The Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, CT, is a 10,000-capacity arena that is rarely a host to concerts, let alone a large-scale rock concert like this one. This sold-out show featured the mighty Shinedown, which you can read about here, and impressive sets from Three Days Grace and From Ashes To New.
Three Days Grace – From Ashes to New
Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, CT – 7 April 2023
Words and Photography: Shannon Wilk
Three Days Grace
Promptly at 7:45 PM, the lights went down, and fiery burning hearts appeared on the stage screens. The four members of Three Days Grace walked out on the stage, ready to conquer as the audience broke out in anticipatory cheer. “Get the fuck up!” yells frontman Matt Walst.
Opening the set with a tune from their latest release Explosions, So Called Life, M. Walst sings, “Give me something to take the edge off, something to kick the night off,” and kicks in the air. As the band moves into I Am Machine, the audience screams the words and the energy in the room grows and grows.
The older Walst brother, bassist Brad, makes himself known with the iconic bassline of one of the band’s most popular tracks, Animal I Have Become, with his highly animated facial expressions and exaggerated movements.
These Canadian rockers took it back to their third album with the riffy, hook-filled song The Good Life, and then even further back to their debut album with Home. The crowd stayed pretty tame throughout the majority of Three Days Grace’s set until their slower song, I Hate Everything About You, when a mosh pit broke out right at the front of the GA pit.
This continued through the entirety of Painkiller as well, but once the band began Never Too Late, it turned into a total sappy scene. The crowd put their arms around each other and rocked to the emotional tune filling the room.
After such a heartfelt, deep song, the band decided to pick up the pace for one last time with their song Riot. Vocalist Matt Walst does a call-and-response with the audience, chanting “RIOT!” back to each other.
Three Days Grace absolutely brought the heat.
From Ashes To New
Taking the stage to start off the night at 7 PM was From Ashes To New. The 5-piece rap-metal/Nu-Metal band immediately captivated the audience. The group features two vocalists, Danny Case on the lead/clean vocals and Matt Brandyberry performing rap-style vocals.
Between the two frontmen and two guitarists out front, it is impossible to be bored watching this set. The band opened their 30-minute show with their three latest singles: Nightmare, Heartache and Hate Me Too, from their upcoming album Blackout (due 28 July via Better Noise).
Despite only having 30 minutes on the stage, From Ashes To New managed to fit in tunes from all three of their studio albums to date and brand new material as well. This year is the 10th anniversary of the band, and while they are the newest band of the night, they proved that they could hold up next to the alt-Metal veterans.
