvana. 

See the Full Gallery of the Night Here!

If you happened to capture any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see.