Over the past couple years I have attended countless shows and been described as a 'roving rock concert enthusiast', a nickname that was given to me by my very good friend and music journalist, Christina Avina, the creator of 'Rock on Request' Magazine. My passion for music and photography has lead me to various shows and tonight it lead me to the Staind/Seether/Papa Roach show. A few months before I had seen this show, minus Papa Roach, in Lubbock, Texas & knew exactly what I was in for.



I arrived at the venue a few hours before show time and watched as the line grew from just ten of us to one hundred, and then to the point where the line grew so immensely that it wrapped around the building and I could no longer keep count. The excitement was in the air as the doors opened and after everyone went through security check, people ran through the venue and into the main building where the concert would be held that night.



The stage was set up for the opening act, State Of Shock. A band out of Vancouver, Canada which I had never seen in the past but was looking forward to seeing tonight. The first thing I noticed when the band arrived on stage was there was a girl in the band. Being that I too am a chick, I couldn't help but think that was pretty damn cool. The thing I liked most about this group was they didn't seem so much like just an opening band. They had the confidence and talent to hold their own and prove they deserved to be there. Quite a difference from a previous opening band, who shall remain nameless, at a couple shows before that I had seen who quite literally put me to sleep. The bands new album "Life, Love & Lies" is out now.

photo by Amanda Parraz

As Papa Roach were preparing to take the stage I began to remember how it was a little over a year ago when I had seen them, Halloween night, at this exact venue. By far one of the best shows I had been to that year and say what you will about Papa Roach and the slight changes they have made over the years, but they still put on one hell of a show. The band came out and Jacoby was as energetic as ever. They performed all their hit songs off each of their albums, with Jacoby jumping off stage a few times to interact more with the crowd. He introduced their new single "Hollywood Whore" as a song which he and the band dedicated to Paris Hilton and girls like her, which gained many screams, cheers and whistles from the crowd.

photo by Amanda Parraz

Seether were up next and I was incredibly excited to see them again. They have this raw, natural talent about them where they don't have to run around on stage or be "in your face" to get you to pay attention or notice them. Simply put, they just play and perform their music, and they do it damn well. The crowd sang each song, word by word and when the lights dimmed and the beginning music for "Broken" began to play, cheers and screams began to flood the venue with Shaun standing back letting the crowd begin the song. It's always a beautiful experience hearing this song live, but we were in for a treat. At the end of the first chorus, Shaun turned to his right to welcome Jacoby from Papa Roach on stage to sing verse two of the song. For Seether and Papa Roach fans, this performance couldn't have been any better.



While I thoroughly enjoyed that performance, my favorite moment of the night was yet to come. Although I'm a huge fan of Seether, I'm also a huge fan of Staind and I've always wanted to witness Aaron perform Alice In Chains' "Nutshell" live but have never had the pleasure. Little did I know, that was about to change. It was dark in the venue and the only thing shining were the lights off Seether's drum set, speakers and microphone stands. When the venue lights began to brighten once again, Aaron was seated to the left of Shaun and they introduced the next song as Alice In Chains' "Nutshell". To witness my two favorite bands perform together the one song I have waited for for so long, it was by far one of the best experiences I've ever had at a rock show. To call the overall performance amazing doesn't even come close to what I've tried so hard to put into words.

photo by Amanda Parrraz

Staind, who were headlining, took the stage by storm next. Being a concert photographer, I always take note of the lighting for the different shows I attend, and Staind's lighting is absolutely amazing. I was as excited about that as I was just seeing them. It was evident when Staind was on stage just who it was that the majority of the audience came to see that night. The passion that Staind fans have for the band is truly beautiful. It's so strong that it can be felt, as it was shown by fans surrounding me who had tears in their eyes or rolling down their face as they looked up at this man and his bandmates and sang each song, word by word. The song of the night that was the most powerful during their set, was "Outside". As the song came to an end, he handed it over to the crowd, who sang the chorus of the song directly right back at him. You could see that this song, in one way or another, meant something different to each and every Staind fan in the crowd. "It's Been A While" & "Believe" were two other big hits of the night. Over the years, Staind has proved to be a strong, steady rock band who no doubt have love and passion for what they do. If you haven't seen this band live, head on over to their website or official Myspace and check out their remaining tour dates for a show near you. Listen out for their new single "All I Want" off their sixth studio album, "The Illusion Of Progress",hitting radio airwaves this month.

Check out this video of Seether performing 'Rise Above This' live. Video shot by Amanda Parraz.