Who is your hero? Ask three different people that question and you’ll likely get three very different answers. Maybe someone will mention their favorite football player, an important historical figure, or even their mom or dad. But as Americans, we all should stand up and recognize our real heroes, those who have served this wonderful nation, our Veterans. This past Friday Charlotteans got a chance to do just that with the Rock For Heroes Benefit Concert at the CMCU Ampitheater. The concert featured performances by three terrific bands, Three Days Grace, Adelitas Way, and Otherwise and was hosted by The Independence Fund. If you are not familiar with The Independence Fund, they are a wonderful organization that supports our injured and wounded Veterans by providing them with mobility devices such as All Terrain Wheelchairs to allow them to regain and maintain their independence as well as providing outreach services to caregivers.
The evening of music kicked off with the playing of our National Anthem just before Otherwise hit the stage. Led by lead vocalist Adrian Patrick, the band put in a solid set to get the crowd rocking early on. The biggest response from the audience was during their closing song and biggest hit to date, “Soliders,” as Patrick waved an American flag and urged the crowd to sing along. It was definitely a moment not to be missed to see and hear the Vets singing “With our final breath, We’ll fight to the death. We are Soldiers.” right along with Patrick.
Next up was some down and dirty hard rock from the Vegas bad boys in Adelitas Way. The blistering riffs of guitarist Robert Zakaryan are the perfect complement to the grooving bass lines of Andrew Cushing and the pounding drums of Trevor Stafford. Frontman Rick De Jesus has a commanding stage presence and all eyes were focused on him as he belted out hits “Criticize” and “Bad Reputation.” To finish off their set, they chose their biggest song “Invincible” which was used by the WWE and is often heard at sporting events around the country. The fans ate it up and it left them hungry for more rock and roll which was still to come.
During the intermission, the crowd was treated to a performance by some of the Carolina Panther cheerleaders, the Top Cats, who did a brief dance number. Joining the Top Cats on stage was everyone’s favorite, furry friend, team mascot Sir Purr who added some dance moves of his own. Then it was time for local radio hosts Woody & Wilcox to introduce the Executive Director of The Independence Fund, Staff Sergeant Tommy Rieman. A hero in his own right, Rieman has 15 years of service in the United States Army and was awarded the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, and the Army Commendation Medal with Valor as a result of his courageous actions. It always helps to put a face and a personal story to the cause and there is no better person to represent what The Independence Fund is all about than Tommy Rieman.
Before we knew it, it was time for the headlining act of the night, Three Days Grace, to take the stage.This isn’t the first benefit concert that the band has played as they have been very supportive of our Veterans and our military men and women currently serving. Their stage set was based on their latest album “Human” with a giant banner at the back of the stage and several other pieces of artwork mixed throughout the stage. The massive drum kit was on top of a huge riser with smaller risers beneath and to the sides. The band opened with “Time of Dying” and it was on. Frontman Matt Walst has really come into his own as a performer and is extremely active on stage. He was constantly interacting with the crowd and running up onto the top of the risers. At one point, he even jumped off the drum riser to the stage beneath and during the song “Home,” he made his way through the aisles all the way to the lawn at the back of the venue so the fans in the back got a chance to see him up close and personal. It’s been three years now since Matt has joined the band and he has done an exceptional job with some very big shoes to fill. Guitarist Barry Stock let his fingers do the talking as he played different guitars throughout the evening including his signature double neck Ibanez. Midway through the set, drummer Neil Sanderson and touring keyboardist Dani Rosenoer played a drum and keyboard interlude that featured some classical keyboard runs and a little “battle” between the two as the spotlight shifted from one to the other. Sanderson’s drum solo immediately followed with an impressive light show and all the requisite drumming theatrics. Bassist Brad Walst was stalwart all evening and as always provided a solid backbone for the band. Lighters and cellphones were held in the air for a poignant version of the band’s newest ballad “Fallen Angel” before ramping things back up for some of the band’s biggest hits including the set closer “Animal I Have Become.” After many shouts of 3DG! 3DG!, the band returned for a two song encore which included “I Am Machine” and Riot” which truly whipped the crowd into a frenzy.
The Rock For Heroes Benefit was a spectacular evening of rock and roll for an outstanding cause. Merriam-Webster defines a hero as a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities. There certainly were a lot of heroes on this night, from the Veterans in attendance, to the bands who gave their time to such a worthy event, and to The Independence Fund organizers and volunteers who must have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to put on such a great benefit. It’s my hope that more than money was raised tonight and that everyone left the venue with a hopeful feeling and wanting to be more like heroes to their fellow humankind.
Three Days Grace Set List:
Time of Dying
Just Like You
Chalk Outline
So What
Break
Human Race
Pain
Home (with snippet of “Sober” by Tool)
Drum and Keyboard Interlude
Drum Solo
Painkiller
Fallen Angel
The Good Life (with snippet of “The Beautiful People” by Marilyn Manson)
I Hate Everything about You
Never Too Late
Animal I Have Become
Encore:
I Am Machine
Riot
We would like to thank Mark Van Hook and Jami Sowers from Largemouth PR for the credentials to review the show. For more information on The Independence Fund, please go to http://www.independencefund.org.
