Four-band concert concert rouses Huntington

By Nicole Young
St. Albans High School

On a cold, rainy day in March — March 12, to be exact — Huntington got a wakeup call.

It came from Systematic, Cold, Staind and Godsmack, who rocked Huntington on their “Wake the @#$% up Tour.”

New to the scene, Systematic started up the show a little bit after 7:30 p.m. An “anti-rock star squadron,” this quartet played songs off its debut album, “Somewhere in Between.” The four delivered an approximately 40-minute set, including their current single, “Beginning of the End.”

FlipSide photos by NICOLE YOUNG/St. Albans Systematic serves up a good set before getting down and dirty with the fans at the Huntington Civic Arena.

During the interval between bands, the bassist from Systematic came around to the front of the barriers to sign autographs. You just have to appreciate musicians who are willing to get down with the crowd and risk mauling to give out autographs.

Next up was Cold. I had heard the band on the radio but never seen it. My first impression was that the lead singer looked like Moby with tattoos. Then I glanced over and saw the guitarist wearing a Michael Myers mask. The whole set was loud and screaming and just an overall trip. It was definitely different, but stil good.

After 45 minutes or so and a set change, it was time for Staind, the band I was there to see. Staind came out and played straight-up rock for the fans. The stage setup was simple, which I appreciated. No need for fancy lighting and half-naked girls.

The set included “Just Go” and other songs from the “Dysfunction” album. Staind even played the first single from its new album, which will be released in May.

About halfway through the set, the stage went black and Staind left the stage. Next thing everyone knew, lead singer Aaron Lewis was alone with his acoustic guitar. “Outside” was the song and it was what everyone was waiting for. Lighters went up and people were singing. It was an awesome experience.

Finally it was time for the headliner, Massachusetts band Godsmack. The stage was set with huge fake rock structures and big gothic gargoyle statues. But at this point, the focus was on the huge screen, which was showing a 10-minute cartoon of the band. It was funny for about the first couple of minutes, then it just got monotonous.

Godsmack played all the singles off of the album “Awake,” including “Greed,” “Voodoo” and the title song. The guys also delivered the hit from their debut album, “Whatever.” The crowd was going crazy with moshing and crowd surfing.

I saw Godsmack about two years ago and it was quite different this time. The band seems to have gone a little overboard with the props since its popularity soared. But some people tend to go for the full effect — think of Kid Rock, for example.

It was really a great mix of bands. It’s about time that Huntington started getting a steady flow of concerts. Now if only Charleston would keep up ...