Godsmack Lights Up the Sky in Dallas
It was a rainy Sunday afternoon as Godsmack and friends were getting set up to light up the sky and put on an incredible evening of music at Dos Equis Pavilion. Tonight, they brought some insanely talented artists on this line-up, including local musician Austin Meade kicking things off. Quickly following Austin would be a sensational rock band comprised of three sisters, The Warning. Continuing into the night would be The Struts, and I Prevail, which would lead us up to the night, the one and only Godsmack closing out this incredible night of music.
The first act up on the night was the hometown’s insanely talented band with an energetic and exciting frontman Austin Meade. The hometown band came out and jumped off into their first song of the evening Cave In and set the tone for their set with energetic moves and run across the stage. Watching this band was a great start to an unforgettable night of music as they had such a significant stage presence with their guitar solos and drops as they played flawlessly. Next, Austin and the band jumped off into another one of the great songs called Dopamine Drop, which was a crowd favorite. After they finished up Dopamine Drop, Austin got a T-shirt launcher and launched some shirts out into the crowd as he was engaging with them introducing his incredible band. After that, they continued into some more of their fantastic original music, and as they were leaving, you could tell the fans wanted more.
Following up Austin was the sensational three-piece band named The Warning, which comprises three incredibly talented Sisters from Monterrey, Mexico. As soon as these ladies hit the stage, you could tell they meant business and were there to rock and show the fans what they were all about. They kicked off with their first song of the night, titled Z, off their Error album, released in 2022, their fifth album. These ladies knew how to put on a show, covered as many areas on the stage as possible, and gave all the fans a little piece of themselves as they played. Their second song of the night was Queen of the Murder Scene, the title of their 2018 album. As these sisters performed through the setlist, it was an incredible show to watch and listen to, with them headbanging, jumping around, and making faces as they each played their instruments masterfully. As Dany talked to the audience about their interactions with Metallica, she swapped to a James Hetfield-style guitar. Next, she played an exceptional cover of Enter Sandman, and the fans loved every second of it while they were singing along.
The next band up for the night was the British rock band The Struts, and as soon as they took appeared on the stage, the fans erupted. The way they took the stage, you knew you were in for a treat with a charismatic and entertaining frontman running up and jumping into Primadonna Like Me as the band toyed with the crowd. This was my first time seeing this band, and as soon as they concluded their opening song, I knew it would be an entertaining and high-energy show throughout their whole set. The band kicked off into their next song, Body Talks, and everyone that could move began moving and dancing along as the guitar players and singer worked every inch of the stage playing with the crowd and having a great time doing what they loved. They had such an energetic atmosphere, and energy into the whole venue as soon as The Struts took the stage, and when they jumped into Kiss This, the fans were singing and dancing along as they watched the band play. They hit those first notes of Kiss This, and the drummer came in and started raining down thunderous blows. They continued working down through their setlist, having fun, and putting it all on the stage for their fans tonight.
We were almost to the final act of the night, and you could feel the anticipation and buzz of energy as the stage was set for I Prevail to come up and give us a rock show. The lights went out, and from the side of the stage, the band ran in, got set, and welcomed the fans. The first song of the night from I Prevail was Bow Down, and immediately, the crowd began singing along and cheering. With I Prevail, having two guys share vocal duties, it was insane watching both guys share the spotlight and blend back and forth together. They both performed with extreme precision as they sang and screamed out the lyrics of their songs. As they finished Bow Down, they engaged with the crowd. They thanked them for being there and began playing Body Bag which had the guitar players moving all over the stage and both singers going back with forth with their vocals, mesmerizing the fans with how easily they made the switches. They quickly kicked off into their next song Self-Destruction, and you quickly knew that it was a crowd favorite by their reactions and screaming of the lyrics along with the band, all while swarming in a large circle pit. These guys continued to take it up another notch as they crushed every song in their set, and they even threw in a cover of System of a Down’s Chop Suey and almost blew the roof off the pavilion when they were playing that. A couple of the other crowd favorites was one of their big hits, Hurricane and Choked, towards the end of their setlist.
The night’s final act would be taking the stage after a brief intermission for fans to grab drinks. Merch, and whatever else they needed to take care of. As the fans made their way back to their seats, there was a large drape covering the stage. As it got close to time, they played the (Mix Master Mike pre-recorded intro) which included We Will Rock You / So What’cha Want / Tom Sawyer / Dream On while videos were playing on the white drape. Suddenly the white drape drops with a Black Godsmack one behind that one, and a few seconds later, it drops and is hauled out of the way; the legendary musician Godsmack takes the stage and starts playing When Legends Rise and everyone stands to their feet and starts yelling and screaming with excitement. They intensely jumped straight into their next song, Crying Like a Bitch, with a moment to breathe from the first song they played. You could hear the thunderous hit on the drums and the low end from the bass coming through, combined with the crowd singing a yelling along, and Sully gets the fans involved halfway through the song. The guitar and bass players moved around the stage and got down as they played seamlessly. After the second song, Sully welcomed Dallas, Texas, to the party and thanked us for having them back in our place. He also addresses the last 3 years we have all endured, and he doesn’t even know what to say about all that, but they are glad to be back on stage playing the music we all love. He also thanked the fans for getting this next song to number one, called Soul on Fire, and as soon as they struck the first notes, the fans shrieked and sang along. Suddenly after a few notes into the song, a wall of fire erupted on the back of the stage, and sporadically, there was fire shooting up from several different spots on the scene, giving more visuals for you to watch as the band covered the stage from side to side. As they worked their way through the set, Sully talked about concerts back in the day and had all the women get on men’s shoulders and addressed the next song to them called What About Me. Sully had everyone light them up with cell phones and begin playing as the women had the best seat in the house for that song. They continued through the night with some of their hits and even broke out a large piano when he started singing Under Your Scars, and as he hit the first notes on the piano, it sent a chill up your spine. As that song concluded, they continued with their set, and when they finally brought the show to an end, the fans wanted more.
This was my first time seeing many of these bands, and I assure you it will not be my last. I will be watching for the next time Godsmack comes back to town and will be there watching. I suggest seeing any opening bands when you get a chance, and they come through your town or somewhere close by within driving distance. You will not regret taking the opportunity and seeing any of them. Godsmack put on such an incredible visual and auditory show with all the songs, pyro, and explosions going off at different times of the night.
Words and Photos by Craig Youngblood
Godsmack setlist:
