3 Doors Down blasted the doors off the DAR Constitution Hall Sunday night with a southern rock furor. Their vibrant performance with the more youthful bands Tantric and Shinedown made for an eclectic mix of alternative rock.
The band began its set with an elaborate light show, but the crowd didn’t brighten up until two songs in, when lead singer Brad Arnold broke into the music. But as the show progressed, the crowd’s energy waned once again, despite the band’s tremendous vigor. Maybe listeners didn’t know the words, or maybe they were just tired. Arnold encouraged fans to participate in the performance with such pleas as “This is a rock show. I want to see you rocking.”
During songs such as “Kryptonite” and “Be Like That,” Arnold asked the crowd to sing along, but the noise offstage never reached more than a murmur. He was most successful during the second song of the encore, a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “That Smell.”
In the past, 3 Doors Down has been compared to Skynyrd as the next generation of Southern rock, and the band definitely has some of Skynyrd’s old following. Audience members looked like they may have gone to an original Skynyrd concert in the ’70s. The older biker-type crowd seemed a bit mismatched with the energetic young band.
But 3 Doors Down is not ready to become the modern-day equivalent of Southern rock legend Skynryd. Although Arnold’s voice and animated stage presence gives him the potential to be one of the best front men in rock ‘n’ roll, the rest of the band is no more than a group of mediocre musicians looking for a direction. Guitarists Matt Roberts and Chris Henderson lack any memorable solo parts, and bassist Todd Harrell’s stage presence only slightly makes up for what he lacks in skill and ingenuity.
By far the best musician in the band is former studio player Daniel Adar, the drummer who might be the unknown driving force behind the music. His three-minute drum solo undoubtedly stole the show.
Before 3 Doors Down at least attempted to rouse the crowd, the concert was kicked off by Tantric, another Southern rock band, whose music shows definitely progress on its second album. But if the band wants to become a headliner, it needs to stop acting like Creed and define itself as something other than just an opener to 3 Doors Down.
The other opening act, Shinedown, performed five songs to exhibit its more hard-rock sound.
Both bands let their roots be known with well-known covers, Tantric performing a Fleetwood Mac song and Shinedown playing Skynyrd’s “Single Man.”
Overall, the concert was a good ‘ole Southern rock show with the guitar riffs and long hair to prove it. 3 Doors Down gives a dynamic live show, even if they couldn’t rock the arena in D.C.
